Letter To The Editor

Dear Editor,

This article is in follow-up to the April and May articles regarding the plans to build a crematorium addition to the existing Borgwardt Funeral home located on Powder Mill Road, Beltsville.  Since the May article, the funeral home has applied for an Environmental Permit with the Maryland Department of the Environment, for the last required permit in the process prior to construction.  If no one has shared with you the many potential health hazards and other downsides of constructing a crematorium in a residential area, please educate yourselves on the "Dangers of Crematoriums in Residential Areas" & “Real Estate Values & Crematoriums”. 

As mentioned in prior articles, “Citizens Against The Crematorium In Residential Beltsville” have gone door-to-door to share this information.  In most instances, community residents have heard nothing on these plans, with none of them ever being provided any information of the potential health risks associated with the burning of up to 350 bodies per year.  The fumes that will be released from the approved 37 ft smoke stack on the top of the building you will see while driving down Powder Mill Road, contains harmful substances including Sulfur Dioxide, Carbon Monoxide, Mercury from dental fillings, and radioactive substances potentially harmful to humans and the environment.  We have also visited a number of public and private schools, churches, businesses, play grounds, and other establishments.  Everyone we have spoken with has expressed significant concerns with building in the currently planned residential area. 

The current “Environmental Justice Score” of the surrounding area of the Borgwardt Funeral Home location is 83.3, with 100 being the worst.  This is due to being in close proximity to I-95, I-495, BW Pkwy, and the Beltsville Industrial Park (currently a crematorium on Tucker Street), and other factors.  With the addition of another crematorium, this number will increase and the smells from the cremated bodies will not be pleasant.   

This project is moving forward at a rapid rate, so if you have concerns, you need to become engaged quickly.  By clicking on the below QR Code, you can register as being a person of opposition with the MD Dept. of the Environment, and they will keep you updated on future happenings.  You can also send an email to StopCrematorium@gmail.com. 

Deborah Baggett