News  

BLUE RIDGE ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE LEAGUE
PO Box 88 ~ Glendale Springs, North Carolina 28629 ~ Phone (336) 982-2691 ~ Fax (336) 982-2954 ~ Email: BREDL@skybest.com

PRESS RELEASE


Monday, October 25, 1999 

Contact: Denise Lee, BREDL
(704) 826-8116

TOXIC TOUR
CITIZENS TO TAKE BACK THEIR AIR

WHAT: BREDL and the EM-POWER!  Project of  Communities for a Better Environment of California will be training concerned citizens on how to conduct a Bucket Brigade in their neighborhoods. The Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League (BREDL) and Communities for a Better Environment (CBE) will conduct a Toxic Tour of polluted neighborhoods in the Piedmont. The tour will include local community people who are ready to take back their air. 

WHY: The purpose of this tour is to become familiar with the surroundings and design a community based air monitoring protocol specific to each situation. The time has come for citizens and neighborhoods to ban together to take back their air. The bucket air-sampling device is an accurate, low cost way to measure the toxic chemicals present in the air we breathe.

WHEN: Thursday, October 28, 10:00 a.m.

WHERE: In front of the bulk gasoline facilities on Highway 27 in Paw Creek, North Carolina which is located in the northwest Charlotte area and is home of the Paw Creek Bulk Gasoline Terminal Complex. The tour will proceed to the BMWNC medical waste incinerator in Matthews, North Carolina. BMWNC incinerates waste from at least 10 states in the middle of a residential community.  Citizen's living around BMWNC have repeatedly complained of foul odors that burn their eyes, noses and throats. 

From Matthews, we will travel to Solite/Oldover Corporation a hazardous waste burner and fuel blending facility in Stanly County. Solite's history of poor operations has resulted in massive releases of toxins into the environment. The tour will also include an intensive hog operation in Cason Old Field in Anson County.  Air emissions from industrial hog operations can contain an array of toxic air pollutants.

PHOTO OP

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Oct. 1999 Bucket Brigade workshop