Thank You To All!

Despite a snowy day, CASE's first major fundraiser "An Evening with Morey Hall" was a great success and we can't thank everyone enough!

The Water's Edge Restaurant in New Baltimore, NY provided us with a wonderful buffet dinner, followed by beautiful music from concert pianist Morey Hall performed on a Steinway grand piano loaned to us by Clark Music in Clifton Park, NY. It was a delight for all.

We are grateful to the following who generously donated to the silent auction: Old Daley Inn Catering Company; Susie Q Designs; Great American Wheelworks Pottery; Center for Integrative Health and Healing; Earth and Stars; Peaceful Inspirations; Sweet Earth Herbal; 2 Luck Concepts; Tool's Restaurant; University Laundromat and Dry Cleaners; Claudia McNulty, Decorating Painting; Jonathan Cohen, Piano Tuning; Marlene McTigue, Pampered Chef; Michelle Robbins; Cynthia Kunz; Amanda Allen; Janet Angelis; Jane Albertson; and Joan and Bob Ross.

Special thanks also to the following who donated door prizes: Robbie's Cookies, LLC; Gardens by Trista; Majestic Tree Farm; Kolbert's "Deerfield" Farm; Coxsackie Antique Center; Sylvia Lawler; and Cynthia Kunz.

The event would not have been possible without the help of many people, but especially Amanda Allen, Renee Hallack, Sylvia Lawler, Mary Partridge Brown, Joan Ross and Bob Ross. Thank you!

And special thanks as well to all the wonderful people who joined us and donated so generously - without you the evening would not have been a success!

All proceeds from the event are going toward lab fees for Dr. Ward B. Stone's study of heavy metal contamination in our local environment. This study will shed important light on the type and degree to which these toxic substances occur in our community.

Again, thanks to all who helped make this event such a great success!

An Evening With Morey Hall

Come one, come all, and join us on Saturday, December 5, 2009, 6-9PM, at the Water's Edge Restaurant in New Baltimore, NY for a special evening of dinner, music and fun!

CASE is proud to sponsor "An Evening With Morey Hall", welcoming pianist Morey Hall, with keynote speaking Dr. Ward Stone, for a Buffet Dinner and Piano Recital.

Tickets cost $35 per person. The evening will also include a silent auction - a great opportunity for holiday shopping!

All proceeds from this event will benefit Dr. Stone's study of heavy metal contamination in our local environment. The more money we raise, the more tests we can run and the more neighborhoods we can include in the study. Every dollar will make a difference, so even if you can't join us, please consider making a donation.

Morey Hall is a composer, instructor and pianist. Highlights from his thirty-year career include solo recitals at Carnegie Hall, The Egg, the Arts Center in Troy, and numerous other venues in the Capital Region.

The use of a Steinway Grand Piano for this performance has been generously donated by the Clark Music Studio in Clifton Park, NY. Clark Music is the exclusive Steinway dealer for Upstate New York.

CASE T-shirts will be on sale and were generously donated by our friends at Advanced Pool Safety in Albany, NY.

Special thanks to Virginia Martin, and to Joan and Bob Ross, for sponsoring advertising for this event.

To purchase tickets, please email us at safe.emissions@gmail.com, call 518-756-1981, or purchase online through PayPal at the link to the right. Seats are limited, so please purchase your tickets soon!

If you are interested in donating to the silent auction or would be interested in sponsoring the event, please let us know!

We hope to see you all on December 5th!

The Grim Reality

Dr. Ward Stone, State Wildlife Pathologist, presented preliminary findings from his ongoing study investigating heavy metal contamination in neighborhoods impacted by pollution from the Lafarge Cement Plant in Ravena.

Standing on the shore of the Hudson River in Coeymans, Dr. Stone summarized the results of some 80 samples he amassed over the past six months from site scattered throughout the Village of Ravena and the Town of Coeymans. A variety of soils, plant and animal life were collected and subsequently tested for some twenty heavy metals.

"By this point I can say that much of this area is polluted with mercury, and that the mercury is primarily coming from the cement plant." Dr. Stone stated at a press conference on Sept 29th.

Control samples were taken to the north of the plant away from prevailing winds from the smokestack that showed much lower levels, suggesting the higher levels in affected areas may indeed be associated with Lafarge.

Soil collected from every site contained mercury and lead. Several sites were over 200 parts per billions with a few over 400 ppb - considerably higher than control samples. Mercury and lead are well known neurotoxins that can cause a wide variety of health problems and can be especially damaging to the neurological development of children.

