WHERE ARE SPECTER, THE ATSDR AND THE PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH?
From: http://www.dante7.com/ [Posted – April 28, 2008]
As most people in northeastern Pennsylvania know, we have a highly significant polycythemia vera cancer problem in this area. A 2007 investigation by the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) indicated that our rate of polycythemia vera is at least 4.5 times the national average www.washingtonindependent.com…ATSDR.pdf!
On October 6, 2006, U.S. Senator Arlen Specter and representatives from the ATSDR and the Pennsylvania Department of Health (PA DOH) first announced a study of our polycythemia vera epidemic www.tnonline.com.
At the time of the announcement, Senator Specter stated, “This area has been a dumping ground. We understand your concerns and we share your concerns. When I hear about cancer, I’m especially concerned.” Senator Specter emphasized, “We’ll do everything that can be done.”
U.S. Senator Arlen Specter
On October 24, 2007, officials from the ATSDR and the PA DOH reported the results of their preliminary study confirming the elevated rates of the rare cancer in this area. Dr. Steve Dearwent, Chief of the Health Investigation Bureau, Division of Health Studies, represented the ATSDR.
Dr. Steve Dearwent, ATSDR
The Lehighton Times News reported, “Dearwent stressed that ATSDR will continue to follow up by studying spacial distribution of the cancer within the area” www.tnonline.com. In addition, Dr. Michael Huff, Deputy Secretary, PA DOH, stated, “We are committed to doing additional work and study.”
Dr. Michael Huff, PA DOH
It has been between six and 18 months since “We’ll do everything that can be done,” “ATSDR will continue to follow up ” and “We are committed to doing additional work and study.”
Where are the officials from the ATSDR and the PA DOH? Representatives from these government agencies are nowhere to been seen.
Please contact your elected representatives and demand that they do their jobs by getting officials at the ATSDR and the PA DOH to do their jobs.
The Mythical Daily Water Requirement
Scientific American – USA
So the Pennsylvania docs scanned the literature. Do we really need to drink eight glasses of water each day? They discovered that drinking water does help the kidneys clear out salt and such. …
To read the article, click HERE
Get daily EPA tips in April on ‘going green’
Contact: Bonnie Smith, 215-814-5543, smith.bonnie@epa.gov
PHILADELPHIA (April 1, 2008) Everyday there are reports in newspapers, on television, on the radio and the web with suggestions on how to reduce our carbon footprint, make our homes and businesses more energy efficient and create communities that are sustainable. Now, you can now sign up for daily environmental tips sent directly to you by e-mail from EPA throughout April at http://www.epa.gov/earthday/tips.htm. Also available is a green tip “widget” you can download for daily environmental tips. A widget is a small piece of Web programming code that can be added to a blog, wiki, or Web page.
These daily environmental tips are a part of EPA’s 2008 Earth Day celebration. April 22 is Earth Day and this year, EPA is launching several initiatives throughout the month of April to help raise environmental awareness.
On April 22, 1970, twenty million people across America celebrated the first Earth Day. Now, Earth Day is celebrated around the world.
National Poison Prevention Week (March 16-22)
From: “U.S. EPA”
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Play It Safe, Prevent Poisonings, Lock Up Pesticides
Contacts: (Media only) Dale Kemery, (202) 564-4355 / kemery.dale@epa.gov
(All other inquiries) Darlene Dinkins, (703) 305-5214 / dinkins.darlene@epa.gov
(Washington, D.C. – March 17, 2008) Every 13 seconds, a U.S. poison control center receives a call about an unintentional poisoning. The American Association of Poison Control Centers reports that more than 50 percent of the two million poisoning incidents each year involve children younger than six years old. In 2006, poison centers reported more than 77,000 calls made to poison centers with concerns about potential exposure to common household pesticides (potential exposures do not necessarily represent a poisoning).
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) observes National Poison Prevention Week each year to increase awareness of the danger to children of unintentional poisonings from pesticides and household products, and to encourage parents and caregivers to lock up products that could potentially harm children.
In observance of National Poison Prevention Week (March 16-22), EPA has launched a poison-prevention segment on Green Scene, EPA’s new series of environmental videos. During an interview on Green Scene, Assistant Administrator Jim Gulliford, of the Office of Prevention Pesticides and Toxic Substances, discusses Poison Prevention Week, how to protect your children from toxic substances around the home and how to respond in case of accidental poisoning.
