Public Health Assessment Shows Little Contamination No Elevated Rates of Cancer Near CTS Mills Gap Facility

I think that this whole episode has been fueled by environmental extremists, fear mongers, attorneys and other people seeking to make a profit (both in terms of money and political power) from a false scare.

Hat Tip to Mountain Xpress, I had forgotten when the report was due.

Here are some excerpts from the report:

Conclusion 1

The DPH concludes that chemicals identified in the past and

current samples of private well waters, surface waters, sub-surface

soils, crawl-space air, sub-surface soil gas and outdoor air are not

expected to harm people’s health.

Basis for decision

The concentrations of chemicals detected in the private well waters,

surface waters, sub-surface soils, crawl-space air, sub-surface soil gas

and outdoor air were compared to health effect studies of people and

animals coming into contact with the chemicals. The levels measured

in these samples were lower than the levels expected to harm health or

to cause an increase in cancer rates.

Conclusion 2

The DPH cannot currently conclude whether groundwater with

elevated concentrations of the metals chromium and lead could

harm people’s health. There is not adequate information to

determine whether groundwater with elevated lead and chromium

has been, or is, a source for private drinking water wells.

Basis for decision

There is no indication that people have been in contact with

concentrations of lead or a toxic form of chromium (hexavalent

chromium) in their private drinking water wells. Many people in the

area have in the past and currently get their drinking water from private

wells. Studies of groundwater flow in the area of the CTS site indicate

that groundwater located at different depths are inter-connected and

have been used as regional drinking water sources.

Lead in groundwater was found at concentrations greater than the

health guideline value referenced by the N.C. Department of Health

and Human Services (DHHS) for private well water supplies. It has not

been confirmed that the groundwater with the elevated lead has been

used, or will be used, as a drinking water source.

Elevated levels of chromium have been identified in groundwater in the

area of the CTS property. If the chromium is present as substantial

concentrations of hexavalent chromium, and the waters have been, or

maybe used as a drinking water source, adverse non-cancer and cancer

health effects could result from long-term ingestion.

Conclusion 3

The DPH concludes that other groundwater contaminants,

including the volatile organic compound (VOC) trichloroethylene

(TCE) and vinyl chloride, are not expected to harm people’s health.

Basis for decision

There is no indication that people have been drinking water that

contains VOC contaminants observed in the groundwater samples. The

concentrations of TCE and other contaminants related to the CTS site

and detected in groundwater beyond the property (off-site) were lower

than the levels expected to harm people’s health.

Vinyl chloride was found in groundwater on the CTS property, but not

off-site. Long-term ingestion of vinyl chloride at the concentration

observed in the on-site groundwater could result in both non-cancer

harm to people’s health and a moderate cancer risk. There is no

potential for health effects if the vinyl chloride does not travel off-site

and people are not exposed.

The DPH concludes that the residents using a private well

identified in 1999 as contaminated with trichloroethylene (TCE),

for possibly as long as 11 years, could have been harmed by

drinking the water or breathing TCE escaping from the water to

the household air.

Persons using two spring private wells serving one home until

approximately 1994, and serving two other homes until 1999, could

have been harmed by drinking the water or breathing TCE

escaping from the water to the household air.

TCE contamination was identified in three private wells serving three

homes in July 1999 and the wells were disconnected. It is not known

when the contamination first appeared in the well water, or what the

range of TCE concentrations were over the time the well was being

used. Some of the health issues reported by family members include

those that have been associated with TCE contact. An increased cancer

risk is indicated if the long-term occupants of the residence were in

contact with TCE concentrations similar to those in the single well

water sample collected in 1999.

Drinking water contaminated with TCE and breathing TCE volatilized

from the drinking water supply over many years in large amounts may

cause adverse health effects. These effects include increased risk of

kidney or liver cancer; dizziness, lung irritation, impaired heart

function; and nerve, kidney or liver damage. Reproductive effects such

as impaired fetal growth or decreased fertility may also result. There

may be an increased risk of birth defects or leukemia to children of

women exposed during pregnancy.

Conclusion 5

The DPH N.C. Central Cancer Registry (CCR) determined that

cancer rates for the population living in a 1-mile radius around the

CTS property were not elevated.

Basis for decision

The CCR studied the number of cancers reported by health care

providers in the area surrounding the CTS site to the expected number

of cases in the same time period. The study focused on the types of

cancers linked with TCE contact: liver cancer, renal cancer, and non-

Hodgkin lymphoma. The results of the investigation indicate that the

observed numbers of cases of these cancers fall within the expected

range, and there is no evidence of a clustering of cancer cases in the

study area.