Unfortunately, mercury and lead are not the only concern. Soil samples turned up a wide variety of other metals including arsenic, aluminum, boron, barium, beryllium, calcium, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, selenium, silver, phosphorus, tin, vanadium and zinc. Levels varied from site to site but many around both Ravena and Coeymans had elevated levels of multiple metals, most notably barium, calcium, vanadium, cadmium, chromium and zinc.

Mercury was also identified in plants such as a grape leaf and maple leaf. The leaves indicate seasonal exposure that had to have occured during the 2009 growing season. The maple leaf was collected in the vicinity of the RCS Junior High School.

Every animal tested was positive for mercury. A grasshopper was positive for lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium and arsenic. A shrew from the hamlet of Coeymans had mercury, lead, and cadmium. A frog from a pond in Ravena showed mercury, silver and cadmium. A mouse from a site SW of Lafarge showed mercury, lead, copper, chromium, cobalt, tin, selenium, cadmium and arsenic. Notably, the mouse, which was found dead, was pregnant. Tests of fetal tissue showed mercury, cadmium, lead, copper, chromium and cobalt, indicating that these metals - including mercury - had crossed the placental barrier from the mother to the babies.

This is just one step toward answering a fundamental question that should have been answered 47 years ago when the cement plant was built -- whose health will be affected and in what ways? Where do the toxins emitted by Lafarge go, what communities are impacted, and to what extent is their health and welfare at risk? At what point should we say: enough is enough?

All of these metals have associated health risks according to the ATSDR.

While the process remains ongoing, what Dr. Stone has learned so far is enough for us to conclude that is worthwhile to continue with this investigation. The more scientific data we can gather, the better we will be able to understand the health impacts of these substances on our community. And that is the ultimate goal - the better we can understand the risks, the more effectively we can seek solutions that will enable us to have a healthy and safe environment in which we all can live.

Morality Over Money

Erin Brockovich addressed a packed house at the Ravena Coeymans Selkirk High School last Friday during a community meeting to raise awareness about the risks of toxic air pollution from the Lafarge Cement Plant located directly across the street from the RCS School.

Ms. Brockovich – the environmental activist whose successful battle against Pacific Gas & Electric spawned a blockbuster movie starring Julia Roberts – told the audience she came to Ravena in response to emails she received from local citizens worried about the dangers of living in proximity to Lafarge including some with children battling a rare form of cancer called Ewing Sarcoma. “It is sad for me to have an invitation such as this to come into a community under bad circumstances,” she stated.

Ms. Brockovich was joined by three experts on the dangers of industrial pollution - Dr. Mark Hyman, a leader in functional and integrative medicine; Dr. David Carpenter, from SUNY Albany; and Dr. Michael Bank from the Harvard School of Public Health – who shed light on the environmental impacts of living in the shadow of a cement stack like the one in Ravena.

Dr. Hyman cautioned the audience that “We’re pretty much an endangered species right now” while noting that there is hope and that treatments are available for people who have been harmed by toxins found in pollution. He stressed the need for prevention, stating “If we work together with industry to bring about changes that lower emissions, reduce exposures and help clean our environments and help improve our health, then we can have better outcomes.”

CASE welcomes the attention Ms. Brockovich has brought to this important issue and supports any scientific research that will help the community better understand the effect Lafarge may have on the health of its citizens. CASE is sponsoring a study with Dr. Ward Stone, State Wildlife pathologist, sampling soil and small animals for a variety of heavy metals. Dr. Stone plans to release preliminary results in the near future.

The sad fact is we simply don’t know what the impact has been of nearly five decades of air pollution from the cement plant. What we do know is that there is a lot of concern in the community over the number of people here facing serious illnesses like cancer and the number of children with autism and other developmental problems. And we know from the EPA that Lafarge is a major source of toxins in our environment.

Susan Falzon, Director of Friends of Hudson, spoke about Lafarge's proposed modernization of its aging plant, now delayed, with completion not scheduled until 2018: "The best response from Lafarge would be a statement of their intention to do the right thing - to clean up their current operation and to commit to completing their proposed modernization as soon as possible and to making it the cleanest cement plant in the world. They owe at least as much to their employees and the affected communities."

Ms. Brockovich, a consultant for Weitz & Luxenberg, was joined at the meeting by attorneys from the law firm. At this time, however, no law suit has been filed.