EPA is also conducting extensive outreach targeting the Hispanic communities, including television interviews to be aired on “Cada Dia,” Telemundo’s national morning program and the Telemundo Washington affiliate in DC. Other interviews include Univision TV and Radio and CNN Radio en Espanol.
Link to Green Scene Podcast: http://www.epa.gov
EPA’s Poison Prevention Web site: http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/health/poisonprevention.htm
The National Poison Center hotline is 1-800-222-1222.
View all news releases related to pesticides and toxic chemicals
http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/health/poisonprevention.htm
Sent by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW · Washington DC 20460 · (202) 564-4355
Carbon protects groundwater resources
http://www.tnonline.com/node/285313
Times News
March 15, 2008
Carbon County will make groundwater protection and education a priority for another year by participating in Groundwater Guardian, a program of The Groundwater Foundation that encourages citizen involvement in groundwater protection and education activities on the local level.
The Groundwater Foundation, based in Lincoln, Neb., is a non-profit organization that educates and motivates the public to care about and for groundwater. Since its inception in 1985, the foundation has offered various educational programs and opportunities for youth and adults.
As part of its participation in the program, Carbon County has formed a diverse team of representatives from citizenry, business, agriculture, education and local government to work on activities that address local groundwater concerns and needs, such as public awareness, education, conservation, pollution prevention, public policy or best-management practices.
Groundwater Guardian began in 1994 with eight pilot communities. Carbon County has participated since 2000 and was among 140 communities in 34 states and one Canadian province designated as Groundwater Guardians in 2007. New communities can get involved in Groundwater Guardian at any time during the year and there is no cost to participate.
The Groundwater Guardian program is made possible with generous support from the program’s national co-sponsor, the United States Geological Survey. Visit www.usgs.gov to learn more. Additional program support is provided by Cargill and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
A complete description of Groundwater Guardian, online entry forms, program benefits and activity ideas are available on The Groundwater Foundation’s Web site at http://groundwater.org. For additional information, or if you have questions, please contact The Groundwater Foundation at 1 (800) 858-4844 or at guardian@groundwater.org.
Does the United States Have Enough Water?
The short answer is nobody really knows. The National Ground Water Association has designated the week of March 9-13 as Ground Water Awareness Week. The USGS is gearing up to assess the availability and use of our Nation’s water resources, including groundwater. The USGS is working to determine how much water we have now, how water availability is changing over time, and how much water will be available for America’s future. By better understanding groundwater resources now, we can help to protect the quality and quantity of human and environmental fresh water needs in the future. To learn more about the USGS’s plans for water availability assessment, visit http://water.usgs.gov/wsi/, or contact Jennifer LaVista at (703) 648-4432 or jlavista@usgs.gov.
You Are What You Eat
Chemicals Found in Earthworms
The saying “you are what you eat” is proving true for earthworms, which eat soil for nourishment. Earthworms studied in agricultural fields have been found to contain chemicals from household products and manure, indicating that such substances are entering the food chain. The chemicals investigated include a range of active ingredients in common household products such as detergents, antibacterial soaps, fragrances and pharmaceuticals. For more information, visit http://toxics.usgs.gov/highlights/earthworms.html, or contact Jennifer LaVista at (703) 648-4432 or jlavista@usgs.gov.
National Ground Water Awareness Week: March 9-15, 2008
“Time to schedule your annual water well checkup!”
Just as periodic checks of furnaces and smoke detectors are recommended, so is an annual water well checkup. Spring is a good time to have this done before the peak water-use season begins. As part of its annual Ground Water Awareness Week promotion, NGWA stresses the importance of yearly water testing and well maintenance.
Why is it a good idea to have my water well checked annually?
*An annual checkup by a licensed or certified water well contractor is the best way to ensure problem-free service and quality water.
*Preventative maintenance usually is less costly than emergency maintenance.
*Good well maintenance, like good car maintenance, can prolong the life of your well and related equipment.
Ground water is a vital national resource. Get involved!
About half the U.S. population receives its drinking water from wells! And more than 90 percent of the fresh water in the United States and around the world is ground water. Ground Water Awareness Week spotlights ground water as a valuable and renewable resource.