The cancer evaluation is limited by the small population size of the

study area and the availability of cancer records only since 1990.

Because of the long latency period of most cancers the evaluation is

also limited by the use of a person’s address at the time of diagnosis

rather than the ability to identify if and where the critical exposure that

led to cancer development took place.

Commentary

So, as you can see, a thorough scientific study has found little (if anything) to be concerned about in this matter.

And here is the report itself, for the record, and for your own perusal, you may download it at the link on the top of the document:

Part 1-CTS Mills Gap Road 1-12-2010

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Lefties Still Fighting Against Cliffside

This is the front and back of some cards that "were" available in a public place I frequent.

If lefties had their way, we would be living a stone age lifestyle and there would likely be less than a billion people living.


This is what they are still fighting...

Emissions control technologies make up approximately 40 percent of the cost of the new Cliffside units. These technologies will be capable of removing approximately:

• 99.9 percent of the fly ash emissions
• 99 percent of the sulfur dioxide emissions
• 96 percent of the sulfate emissions
• 90 percent of the nitrogen oxide emissions
• 90 percent of the mercury emissions.

The modernization of the Cliffside site will increase the plant output by 80% – from 760 megawatts to 1,360 megawatts, and also reduce the site’s overall emissions in most categories. This is made possible by the retirements of the much less efficient Cliffside units 1-4, the sulfur dioxide scrubber planned for Cliffside unit 5 and the state-of-the-art emissions controls used with the modern units.

Source: Cliffside Air Quality

Here is a problem with the assertions by the lefties in the above photos:

Shelby Star

Publish at Scribd or explore others:

So let them come forth with scientific proof instead of emotional scare-tactics.

Update: Asheville's very own Communist-Enviro-Whacko-Progressive Candidate for Asheville City Council (Cecil Bothwell)is blogging about the new "only Bev can save us" campaign. Give me a break!

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FDA Issue definitive statement on Peanut Butter Salmonella - Do not eat guidelines

PRESS RELEASE

Because identification of products subject to recall is continuing, the FDA urges consumers to postpone eating commercially-prepared or manufactured peanut butter-containing products and institutionally-served peanut butter until further information becomes available about which products may be affected. Efforts to specifically identify those products are ongoing. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is conducting a very active and dynamic investigation into the source of the Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak.  At this time, the FDA has traced a source of Salmonella Typhimurium contamination to a plant owned by Peanut Corporation of America (PCA), which manufactures both peanut butter that is institutionally served in such settings as long-term care facilities and cafeterias, and peanut paste?a concentrated product consisting of ground, roasted peanuts?that is distributed to food manufacturers to be used as an ingredient in many commercially produced products including cakes, cookies, crackers, candies, cereal and ice cream. The FDA has notified PCA that product samples originating from its Blakely, Ga., processing plant have been tested and found positive for Salmonella by laboratories in the states of Minnesota and Georgia.  The state of Minnesota has reported to FDA that its samples of King Nut peanut butter are a genetic match to the strain of Salmonella that has caused illnesses in that state and around the country.  King Nut is a distributor of PCA product. On January 16, PCA expanded its voluntary recall to include all peanut butter produced on or after August 8, 2008, and all peanut paste produced on or after September 26, 2008, in its Blakely, Ga., plant because of potential Salmonella contamination.  The product being recalled is sold by PCA in bulk packaging in containers ranging in size from five to 1700 pounds.  The peanut paste is sold in sizes ranging from 35-pound containers to product sold by the tanker container.  These products are not sold directly to consumers.  PCA has stopped all production at its Blakely, Ga. plant as the FDA continues its investigation into the source of the Salmonella contamination. At this time, there is no indication that any national name brand jars of peanut butter sold in retail stores are linked to the PCA recall.  As the investigation continues over the weekend, and into next week, the FDA will be able to update the advice based on new sampling and distribution information.  The FDA is working closely with members of the food industry to narrow this advice and to publish a detailed list of implicated products as soon as possible.  The FDA is encouraging manufacturers to help inform consumers about whether their products could have contained commercially prepared peanut butter or peanut paste from PCA.  Also, if manufacturers know their products do not contain ingredients from PCA, they may wish to inform consumers of that fact.  Retailers should stop selling products which have been recalled. For information on products containing peanut butter from companies not reporting recalls, consumers may wish to consult the company?s website or call the toll-free number listed on most packaging.  Information consumers may receive from the companies has not been verified by the FDA. The FDA will closely monitor these events by continuing to work with the firms on the details of their actions, conduct follow-up audits and inspections, monitor the progress of the firms? actions, and notify our foreign regulatory counterparts of products that may have been distributed internationally. Source: Emergency Email and Wireless Network

No more peanut Butter sandwiches until further notice....

