Earth Justice Calls on the EPA to Clean Up Coal Ash Dumps

Earth Justice has issued a statement on the latest report from the EPA regarding the health risks that are posed by the way coal ash is deposited at coal ash dumps. They say that the report confirms what they have heard from the residents who live near the dumps, and that is pollution from this type of site causes a significant increase in various health risks, both cancer and non cancer related. It also adversely affects the supply of ground water.

The EPA examined a total of 181 coal ash disposal sited across the country. The results show that unlined coal ash waste ponds have 900 times more of a risk for causing cancer over and above want they call acceptable. Another fact in the report is that this type of site releases many toxic chemicals and metals, among them arsenic, lead, boron, selenium, cadmium, thallium just to name a few. These are released at levels that pose a significant risk to human beings and the environment as well.

Earthjustice, as well as other environmental and public health organizations such as the Clean Air Task Force and Environmental Integrity Project have been calling for years for new regulations to protect against the effects from the toxic ash that is produce by coal fired power plants. Instead, they have mixed the ash with water and dumped the toxic mix into ponds that are either completely unlined or improperly unlined. This allows the pollutants to get into and poison the groundwater supplies.

According to data complied by the EPA in 1995, more than 60% of the units fall into the category of un lined or clay lined ponds or landfills, the kind that pose the greatest risk of pollution. The remedy for this would be to use a composite liner system, which the EPA says would significantly reduce the risk of the pollutants escaping, but most states as well as the federal government do not require them.

Back in 2000, the EPA said they would require safeguards for the disposal of coal ash. Each year, close to 129 million tons of coal ash is generated in the United States. It is disposed of at a combination of about 600 coal ash landfills and industrial waste ponds. There are at least 23 states the have had their surface or groundwater supplied contaminated by coal ash.

Source Earth Justice http://www.earthjustice.org/news/