Responding to the complaints of neighbors about possibly hazardous air pollution, Pioneer Valley Hospital has stopped burning medical waste, two months earlier than it had planned.
The hospital, 3460 S. 4155 West, announced in early spring that it would close the incinerator in September. Neighbors complained that the facility smelled bad, and they thought it was burning at night, in violation of state law.At the time, hospital spokesman Jon Goates denied that the incinerator was operated at night, saying it was shut off at 9 p.m.
This week, the hospital notified the Utah Division of Air Quality that it was closing down the incinerator.
"A national waste management firm has been engaged to handle the hospital's medical waste," he said.
"It was discovered that as the incinerator cooled each night (after it was shut off), odorous emissions were being released, and area residents were concerned about possible health risks," Goats said.
Ashes will be removed from the incinerator this fall.