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Jewel Crawford, M.D.
Both of these claims are unsubstantiated. What has been proven is that the proposed gasification plant would be a threat to the health of our community. We do not need jobs that make us sick. As physicians, we have researched this matter and want to share our findings with the community.
Gasification is a made-up term that conceals what a gasification plant really is – an incinerator. Everyone knows an incinerator burns trash or wood and sends smoke and particles into the air. We breathe these particles into our lungs and can become sick as a result. Even the most technologically advanced incinerators emit significant amounts of small particles that poison our air and lungs. It is not just a local problem. The particles and chemicals released into the environment travel through the air and contribute to air pollution worldwide. Allowing this plant to be built does NOT make us good stewards of God’s creation. There is a global movement to stop incineration of waste called the “Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives.” Readers wanting more information should visit their Web site at www.no-burn.org.
The proponents of this gasification plant (incinerator) claim that burning “clean” biomass or yard waste is harmless. This is not true. Burning these materials releases harmful chemicals, some of which can cause cancer. There is no such thing as “clean-burning” yard debris. Wood waste is often treated with arsenic products (chromated copper arsenic), pesticides, preservatives, lead paint, creosote and chlorine. These result in harmful emissions including dioxins, furans, lead and mercury. Arsenic, some pesticides, creosote, dioxins and possibly furans formed from wood burning can cause cancer.
Lead poisoning causes behavioral and neurological problems in children including learning disabilities. Mercury is a poison that can contribute to renal (kidney) failure. Do these problems of asthma, cancer, learning problems and kidney failure sound familiar? Some of the excess illness in the African-American community is related to toxins (poisons) already in the environment.
African-Americans have higher rates of asthma than other racial groups. You may know someone that suffers with respiratory ailments. We already have had several “code orange” days when people with respiratory problems are advised to stay indoors. One reason why African-Americans suffer more with respiratory and other ailments is environmental racism, also known as environmental justice issues. Polluting facilities are disproportionately placed in or near African-American communities. Here in DeKalb, African-American elected officials have the power to prevent this facility from being placed here.
We can stop this plant from being built in our community. Elected officials who support it are not acting in our interest and should be voted out.
There will be a meeting where physicians will explain the harmful health effects of “gasification” on Tuesday, June 7, at 7 p.m. at the Wesley Chapel Library at 2861 Wesley Chapel Road in Decatur. The next meeting with the county commissioners is June 14 at 9 a.m.
Dr. Jewel Crawford is a medical officer for the Environmental Medicine Educational Service Branch, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Toxicology. She lives in Decatur.
Dr. Darren Harper is assistant professor of Clinical Family Medicine at Morehouse School of Medicine.
If you rely on the government to protect you, please bear in mind that the government allowed DDT, PCBs,formaldehyde, Agent Orange and the dioxins that damaged at least 150,000 US soldiers in Vietnam . . . not to mention lead in gasoline and paint that causes brain damage in children. Lead was good for business bad for our children. This is the same story for this incinerator. Good for business bad for our children.
When an incinerator was planned for our community it turned out that none of the capital venture people and none of the owners of the company lived anywhere near our town. Their children would not breathe any of the toxins nor ingest any of the food contaminated by the emissions from the incinerator. They weren't concerned one bit about the emissions.
In our community the physicians and pharmacists signed letters of opposition and helped raise the alarm and when the citizens found out the truth our Chamber of Commerce withdrew support (92.5 % of all local business that responded to a poll were opposed to the incinerator) and our County Commissioners withdrew all financial incentives. The company moved on to where there was less resistance and told the next county (where they are still trying to get a foothold) that the reason they left our community was because the Commissioners had found another use for the land. This last act of desperation speaks volumes.