Ms. Brockovich told the audience, “Tonight is about awareness. And that’s very important because if you are not aware of what’s going on, if you are not being provided information, you cannot protect your family and your health — and those are the greatest gifts you will ever have…What we have to do is to work collectively, so you can protect what is most valuable to you.”

She reminded the audience, “You have a choice. You can look the other way or you can choose to do something about it,” and stressed that their community was worth fighting for. "I will tell you I think you live in a community that is absolutely quaint, charming... and worth every bit of your voice to stand up and fight for its beauty, health and safety."

One of the biggest stumbling blocks surrounding this issue is the lack of available and accessible information for community members. If residents aren’t educated about the emissions from Lafarge and the associated health risks, they are stripped of their ability to take the steps necessary to stand up and protect their health and the health of their children.

In conclusion, Brockovich added: “I really hope that there can be a change in corporate mentality in the future and that would be one of practicing morality over money…. I hope companies like Lafarge will come out and do the right thing by all of you.”

Metroland Shout Out

CASE was named Best Community Advocates by Metroland as part of their "Best of the Capital Region 2009" coverage!

We are very grateful for this honor and deeply appreciative of all the help we have received along the way from so many wonderful people.

And thanks to all at Metroland!

To see the full article, and it is chock full of great stuff, click here.

Send Your Comments to EPA

To comment on the EPA's proposed new guidelines for mercury and other harmful emissions from cement kilns, you can:

Email -- send email to a-and-r-Docket@epa.gov
Fax -- send faxes to 202-566-1741
Regular mail - send to Air and Radiation Docket and Information Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code: 2822T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., Washington, DC 20460

Be sure to identify that your comments are for Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2002-0051.

Speak up and tell them that you care about clean air!

Sign On and Speak Out!

The EPA's proposed new regulations on mercury emissions from cement kilns are just that: proposed. They aren't law yet, so if you care about reducing levels of this potent neurotoxin, please take a moment to sign this petition drawn up by Friends of Hudson:

http://www.petitiononline.com/Merc1/petition.html

The cement kiln lobbyists have already started telling the EPA what they think. It is imperative that we also tell the EPA that we care about a meaningful reduction of mercury and other toxins from cement plants and support their efforts to put forward these new regulations. Please sign on - it only takes a minute and it will make a difference. Every signature counts.

You can also send an email to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson here:

http://action.earthjustice.org/campaign/mercury_0409?qp_source=homepage

One Step Forward by the EPA

On April 21, 2009, the EPA proposed new regulations to limit mercury and other pollutants from Portland Cement plants like Lafarge in Ravena, NY. These regulations came after a lengthy legal battle involving several states (including NY) and several environmental groups (including our friends at Friends of Hudson). According to the EPA, if these regulations become law it will result in a reduction in mercury of about 80 to 90% nationally. Hydrocarbons, hydrochloric acid, sulfer dioxide and particulate matter would also be reduced. These proposed regulations are set to become law in 2010 and will likely go into effect in 2013.

Existing plants would be allowed to emit 43 pounds of mercury per million tons of clinker produced. According to a 2008 report submitted by Lafarge to DEC, at about an annual 85% production rate, they produce 1,604,418 tons of clinker. Under the proposed new EPA terms, that amount of clinker would allow about 69 pounds of mercury to be emitted from Lafarge in Ravena.

To download the new EPA proposed guidelines, go to http://www.epa.gov/ttn/oarpg/t3pfpr.html

Pooling Money for Testing

A special thanks to our friends at Advanced Pool Safety in Albany, NY who have made a whopping generous donation in support of Dr. Stone's mercury sampling study. To learn more about Advanced Pool Safety, please visit http://www.katchakid.com/.

Dr. Stone needs help to pay for lab fees to test soil and small wildlife this summer for mercury and other heavy metals. Please help if you can. Please call or email for more information.

THANK YOU!!

Thank You!

We would like to extend a big thank you to Dr. Ward Stone for coming to Ravena this past Friday. Dr. Stone shared many wonderful stories and, most importantly, talked about his new study of mercury and other hazardous substances in areas that may have been affected by nearly fifty years of toxic air emissions from the Lafarge Cement Plant in Ravena, NY.

Very little is known about the impact of all the toxins that have been emitted from the cement plant in Ravena for almost five decades. Dr. Stone’s study will be an important part of helping the public to understand precisely how these emissions can affect the health and welfare of our families and community

Dr. Stone’s efforts in studying environmental impacts is legendary. We are very excited and grateful for his participation.

We were also very pleased to welcome Assemblyman Tim Gordon and appreciate very much his support.