I attended the WCHS Town Meeting last night. How unfortunate that the Governor didnt send Dr. Tierney, the commissioner of Public Health, or Elizabeth Scharman, director of the West Virginia Poison Center to balance some of the statements of Erin Brockavich and her colleague, Bob Bowcock, a water specialist. In my opinion, while Brockavich isnt necessarily wrong, she has been all over the country helping communities deal with chemical spills and toxic situations far worse than ours, and believes in a Zero tolerance policy: They advised not to use the water at all until much, much more is known about it and there is a ZERO chemical anywhere in the system (in response to a question about how to clean a hot water heater, Bowcock said you could hire someone to do it professionally, but you probably ought to replace it.). Many people at this meeting, some who made short statements until the moderator forced them to ask a question, seem to take each new isolated fact reported and immediately take it as evidence of its worst possible conclusion, before it is confirmed or analyzed as to its true impact. For instance, yesterday a Marshall University scientist (I dont know his qualifications, so put it in quotes) testified to Senator Ungers committee on the environment that he tested some water in Charleston and found cancer causing formaldehyde which he said could becomes a vapor in hot water, so he wouldnt shower in it and said the formaldehyde had me personally a little freaked out. (not how most scientists express themselves). Every other speaker expressed fear about this testimony and there was no one on the panel or in the audience who could offer any further information, so Im sure the 100s there and perhaps 1,000s watching on TV will take it as gospel. But in this mornings paper, the Director of the WV Poison Center and the Commissioner of the Bureau of Public Health, Dr. Tierney completely refute his statements and explain that formaldehyde in small quantities is found in water and air and all kinds of consumer products that have never had any contact with MCMH. Is naturally produced in very very small amounts in our bodies as part of our normal, everyday metabolism and causes no harm. And the PPH (the infamous second chemical) that Freedom Industries admitted several days after the spill had been part of the spill (about 1,000 gallons), was tested for and not detected in any of the samples that had been taken at the water company intake or outflow pipes since the first hours of the spill. But that hasnt been widely reported and people keep bringing it up as another reason to be frightened of the water.
Posted on: Thu, 30 Jan 2014 11:05:35 +0000
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