Adverse Impacts

Contamination of the air and water —— what are the short term and long term effects?

Air

Some short term effects of the odors include burning eyes and sinuses, fatigue/weakness, difficulty functioning, asthma attacks, headaches, sore or scratchy throats, nausea, and difficulty breathing.

Maple Hills Elementary school is 1/2 miles from the western border of CHRLF and about 3/4 miles from Cedar Grove Compost. When the odors are bad, children cannot go out to recess. This is affecting their learning and well being, so what long term effects may that have on them?

The area is surrounded by parks, hiking trails, recreation areas and a bike/walking trail along the Cedar River. These recreational activities are also impacted by the odors. It is certainly not desirable to be hiking in the woods and be breathing in the odors!

Neither CHRLF or Cedar Grove will install air monitoring stations outside their borders, that measure toxic compounds in the air. CHRLF claims there is no risk to people’s health, based on “modeling”, so monitors are unnecessary. These models only look at one chemical to determine how far the odors may reach. They claim the other chemicals are far below the acceptable source impact levels (ASIL) for each one. However, they don’t account for a “cocktail” of chemicals. People aren’t exposed to chemicals one at a time - it is a mix of chemicals.

In 2013, there was a MAJOR landfill gas pipeline break that emitted landfill gas for 5 hours before it was contained. It affected 2 households on the east side and sent to people to the emergency room because of symptoms caused by exposure to the toxins in the landfill gas.

What other symptoms might be attributable to long term exposure to toxins in the air? Inflammatory diseases? Cancers? Lung disease? Autoimmune diseases?

According the the Draft EIS statement recently issued, they claim there are no long term adverse health effects.

The question is ——- How do they know? They don’t monitor the air, nor do they do any comprehensive health studies of residents in communities surround the landfill. They have no basis for their claim.

One of our goals is to put monitors in communities to collect and analyze what is in the air.

Water

Impacts to water contamination can be subtle and not show up immediately. Even scientists doctors cannot determine root causes of some diseases.

Could water contamination from the “treated” water from the Waste Water treatment plants be one of the causes of the declining salmon populations?

Is the drinking water in Yakima Valley contaminated by the Loop sewage sludge being used on farmlands, contributing to an abnormally high rate of cancers and other illnesses?

Water quality and activities that contribute to it’s decline should be a HEALTH issue and not a monetary issue. Too often, governments and industries choose the cheapest systems over health concerns. This needs to change.

We need to keep pushing this contamination issue. The public needs to know what’s happening so they can put pressure on their government officials. We need a tidal wave of pressure put on our officials!

Soil

There are cumulative significant impacts of dangerous carcinogenic toxic chemicals and VOCs in eastern WA, forests, and soon to be western WA according to the new law.

Toxic Loop Biosolids are being spread all over the state. This affects the groundwater and crops.

Food

Crops grown in soils contaminated with toxic biosolids (Loop) WILL uptake chemicals into their leaves, fruits and vegetables. Studies have been done that show the toxic chemicals are not just contained in the roots, as KCWWTP claim, but are found in the stalks, leaves and fruits of the plant.