In the coming weeks, lawmakers plan to hear from sick workers who have questions about the incinerator. Adams and other managers say they believe the employees are indeed sick. Some have been granted disability payments. Others are out on sick leave. But the origin or source, nobody knows.
Officials are about to get a better picture of what's coming out of the stack.
Tennessee is requiring the operators to prove how much of certain metals they are emitting. For the remaining 17 metals going into the incinerator, operators will meet regulations by controlling how much of those metals goes in. They say they'll feed in amounts that would meet guidelines even if all of it came out the stack. The trial burn is a special test for the incinerator's new hazardous waste permit. Tennessee only requires regular tests of air emissions every five years.