You can obtain more well and consumer information by going to NGWA’s Web site for well owners.
Polycythemia vera patient from Hometown area dies
The following story is by Sue Sturgis and is posted on her Hometown Hazards web site, www.hometownhazards.com:
He survived the D-Day landing at Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge only to spend the last years of his life debilitated by polycythemia vera — a disease likely caused by his heavily polluted environment.
Lester Barney Kester, a resident of the Ben Titus Road community north of Hometown, passed away at his home three days ago, according to his published obituary. He was 84. Among Kester’s survivors is his wife, Betty, who also suffers from the rare blood malignancy.
The fact that two genetically unrelated people in one household were both diagnosed with the disease helped draw attention to what appeared to be the area’s unusually high rate of PV — an appearance that has since been confirmed as fact. Unfortunately, public health officials and political leaders have so far failed to take any action to address the problem, which independent scientists say appears to be environmental in origin. The Kesters live just downhill from the McAdoo Associates Superfund site, a former chemical dumping ground for some of America’s biggest corporations; the Northeastern Power Co. waste-coal-burning power plant; and an enormous coal combustion waste dump dubbed “the Big Gorilla.”
Mrs. Kester recently told the Philadelphia Inquirer that doctors “flipped out” when her husband was diagnosed with the disease two years after her, so astounded were they to see two cases in one family. She admitted to feeling bitter over having their retirement years ruined by the disease but observed that at least they were up in years when diagnosed:
“I’m thinking of the children,” she said. “We’re old, we’re ready to die. But the children that are coming up — I’d like something done for them, if possible.”
There will be visitation with the Kester family from 6 to 8 p.m. [on January 25, 2008] at the Lamar Christ Funeral Home in Hometown. My thoughts and prayers are with the family, and with all of those whose lives have been touched by the region’s environmental crisis.
Making Homes Greener and Safer From Radon
Contact: Bonnie Smith, 215-814-5543, smith.bonnie@epa.gov
Only smoking causes more lung cancer than radon
PHILADELPHIA (January 16, 2008) For people who are shopping for new homes, EPA has some good news. Radon-resistant construction practices are being used more frequently in new homes built throughout the country.
Radon is a cancer-causing naturally occurring gas that enters homes through foundation cracks, drains, and openings. Although you can’t see, smell, or taste radon, it can reach harmful levels if trapped indoors. Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer among nonsmokers and claims 20,000 lives every year.
“It’s never too late to reduce your risk of lung cancer.Don’t wait another day. Test your home for radon,” said EPA Regional Administrator Donald S. Welsh. “And, if you are building a new home, use the radon-resistant construction practices.”
Radon-resistant construction techniques help reduce radon infiltration into a home.The techniques include gas permeable layers beneath the home’s slab, plastic sheeting, sealing and caulking, a vent pipe to redirect radon, a fan and junction box.
It is more cost-effective to use radon-resistant techniques while building a home, than it is to install in an existing home. For new homes, materials and labor costs are $350 to $500 compared to retrofitting an existing home for $800 to $2,500.Techniques vary slightly for different foundations and site requirements. The techniques may also increase your home’s energy efficiency.
Based on the most recent analysis by the National Association Home Builders Research Center of homes built during 2001, 65,000 new homes incorporated radon-resistant features.This is six percent of the 1,124,000 new single-family detached homes built.
Whether your new home is new construction or not, EPA encourages you to test it for radon. A simple home test costs less than $25 and testing is the only way to detect radon levels. If your home is not new, a radon mitigation system can also be installed if your radon test levels are above the recommended levels of 4 pCi/l.
For tips about test kits and finding a qualified professional to fix a radon problem, contact your state’s radon program at www.epa.gov/iaq/whereyoulive.html or visit the National Safety Council Web site at http://www.nsc.org/Pages/Home.aspx.
For more information about radon, visit EPA’s Web site at www.epa.gov/radon or contact the radon program in each state, at www.epa.gov/iaq/whereyoulive.html. You can also call National Safety Council’s radon hotlines: 1-800-SOS-RADON (24 hour recording) or 1-800-55-RADON (to speak with a specialist), or 1-866-528-3187 (for Spanish speakers).