|
SC FORCE Saint Clair Families Organized to Retain a Clean
Environment
www.scforce.org |
|
Recently, Blythe Township held an informational meeting open to the
public in order to explain why they feel this landfill would be beneficial and
for people to ask questions about BRADS.
In this flyer you will find exact quotes from information that was given
out by Blythe Township to those who attended the meeting and in addition,
research SC FORCE has done to explain why we are opposed to this landfill. What is BRADS? Blythe Township’s Answer: BRADS stands
for the Blythe Recycling and Demolition Site, a disposal facility for
construction and demolition waste.
The BRADS is not a municipal waste disposal facility and will not take any
household garbage, radioactive, medical or liquid wastes. SC FORCE’s Response: This landfill, proposed by Blythe
Township, would adversely affect St. Clair and surrounding areas by threatening
our water supply, air quality, wildlife recreation and overall quality of life. What types of materials will BRADS take for disposal? Blythe Township’s Answer: The BRADS will only take those materials
allowed by the PADEP permits and regulations.
The BRADS will take materials associated with the construction and
demolition industries such as clearing and demolition debris, steel, concrete,
brick, lumber, plaster, empty paint cans, asphalt, wire and shingles. SC FORCE’s Response: Although many of these materials may not
sound harmful because they are used everyday in our homes and workplaces, when
broken down and released into the environment, they can be very dangerous. Also, we asked the question at the
meeting as to what other materials would be permitted in the landfill. We did not get a response. So, as always, we did our research. Below is a complete list of materials
found in Construction and Demolition landfills nationwide. The items in bold are considered hazardous, excluded, contaminants,
chemical constituents that could affect the use of the waste as fuel, special,
unacceptable, problem, potentially toxic, non-hazardous restrictive, or illegal
by the EPA.
This information can be found at:
www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/sqg/const/cdrpt.pdf
How much waste will BRADS accept? Blythe Township’s Answer: The BRADS will accept an average of 1,000
tons of construction and demolition wastes daily. SC FORCE’s Response: The key word here is average. The permit application for BRADS allows
the site to allow up to 1,500 tons per day.
There is no reason they could not accept this amount every day. How long will the BRADS be in operation? Blythe Township’s Answer: The BRADS will be in operation for 29
years based on a daily disposal average of 1,000 tons per day. SC FORCE’s Response: The permitted site is 252 acres, the
disposal site is 110 acres. Once
the 110 acres are filled, there is room for expansion. When asked about this, Blythe township’s professionals
responded that there is a possibility that once filled, they may be able to
expand the landfill, however, the research has not been performed as of yet. This is a major concern - if this
landfill is approved we may be looking at more than 29 years of operation.
Is the environment going to be protected at the BRADS? Blythe Township’s Answer: Yes.
Every phase of construction, design and operations at BRADS takes into
account the highest levels of environmental protection. The BRADS is located within a watershed
which no longer has any surface water, or supplies any public or private water
systems. Groundwater will be
monitored and collected through a series of 6 wells located throughout the site. SC FORCE’s Response: Although the watershed that BRADS is
located within is no longer supplies water to the public, it will be located
2400 feet from the watershed that supplies water to several communities
including St. Clair. This proposes
an environmental threat in itself.
Also, according to the report Damage Cases: Construction and Demolition Waste
Landfills found on the Environmental Protection Agency’s website, of the
landfills studied in the report, all eleven reported ground-water contamination.
This report can be viewed at
http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/sqg/damages/dam-pdf.damage.pdf Are there any health impacts from a facility like the BRADS? Blythe Township’s Answer: There is no evidence that a facility like
the BRADS and built and operated to PADEP specifications will have any negative
health impacts. Furthermore, since
the adoption of PADEP’s 1988 solid waste regulations, there have been no
instances of groundwater contamination due to a liner leak at a landfill. SC FORCE’s Response: As referenced in the previous question,
there have been facilities like this one that have had groundwater
contamination. The report referred
to above was written in 1995, after the 1988 solid waste regulations. Also, if approved, this site will be
accepting asbestos, which has fibers that can enter the air or water from the
breakdown of natural deposits and manufactured asbestos products. Asbestos fibers do not evaporate into
air or dissolve in water. Small
diameter fibers and particles may remain suspended in the air for a long time
and be carried long distances by wind or water before settling down. Asbestos fibers may be released into the
air by the disturbance of asbestos-containing material (such as transport or
crushing). In general, exposure may
occur only when the asbestos-containing material is disturbed in some way to
release particles and fibers into the air.
Asbestos can be found in many building materials including roofing
shingles, ceiling and floor tiles, paper products, and asbestos cement products.
Breathing in high levels of asbestos over a long period of time can cause
scar-like tissue in the lungs and
the lining that surrounds the lungs.
Breathing lower levels of asbestos may result in changes called plaques in the
pleural membranes - this can restrict breathing.
The EPA and The Department of Health and Human Services have also determined
that asbestos is a human carcinogen.
