Dust from coal trucks poses Appalachian health threat -- study

Comment: what about uranium trucks leaving Cole's Hill going to Kentucky?

April 24, 2009

By ROBIN BRAVENDER, Greenwire

Coal trucks rumbling through neighborhoods in southwest Virginia are trailing dust clouds that violate federal pollution standards, according to a report that advocacy groups released yesterday.

The study (pdf) conducted by North Carolina State University for the Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards and the Sierra Club analyzed airborne dust along the roads of Roda in Wise County, where trucks haul coal from several mining operations.

The trucks track coal, mud and debris from the mines to the road, where it dries and turns to dust that is stirred up by other vehicles. That dust coats houses and is thought to cause respiratory and other health ailments, researchers found.

A two-week study last summer of two locations along Roda Road found that dust concentrations on roads near the mining operations far exceeded the national air pollution standard.

At one site, 10 of 12 samples had dust exceeding the federal standard, including one that was more than three times the limit. Six of 12 samples at another site also had dust exceeding the national standard.

Coal dust in Roda could suggest a larger problem throughout Appalachia, and researchers are calling for further investigation across the region.

Coarse particulate matter, or dust, can cause respiratory problems, increased asthma attacks, and aggravation of lung or heart disease in some sensitive populations, according to U.S. EPA.

"I am very concerned that the coal dust may be harming my health," said Ronnie Willis, a retired underground coal miner who lives on Roda Road near the entrance to a mountaintop-removal coal mine. "I have been diagnosed with emphysema and black lung, and the coal dust exacerbates my condition."

Scientists and community members plan to present their findings to the Virginia Air Pollution Control Board and the state Department of Environmental Quality today. They are urging the board and the DEQ to conduct their own dust investigation and to order mining companies to take precautions to prevent particulate matter from becoming airborne.

"We have believed for some time that the quality of the air we breathe is in jeopardy," said Kathy Selvage, vice president of the Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards. "We urge the Air Board and DEQ to take action to reduce this threat to human health and welfare."

DEQ has yet to review the study, DEQ spokesman William Hayden said. "Once the report is evaluated, we will be able to determine what steps are appropriate to take."

http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/04/24/24greenwire-dust-from-coal-trucks-poses-appalachian-health-10670.html

EPA finds greenhouse gases pose a danger to health

Comment: only one thing to say to EPA, well duh! So does uranium mining, with all the heavy equipment, plus the blowing uranium dust in the air!

By H. JOSEF HEBERT, Associated Press Writer H. Josef Hebert, Associated Press Writer
17 mins ago

WASHINGTON – The Environmental Protection Agency concluded Friday that greenhouse gases linked to climate change "endanger public health and welfare," setting the stage for regulating them under federal clean air laws.

The EPA action marks the first step toward imposing limits on pollution linked to climate change, which would mean tighter rules for cars and power plants. Agency officials cautioned such regulations are expected to be part of a lengthy process and not issued anytime soon.

Limits on carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gases would have widespread economic and social impact, from requiring better fuel efficiency for automobiles to limiting emissions from power plants and industrial sources, changing the way the nation produces energy.

In announcing the proposed finding, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said it "confirms that greenhouse gas pollution is a serious problem now and for future generations." She reiterated that the Obama administration prefers that climate change be address by Congress through broad, economy-wide limits on climate-changing pollution. But the EPA finding of endangerment prepares for possible regulatory action if Congress fails to act.

Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., whose Environment and Public Works Committee is considering climate legislation, said the EPA finding — stalled by the Bush administration — is long overdue but that "the best and most flexible way" to deal with the problem is for Congress to take action on a broader approach.

Friday's action by the EPA triggered a 60-day comment period before the agency issues a final endangerment ruling.

The agency said in its finding that "in both magnitude and probability, climate change is an enormous problem" and that carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gases "that are responsible for it endanger public health and welfare within the meaning of the Clean Air Act."

The EPA concluded that the science pointing to man-made pollution as a cause of global warming is "compelling and overwhelming." It also said tailpipe emissions from motor vehicles contribute to climate change.

The EPA action was prompted by a Supreme Court ruling two years ago that said greenhouse gases are pollutants under the Clean Air Act and must be regulated if found to be a danger to human health or public welfare.

The Bush administration strongly opposed using the Clean Air Act to address climate change and stalled on producing the so-called "endangerment finding" demanded by the high court in its April 2007 ruling.

The court case, brought by Massachusetts, focused only on emissions from automobiles. But it is widely assumed that if the EPA must regulate emissions from cars and trucks, it will have no choice but to control identical pollution from power plants and industrial sources.

Congress is considering imposing an economy-wide cap on greenhouse gas emissions along with giving industry the ability to trade emission allowances to mitigate costs. Legislation could be considered by the House before the August congressional recess.