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Water in Eastern North Carolina Endangered?

Last Thursday, I ran a guest commentary by Fern Shubert entitled, "How Hard Is This Puzzle? " that reported on the problems with water some people are experiencing in the eastern part of the state. Now there is this piece of news from WNCT-TV located in Greenville, North Carolina:

Members of Chowan County’s Republican Party, state ecologists and former state Senator Fern Shubert blame a combination of things for it.

One of the biggest has been drought.

They also say the way land is being used, heavy metals in fields, water testing, and sink holes add to the concern.

The environmentally conscious group made their point during a meeting held last week in Chowan County.

Hat Tip: Don Yelton

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Less Air Pollution Killing Amazon Rain Forest

LONDON (Reuters) - Cleaner air due to reduced coal burning could help destroy the Amazon this century, according to a finding published on Wednesday that highlights the complex challenges of global climate change.

The study in the journal Nature identified a link between reduced sulphur dioxide emissions from coal burning and increased sea surface temperatures in the tropical North Atlantic that boosts the drought risk in the Amazon rainforest.

With the rainforest already threatened by development, higher global temperatures could tip the balance, they said.

"Generally pollution is a bad thing but in this case improving the air may have ironically led to a drying of the Amazon," said Peter Cox, a researcher at the University of Exeter in Britain, who led the study.

The Amazon -- the world's largest tropical rainforest -- plays a critical role in the global climate system because it contains about one tenth of the total carbon stored in land ecosystems.

The researchers used a climate-carbon model to simulate the impacts of future climate change on the Amazon and compared it to data from a 2005 drought that devastated a large chunk of the rainforest.

They estimated that by 2025 a drought on the same scale could happen every other year and by 2060 such a crisis could hit nine out of every ten years -- enough to turn the rainforest into savannah grassland, Cox said.

Source: Reuters

Commentary

So, the very efforts of Liberals to 'save the earth' are actually contributing to ever worsening conditions, both on a planetary scale, and in what were formerly Free Markets.

I think Quinn's First Law sums this up quite nicely:

Liberalism always generates the exact opposite of its stated intent. Similarly, government bureaucracies never solve problems, they manage them and exacerbate the ones they created by interfering with market forces and processes.

They say that there used to be an advanced civilization in the Sahara region thousands of years ago, and the area used to be lush, and green. If this is so, then we need to consider the possibility that liberals just might be responsible for creating the Sahara Desert. It's something to think about.

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Compact Fluorescents and Mercury Content

Whoa! Just how much Mercury do these things contain?

If I were to take a few, and burst them in a creek, or in a tributary of a reservoir, would anyone notice? I mean, the enviro-whackos warn us how dangerous micrograms of this stuff is in fish, how dangerous is milligrams (1,000 times a microgram) of this? I don't get it!

Break a Compact Fluorescent, and Spend $2,000.


Original Source.


And to give you a clue of the seriousness the Mercury-containing bulbs are treated by the recyclers, the bulbs are accepted at this Earth Day Event for special recycling needs. A snippet:

OLYMPIA - Many common household items containing mercury, such as medical thermometers and fluorescent light bulbs, cause big problems if tossed in the trash where they can get into our air, land and water.

As part of Earth Week 2007, the Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) is helping to sponsor local mercury collection events in 11 counties.

These events are especially timely in light of the recent mercury poisoning of a Yakima teenager who remains hospitalized as a result of exposure to mercury at his home.

I checked for data from Material Safety Data Sheets online, and found a Phillips CFL (Compact Fluorescent Lightbulb) listed as having 0.025 milligrams per cubic meter. I currently own none, but may purchase one so I can get a look at the Material Safety Data Sheet that should come with the bulb, since they contain Phosphor powder, Promethium-147 [produced in Nuclear Reactors], and Mercury [Bethelem Recycling].

At the rate at which I break light bulbs, I think I'll hold off on purchasing them for use at home. I also remember how we got rid of spent fluorescent tubes when I worked at Winn-Dixie as a teenager. We would have about 50 or 60 at a time, and take them out to the dumpster behind the store, and heave them in the dumpster one at a time like spears so they would all break. Sometimes we would have a tube fight, and throw them at each other! Apart from a few cuts, none of us were harmed, even when we busted them over each other wielded like light-sabres! Now those were fun times!

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