It can increase the risk of lung cancer and mesothelioma.
In addition to the dangers caused by asbestos, in the above mentioned
report on C&D landfills from EPA, the contaminants found in the ground-water
have many dangerous health affects as well-they are listed below.
The information on these contaminants and asbestos was taken from the Agency for
Toxic Substances and Disease Registry website.
You can look for this information at:
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ Aluminum: respiratory problems including coughing
and asthma from breathing dust.
Some studies show that people with Alzheimer’s disease have more aluminum than
usual in their brains.
Vanadium: breathing high levels of vanadium for
short and long periods sometimes had lung irritation, coughing, wheezing, chest
pain, runny nose, and sore throat.
Chromium: breathing high levels of chromium (VI)
can cause irritation to the nose, such as runny nose, nosebleeds and ulcers and
holes in the nasal septum.
Ingesting large amounts of chromium(VI) can cause stomach upsets and ulcers,
convulsion, kidney and liver damage even death.
Skin contact with certain chromium(IV) can cause skin ulcers. Some people are extremely sensitive to
chromium(VI) or chromium(III).
Allergic reactions consisting of severe redness and swelling of the skin have
been noted. Several studies have
shown that chromium(VI) compounds increase the risk of lung cancer. The World Health Organization has
determined that chromium(VI) is a human carcinogen.
The EPA has determined that chromium(VI) in air is a human carcinogen.
Zinc: Zinc is an essential element in our diet,
however, too much zinc is harmful.
Harmful effects can be cramps, nausea and vomiting. Taken longer, it can cause anemia and
decrease the levels of your good cholesterol.
Nickel: The most common harmful health effect of
nickel in humans is an allergic reaction.
Manganese: exposure to high levels of airborne
manganese can affect motor skills such as holding one’s hand
steady, performing fast
hand movements and maintaining balance.
It may also cause respiratory problems and sexual dysfunction.
Lead: Lead can affect almost every organ and
system in your body. The most
sensitive is the central nervous system, particularly in children. Lead also damages kidneys and the
reproductive system. The effects
are the same whether is breathed or swallowed.
Lead may decrease reaction time, cause weakness in fingers, wrists or
ankles and possibly affect the memory.
Lead may cause anemia. It
can also damage the male reproductive system.
The Department of Health and Human Services has determined that lead
acetate and lead phosphate may reasonably be anticipated to be carcinogens based
on studies in animals.
Copper: copper is essential for good health, but
high amounts can be harmful.
Long-term exposure to copper dust can irritate your nose, mouth and eyes, and
cause headaches, dizziness, nausea and diarrhea.
Drinking water with higher than normal levels of copper may cause
vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps, and nausea. High intakes of copper can cause liver and kidney damage and
even death.
Cadmium: breathing high levels of cadmium severely
damages the lungs and can cause death. Eating food or drinking water with very high levels severely
irritates the stomach, leading to vomiting and diarrhea. Long-term exposure to lower levels of
cadmium in air, food or water leads to a buildup of cadmium in the kidneys and
possible kidney disease. Others
long-term effects are lung damage and fragile bones. The Department of Health and Human Services has determined
that cadmium may reasonably be anticipated to be a carcinogen.
Beryllium: Beryllium can be harmful if you breathe
it. A condition called acute
beryllium disease can result if very high levels are breathed in. Some people become sensitive to
beryllium. These people may develop
chronic beryllium disease which may occur after years of exposure to higher than
normal level of beryllium. Long
term exposure to beryllium can increase the risk of developing lung cancer.
Barium: difficulty breathing, increased blood
pressure, changes in heart rhythm, stomach irritation, brain swelling, muscle
weakness, damage to the liver, kidney, heart and spleen.
Antimony: breathing high levels for a long time can
irritate your eyes and lungs and can cause heart and lung problems, stomach
pain, diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach ulcers.
The Following are responses received during the question and answer
portion of the Blythe Township’s informational meeting. This information cannot be found on
Blythe Township’s handouts. Question proposed by SC FORCE member: Why was this
meeting not permitted to be videotaped, or why could a stenographer not be
present? Blythe Township’s Answer: We felt that it would make people feel
uncomfortable and prevent them from coming here tonight. SC FORCE’s Response: When we held our public meeting with DEP,
we had a stenographer present in order to record every word that was said in
order to prevent any misinformation.
We had a full house present that night, no one was discouraged from being
present, or speaking because of the presence of a stenographer. Question proposed by SC FORCE member: Am I correct
in saying that some of the materials that will be going into this landfill are
known carcinogens? Blythe Township’s Answer: No. SC FORCE Member: So what you are saying is that Asbestos
for example, does not cause cancer? Blythe Township’s Answer: No, it doesn’t. SC FORCE’s Response to this: As we can see from the
information provided here, that many of the materials that will be in this
landfill are known carcinogens. All
of the information provided here was cited from reliable resources. We stand by our original statement -
This landfill will be harmful to the health and welfare of local communities and
we need to work together to stop it.
|