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POWER TO THE PEOPLE (click photos for helpful links)
Cheektowaga Citizens Coalition Inc.
Citizens Environmental Coalition
For Immediate Release Contact:
Saturday March 14, 2004 John Stonefield,CCC
Mike Schade, CEC 716 885-6848
First Bellevue Bucket Brigade Test Results Find Hydrogen Sulfide
72.7 Times Above State Guidelines in Neighborhood
Around Buffalo Crushed Stone
High Levels of hydrogen Sulfide dumped by Buffalo Crushed Stone after hours.
(Cheektowaga, NY) Today, the Cheektowaga Citizens Coalition Inc. and Citizens Environmental Coalition reported their first set of Bucket Brigade test results, which showed levels of toxic chemicals in the air around Buffalo Crushed Stone, Hydrogen Sulfide was found above the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) ambient air guideline. Hydrogen sulfide is considered a broad-spectrum poison, meaning it can poison several different systems in the body. According to the agency for Toxic Substances and disease Registry (ATSDR) - Exposure to low concentrations can result in eye irritation, a sore throat and cough, shortness of breath, and fluid in the lungs. These symptoms usually go away in a few weeks. Long-term, low-level exposure may result in fatigue, loss of appetite, headaches, irritability, poor memory, and dizziness. Because it is heavier than air, hydrogen sulfide tends to sink, and because children are shorter than adults, they may be more likely to be exposed to larger amounts than adults in the same situations.
"I have lived a few blocks from Buffalo Crushed Stone for decades, and today I have an extremely rare form of amnesia," said,George Nelson a Cheektowaga resident who lives near Buffalo Crushed Stone. "Now that we know that levels of Hydrogen sulfide are above state guidelines, Buffalo Crushed Stone and New York State need to take more steps to protect our health. Even though we do not know for sure that these emissions are causing health problems we do know that toxic air exacerbates existing health problems. Buffalo Crushed Stone needs to mitigate the effects of this chemical on neighbors and employees. My immune system is already precarious and I don't need to be inhaling Hydrogen Sulfide gas to make it worse. Even if the chemicals were proven harmless---the stink degrades living here and assaults the senses."
The February 24, 2004 sample was taken at 9:00 PM after quarry hours. The location was Como Park Blvd, adjacent to the BCS culvert fenceline. Samplers noticed strong odors while the sample was being taken, and experienced headaches and nausea after the sample was complete. Levels of Hydrogen Sulfide were detected at 72.7pgm or 72.7 times above the DEC ambient air annual guideline concentration.
"The people in this community have the right to know about chemicals released into their neighborhood," said John Stonefield, of the Cheektowaga Citizens Coalition. "For many years, we have been asking for more information. Now, we taking matters into our own hands by monitoring the air ourselves."
"This data proves that Buffalo Crushed Stone continues to violate our right to a clean and healthy environment," said Mike Schade, Western New York Director of Citizens Environmental Coalition. "Why was Buffalo Crushed Stone dumping significant amounts of toxins after hours, in the dark, on February 24? It is unacceptable for Buffalo Crushed Stone to act as though they are above the law, spewing dangerous chemicals into the air at rates that are above ambient air guidelines. It is time for the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and Buffalo Crushed Stone to install additional ambient air monitors in the Bellevue neighborhood.
"Buffalo Crushed Stone should be ashamed for knowingly and blatantly poisoning people," said Karen Kalstek of the Cheektowaga Citizens Coaltion. "The consequences of their arrogance have been found in people living close to Buffalo Crushed Stone. These include: Asthma, COPD, leukemia, chronic headaches, bowl disorders, thyroid and skin cancer, auto immune diseases, and seizures."
The "Bucket Brigade" is named for an EPA-approved, easy-to-use air sampling device housed inside a 5-gallon plastic bucket. Using specially designed buckets, citizens can measure everyday pollution levels or respond to accidental releases at a chemical facility. The Bucket Brigade has received national and international attention in films such as HBO Blue Vinyl and PBS Fenceline. Cheektowaga residents are following in the footsteps of Norco, Louisiana, a community that used the Bucket Brigade method to win protection from a Shell Chemical plants harmful pollution. Community members took air samples using the "Bucket Brigade" to show harmful chemicals were crossing the fenceline. Other communities nationwide are employing the Bucket Brigade in similar battles.
The Bucket Brigade was started in Cheektowaga in 2003. Denny Larson, Director of Global Community Monitor, presented a workshop to introduce Bucket Brigade community monitoring of ambient air. Denny Larson is working in dozens of other communities across the United States and around the world, helping communities monitor air pollution. Since the training, Citizens Environmental Coalition has worked with community groups across New York State in Albany and Rochester to start similar bucket brigades and empower citizens to monitor their air. Members of the Cheektowaga Citizens Coalition will continue to take air samples in the months to come, and plan to issue a report analyzing the bucket brigade results by the end of the year.
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