Friday, July 6, 2007

The Colossal PCB Cover Up

The largest toxic and carcinogenic cover up in the history of the USA is about to be unleashed by the EPA and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources in plain daylight. These two government agencies in collaboration with several paper companies responsible for the PCB pollution have approved a new PCB mitigation plan for about 39 miles of the Fox River adjacent to paper-making operations that are responsible for the release of about one million pounds of PCB's over nearly three decades from the 1950's to the early 1980's. PCB's are classified as persistent bio-accumulative carcinogenic substances that when ingested by animal and human creatures are stored in their bodies and eventually are capable of triggering cancers and other diseases. The health implications were first known in the mid 1960's, and a very comprehensive reports are available from The World Health Organization and The US Department of Health and Human Services, Report on Carcinogens, Number 11, 2004.

The sediments of the bay of Green Bay and Fox River are now PCB cesspools that release their cancer-causing poisons into the waters and all living organisms exposed. The fish caught in the waters contain PCB's and the WI DNR and EPA advise against eating fish caught in these waters. Ground water for wells is at risk as is drinking water that is piped from Lake Michigan. How many deaths and incurable diseases have been caused is incalculable, but any reasonable individual would take action to avoid exposure to PCB poisoned waters and sediments.

For the last 20 years the EPA and Wisconsin DNR and government big wigs have been promising that the PCB's would be removed. Wisconsin governors have all wagged their tongues proclaiming that PCB removal was around the corner. Don't expect that to happen any time soon.

The EPA, WI DNR, and the lobbyists who influence the political powers have now decided to save the polluters money and allow most of the PCB sediments to be covered in place with gravel, sand and rocks instead of removing the sediments and forever eliminating most of the cancer-causing chemicals. This process called "capping" has not been proven to be effective. It is expedient and will cost many hundreds of millions dollars less than the removal of PCB's to secure and enclosed storage sites. The paper companies will realize more profit at the expense of our health if this plan is allowed to proceed. The acquiescent politicians will wag their adoring tails as money support their campaigns. Our future generations and new born children will continually be poisoned and be threatened by deadly cancers as the capped PCB's eventually seep through the porous, and unstable capping materials for centuries to come.

This " colossal PCB cover up" is an example of how our government disdainfully disregards the safety of our people for the support of their political money bags. We the people are considered as secondary elements in this game of political power and are treated as dispensable pawns.

It is not too late to speak out and let our elected congressional and state representatives hear from us "the pawns". This colossal PCB cover up plan will not be substantially underway for at least a year; so contact your elected representatives now and tell them to stop the PCB cover up and insist upon PCB removal for all times. Your future health and that of your loved ones are dependent upon preventing this COLOSSAL PCB COVER-UP" and doing the right thing-REMOVE THE PCB's FOREVER.