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BLUE RIDGE ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE LEAGUE
www.BREDL.org ~
Glendale Springs, North Carolina 28629 ~ 4617 Pearl Rd. Raleigh NC 27610 ~ (919) 345-3673 ~ therese.vick@gmail.com
NEWS
RELEASE
For Immediate Release:
November 14, 2011
Contact:
Therese Vick
(919) 345-3673
therese.vick@gmail.com
North Carolina Science Advisory Board
Recommends Increasing “Acceptable” Ambient Air Levels
of Arsenic “Nine-fold”
Raleigh- Today, the Blue Ridge Environmental
Defense League (BREDL) submitted comments on the risk assessment
North Carolina’s Science Advisory Board (SAB) conducted on
arsenic, a toxic heavy metal and known human carcinogen. The
League expressed its opposition to any increase in arsenic
levels. The SAB is recommending that North Carolina’s
current health-based limit be increased over nine-fold. BREDL
community organizer Therese Vick pointed out that, “By the
time a child is 10, they could inhale the same amount of arsenic
as a 90-year old.”
Vick also remarked on North Carolina’s long and colorful
history with arsenic poisoning: “North Carolina is famous
for its problems with arsenic. The public is very familiar with
its more well-known dangers and sensational uses. Blanche
Taylor-Moore, convicted of killing her boyfriend by putting
arsenic in his food and suspected of several other murders sits
on Death Row.
On November 2, 1984, North Carolina executed Velma Barfield for
the arsenic poisoning of her boyfriend Stuart Taylor, just one of many who succumbed to her
home cooking. While we may joke about “Death Row Granny”
as Barfield came to be known, arsenic exposure is no laughing
matter.”
The League questions the motivation behind the re-evaluation.
“With the North Carolina Department of Environment and
Natural Resources under such severe budget constraints, why is
the expense of the reexamination of a well-known toxin being
incurred now? In addition, substantial evidence demonstrates that
arsenic contributes to many serious diseases; the impact on the
health care costs to North Carolina citizens could be
significant. It begs the question, what industry (or industries)
are behind the impetus?
Arsenic has been used in poultry feed and can be released during
the combustion of poultry litter, is used by the semiconductor
industry, the metal working industry, and is released by the
combustion of fossil fuels, such as from coal power generation.
Additionally, arsenic emissions can occur from the incineration
of biomass, sewage sludge and solid waste. The draft risk
assessment can be found at:
http://www.ncair.org/toxics/risk/sab/ra/Risk_Assessment
_for_Arsenic_DRAFT_FOR_PUBLIC_COMMENT.pdf
-end-
Read BREDL Comments
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