John Kearns says Disintegrator test 'wasn't a real test'

A Cape Breton man is defending a garbage incinerator he invented after an engineering company found his machine spewed out toxins and carcinogens when it was tested in Ontario last year.

John Kearns, of Big Bras d'Or, tested his Disintegrator system for disposing garbage on the Six Nations Reserve near Hamilton last year.

Kearns first invented the machine in the 1980s and claims it destroys garbage with virtually no emissions.

A report from engineering firm RWDI said some emissions from the system were well above acceptable level of contaminants. In the case of dioxins and furans levels were 200 times greater than Ontario provincial guidelines, 25 times the limit of lead and cadmium, as well as above-standard levels of carbon monoxide and nitric oxide.

RWDI sampled emissions from the stack over a three day period in November of 2014.

Kearns says the machine is a demonstration model that does not have proper pollution controls.  He also says the testing was not done properly.

Kearns prepared to go to court

"It wasn't a real test, " he says. "They took a sample of one thing and then extrapolated from there. For instance, they didn't weigh the garbage going in, they didn't weigh the ash coming out, nor did they ensure there was no contamination by outsiders who were against the project, for instance, putting contaminants in the garbage such as lead or lead paint or what have you."

Kearns points to conclusions from RWDI's presentation to community members as validation for his system.   

We had been threatened with rifles on our chest.- John Kearns 

RWDI indicated the Kearns Disintegrator "could be a good option for landfill waste reduction".  

But the firm said the unit needs "minor to moderate work" to bring the emissions closer to performance objectives.

Kearns did not attend the community meeting on March 19 to address concerns about his invention.

Kearns says he was told not to attend by the band as they could not assure his safety after he was confronted last June at Six Nations.

"We had been threatened with rifles on our chest," he says. "One has to be careful, you know."

Kearns says he plans a community meeting of his own to discuss the Disintegrator in about three weeks time.  He says he will hold the meeting in nearby Brantford, and not on Six Nations.

Meanwhile, Kearns says he's prepared to go to court to force the band to live up to its agreement to buy a permanent disintegrator.

The band has already spent $805,000 on the demonstration model.  

The council has not publicly commented on whether it plans to move forward with the $4.8 million dollar project.