Waycross citizens have not ceased trying to get answers since
they first met with GA EPD in November. -jsq
For Immediate Release:
Silentdisaster.org Meets with Judson Turner, Director of Georgia EPD
May 12, 2014
By: Silentdisaster.org, a citizens group in Waycross, Georgia
After over a year of delays and disappointments, Members of
Silentdisaster.org Group met with Judson Turner, Director of EPD on
Monday, May 5th to discuss the harmful chemicals found in the
Waycross area which the group believes points to CSX as the source
of the community’s toxic contamination which is killing local
residents. With several children having died and a new childhood
case being reported, the Members of Silentdisaster.org want
immediate action to protect the children from environmental
exposure.The list of
chemicals found in soil and water tests include
Trichloroethylene (TCE), Lead, Mercury, Methylene Chloride,
Acetone, 1-4 Dioxan, and Benzo(a)pyrene. Toxicologist and scientists with the
Center for Health and Environmental Justice
have been helping Silentdisaster by reviewing documents and testing
results. Based on the finding Silentdisaster.org requested the
following immediate actions be taken to prevent further sickness and
to protect the people of Waycross:
Water testing at both public school systems — the Ruskin
Elementary School (3/4 mile from the west end of CSX property) and
the Ware County High School (1/8 mile from the CSX contaminated
LPABS/OEH CSX RCRA sites).- Vapor intrusion testing at both public school buildings d.
- If any chemicals are identified in either media, the state will
immediately respond with clean water supplies and vapor intrusion
mitigation system.
Water testing beginning at the edge of the CSX property site every 8th of a mile around the perimeter
and then out every 8th of a mile until no CSX chemicals are found.- Vapor intrusion testing at every other home around the perimeter of
the CSX site.- If chemicals are found that immediate vapor intrusion mitigation
systems are installed.After Silentdisaster.org members made their request known to Mr.
Turner, Mr. Turner referred to
Mr. Cowns, Chief of the Land
Protection Division, regarding the CSX contamination who insisted
the CSX contamination was contained to CSX property OR properties
they had purchased. Silentdisaster provided the State with a list of
all the chemicals found along with the corresponding excerpts from
CSX documents related to the CSX releases of each chemical. The
mapped testing locations represented areas to the north, south, and
west of CSX property. Silentdisaster insisted that it was not
possible for the contamination to be contained on CSX property
because
ALL of the various testing locations had the SAME chemicals as released by CSX and therefore, logic would
reason that there must be a link between CSX and the chemicals found
in the community. Silentdisaster members also told the Director,
they thought the State’s testing had skirted the real issue of
groundwater and vapor intrusion which are causing most of the health
issues. Mr. Turner told Mr. Cowns, ‘he needed an
explanation’ and Mr. Turner said, he would get back with the
Silentdisaster members but they needed time to look into it.
Silentdisaster members reminded The Director of all the children who
have died and all the people sick.
Specifically, regarding the water testing at the schools, Mr. Turner
said drinking water was a priority for the State and they would
verify the source of water at each school and review the water
results for the City and County wells that supply the schools water.
Mr. Turner agreed to provide the group with a copy of these reports
by Friday, May 9th,
a date which has now come and gone without
Silentdisaster members receiving reports.Members of Silentdisaster voiced their concerns over past testing
methods and specifically, that the State’s testing failed to measure
for contaminants at levels lower than the Federal Standards called
‘Maximum Contamination Level’ (MCL) for drinking water. High
reporting levels were also used to measure for chemicals in the soil
tests. The State ‘resampled’ the wells after members of
Silentdisaster accused the State of hiding true health risks behind
inadequate testing, but the results of the ‘resampling’ have yet to
be released. The State had written letters to local residents
telling them their water was ‘safe’ even though they had not been
tested to ‘Federal Standards’. Silentdisaster pressed the State for
the most recent well water testing results which they agreed were
ready but they said they needed to notify the home owners first. Mr.
Turner again agreed to have the results to the group by May 9th
(another report not yet received by members of the group). Regarding
the ‘high reporting limits used for soil testing’, Mr. Turner said
they did not realize there was a problem with the soil testing and
would look into it by Friday, May 9th.
Regarding the vapor intrusion testing for the schools, the State
said they usually don’t do vapor intrusion testing without knowing a
contamination plume is present under the area being tested, so the
State said they would get back with the members on May 9th after
reviewing the latest water testing results. Silentdisaster members
have not heard from the State on this matter either.The members of Silentdisaster.org believe these tests are
immediately necessary for the safety of the children in our area and
anything less would be a violation of EPD’s duty to protect the most
vulnerable of our citizens, it’s children.
Silentdisaster.org
and the citizen’s
Facebook page ‘South Georgia’s
secret killer’ is a local citizens group concerned with the on-going
environmental toxins that are causing health problems in our
community and are committed to efforts that will remove residents
from contaminated area if desired, compel the clean-up of affected
properties by companies polluting, and call for adequate medical
resources and information that would assist in the restoration of
the health of residents affected by these toxic chemicals. For more
information contact Joan Tibor McNeal at 912-281-6897 or Nihlia
Griffin at 912-2884668.
