An enviromental issue

[bassmount]

What if the EPA approves something, says it is safe to disperse onto farming land and then you find that it may not be? You know it cannot truly be safe, because it is human fecal matter, but the "system" swears that it is.

What would you do? Would you believe the EPA or would you go on and fight the system?

[pandybat]

I'd have to know what you found out about it not being safe before I could tell you whether I would keep fighting it or not. I've seen and SMELLED them doing this in this area before but never really thought about whether it was safe or unsafe.

[bassmount]

Originally Posted by pandybat

I'd have to know what you found out about it not being safe before I could tell you whether I would keep fighting it or not. I've seen and SMELLED them doing this in this area before but never really thought about whether it was safe or unsafe.

OK SandyPandy

Here is known:
Shortly after this stuff started going down, within a year or so people in the area started getting boils and hives that were unexplained by there doctors and untreatable. People in the area who had previously had minor respiratory problems started becoming much worse and now cannot go outside without major issues. Children in the area started having chronic upper respiratory infections. A lady who had some brain surgery and was given a clean bill of health after the surgery, suddenly started to have seizures and the doctors could not regulate them or figure out why because all MRI and tests on the brain functions were coming back normal. They subsequently found moderate to high levels of mercury, a formaldehyde based chemical and arsenic in her well, that was not there before the biosolids started going down. From documentation it was found that the arsenic and formaldehyde were by products of the biosolid treatment. The doctors now think that the medications were not working because they were reacting to these chemicals found int the well. Children who played in the creek that is the run off point for the fields, started breaking out into soars and got low grade staph infections. Children who are otherwise healthily cannot go into this area for long on visits because it immediately throws them into allergy reactions that they don't suffer from at home. It is mostly seasonal allergies at home, but they go to this place and it kicks in with a full head of steam, even in the winter. The children living on the farms seem to also keep chronic upper respiratory infections to a slightly greater degree.

From what is known, the biosolids go down as powder which could be why there are so many upper respiratory problems, then with the ground around here being so wet, it becomes a liquid almost immediately and runs off or sinks into the ground, which is where the creek problem and well problems are could be stemming from.

[bradedit]

I would want to see the results of the tests that the EPA had done to assure the safety of the people and animals. I would want some independent testing done to see if it was actually that or possibly some other irritant that is causing these symptoms.



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You may want to check these out too, if you decide you want to take action these places may help!

[bassmount]

Originally Posted by bradedit

I would want to see the results of the tests that the EPA had done to assure the safety of the people and animals. I would want some independent testing done to see if it was actually that or possibly some other irritant that is causing these symptoms.



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You may want to check these out too, if you decide you want to take action these places may help!

That is the point they are at now Tami. The independent testing. The well one was at a cost of $3000.00! Here is the EPAs take on the issue [Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now] which they say that low levels of the chemicals are OK to put into the human body, but I didn't see where they determined what was a "safe level?" BUT this also goes back to the school of thought, is ANY of this crap good for your body? Is putting a toxin of any sort, at any level in your body really safe? I smoke, yes I am bad and I smoke. BUT I know that it is not good for my body, still choose to do it. These people really have no choice, it is being put there and not by them.

I just see it as a long hard road and one that should have been explored BEFORE this stuff went down, not as an after thought when unexplained things started happening.

Cornell and one professor at Harvard are now looking into this, as well as the State toxicologist, who recently admitted that land-applied human biosolids have contaminated Raleigh's groundwater. Complaints of illness have filtered in throughout the state, but this is just a small part of the whole. It seems that this is actually going on all over the country. In fact one family in Tennessee and one in PA claim that have had deaths in the family due to the airborne powder form of the biosolids and long term exposure. The EPA Deputy Administrator said the government has new questions and is now reexamining the use of treated biosolids.

Thanks for the link. I do think they have been notified of the situation though. I seem to remember hearing the name of the organization at some point. BUT I will pass it on just in case.

OH also meant to add that in 2003 the EPA decided not to regulate dioxins in ground applied biosolids any further because the cancer risk had gone down. It does say there is no significant risk to human health, but they then go on to talk about cancer risks. I wonder if they even looked at anything other than cancer risks and it was only a theoretically based study?

Summary

EPA has made a final decision not to regulate dioxins in land-applied sewage sludge. After five years of study, including outside peer review, the Agency has determined that dioxins from this source do not pose a significant risk to human health or the environment. The most highly exposed people, theoretically, are those people who apply sewage sludge as a fertilizer to their crops and animal feed and then consume their own crops and meat products over their entire lifetimes. EPA's analysis shows that even for this theoretical population, only 0.003 new cases of cancer could be expected each year or only 0.22 new cases of cancer over a span of 70 years. The risk to people in the general population of new cancer cases resulting from sewage sludge containing dioxin is even smaller due to lower exposures to dioxin in land-applied sewage sludge than the highly exposed farm family which EPA modeled.

[bassmount]

Tami, you were editing as I was posting. I will pass the second link on too. TY!

[mcshelll]

Here are some other places you might conctact:
The Natural Resources Defense Council is a nonprofit environmental organization
with more than 550,000 members nationwide and a staff of scientists, attorneys
and environmental experts. Our mission is to protect the planet's wildlife and
wild places and ensure a safe and healthy environment for all living things.

For more information about NRDC or how to become a member of NRDC, please
contact us at:

Natural Resources Defense Council
40 West 20th Street
New York, NY 10011
212-727-4511 (voice) / 212-727-1773 (fax)
General email: [Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now]
Earth Action email: [Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now]
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now]

This link leads you to other links that may help you:
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Be sure to check this one:

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look up your own state there
NORTH CAROLINA PUBLIC INTEREST RESEARCH GROUP

405B W. Franklin St • Chapel Hill, NC 27516 • (919) 933-5889

112 S. Blount St • Raleigh, NC 27601 • (919) 833-2070

1409 East Blvd • Charlotte, NC 28601 • (704) 372-2553


Good luck to you.

[bradedit]

Geez, its like if it is not cancer then it is not a threat to your health? As we have found out in many cases that a 5 year study is nothing, what happens to your kids and their kids.

Hmm, maybe we could call you Becky Brokovich