THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 9, 1995 TAG: 9504070154
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Guest Editorial
SOURCE: BY R.J. SIMMONS
LENGTH: Medium: 74 lines
A rezoning request for a cotton gin on 15 acres in Holland will come before the City Council on April 19.
While there are many reasons this gin should be constructed in our area, there is one overriding reason why it should not be placed near homes: Health and safety of the people who live in those homes.
One health concern is ground water contamination. Cotton is sprayed repeatedly with fungicides, herbicides, insecticides and defoliants. Mixing the cotton in a gin waste pile produces a witch's brew of toxins. Rains may cause the chemicals to leach into the ground.
The site of the proposed gin is exceptionally low. Ground water contamination is not only possible, but likely. A recent study in Washington concluded that children under age 6 are up to 240 times more susceptible to harm from pesticides than are adults. A family with two small children lives 100 feet from the site.
At the Planning Commission meeting, the developers' attorney declared that all chemicals used on cotton are approved by the Environmental Protection Agency. To kill bugs and defoliate plants, yes, but not to drink by humans. EPA says at least 66 ``approved'' pesticides cause tumors, and more than 400 pesticides are known to leave residue on crops. A gin waste pile is trouble.
Another health issue: fires. With prevailing winds from the southwest, anything released into the air at the gin site will affect the entire Holland community. The fire marshal has warned of ``large quantities of smoke and toxic fumes'' from fires that are ``likely to occur.'' And wetting the waste pile increases the chance of ground water pollution.
The third health issue: dust and particulate matter in the air. Studies have shown that particles less than 10 microns in diameter (less than 3/100,000 of an inch) are a major problem. These are the same size as particles that will be discharged into the air by the cotton gin. Commonly known as PM-10, they include dust particles, line and waste fibers too small to be seen by the naked eye.
Dr. Molly Osborne of the Oregon Health Sciences University stated in 1994: ``There is clearly an impact of particulates on lung health. These particles go all the way down into the lungs, into the tiny airways where oxygen gets into the lungs.'' Children tend to inhale more particles than adults because they generally spend more time outside. And since lungs don't function as well when people age, particulates can be tough on the elderly.
People with asthma or chronic lung problems find that coughs and bronchitis can get worse when air is thick with particulate pollution.
The result may be ``an attack they otherwise could avoid,'' Dr. Osborne wrote.
Dr. Kevin Fennelly at the National Jewish Hospital in Denver has done a study that shows that PM-10 lodges in the lungs and can cause or aggravate illnesses including asthma, emphysema, cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Fennelly states, ``Any level of PM-10 seems to be hazardous.''
A study in the New England Journal of Medicine in December 1994 concluded that air pollution can shorten lives by up to two years, and the smallest particles seem most responsible.
Dr. Alfred Munzer, associate president of the American Lung Association, has warned, ``Both the public and the government face a deadly public health threat in dealing with particulate air pollution.'' (Jaffe 1994)
Finally, the prestigious Harvard School of Public Health released a study in 1994 that found a mortality rate about 26 percent greater in cities that had high levels of fine particulate pollution than cities with low levels.
These health risks are REAL and they will involve the entire Holland community. The ``brown haze'' mentioned by the developers' attorney could prove deadly for some residents. The city must consider these problems before making a hasty decision to satisfy a few investors. MEMO: Mr. Simmons lives on O'Kelly Drive, in the Holland section of Suffolk.
by CNB