On January 29, 2009 Roane County community members organized the
Tennessee Coal Ash Survivors Network (TCASN).
website: (link...)
blog: (link...)

Tennesee Coal Ash Survivors Network volunteer, Diana Anderson received training and certification in Claymont, Deleware this past weekend to bring the Bucket Brigade air monitors to TN using the Mini- Volume particulate sampler made by Air Metrics, an air monitor also used by the EPA. TCASN plans to begin independent air monitoring around the TVA coal ash disaster site upon her return to TN. The Bucket Brigade was created by a non profit organization called Global Community Monitor. Check out (link...)

Contact at tennesseecoalashsurvivorsnetwork@gmail.com or tncasn@gmail.com

The next volunteer meeting will be held on Feb 10, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2009

CONTACT: Tim Lucas
(919) 613-8084
tdlucas@duke.edu

ANALYSIS SHOWS EXPOSURE TO ASH FROM TVA SPILL COULD HAVE 'SEVERE HEALTH
IMPLICATIONS'

Note to editors: Avner Vengosh can be reached at (919) 681-8050 or
vengosh@duke.edu. Photos of the research area can be viewed at
(link...)
and
(link...)
.

DURHAM, N.C. -- A report by Duke University scientists who analyzed
water and ash samples from last month's coal sludge spill in eastern
Tennessee concludes that "exposure to radium- and arsenic-containing
particulates in the ash could have severe health implications" in the
affected areas.

"Our radioactive measurements of solid ash samples from Tennessee
suggests the ash has radiation levels above those reported by the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for typical coal ash," said Avner
Vengosh, associate professor of earth and ocean sciences at Duke's
Nicholas School of the Environment. "Preventing the formation of
airborne particulate matter from the ash that was released to the
environment seems essential for reducing possible health impacts."

More than a billion gallons of sludge coal waste spilled from a holding
facility at the Tennessee Valley Authority's Kingston coal-burning power
plant on Dec. 22. The ash-laden waste flooded more than 400 surrounding
acres and spilled into a tributary of the Emory River, which converges
with the Clinch River and flows into the Tennessee River, a major source
of drinking water for many communities in the region. The spill was so
large it partly dammed the tributary of the Emory River, turning it into
a standing pond.

Vengosh's team found that the combined content of radium-228 and
radium-226 - the two long-lived isotopes of radium - in the solid ash
samples they collected from the TVA spill measured about 8 picocuries
per gram. That's higher than the average 5-6 picocuries per gram
reported by the EPA in most bottom and fly ash samples. The curie is a
standard measure of the intensity of radioactivity.

Radium is a naturally occurring radioactive element that decays from
uranium and thorium elements in coal. When the coal is burned, it is
concentrated in the ash. The EPA classifies radium as a Group-A
carcinogenic material, which means exposure to it could cause cancer.

Water samples collected and analyzed by Vengosh and Duke graduate
student Laura Ruhl found high levels of arsenic, measuring 95 parts per
billion, in water from the dammed tributary where coal ash has
accumulated. Only low concentrations were found in the Emory and Clinch
rivers. The EPA has set the arsenic standard for safe public drinking
water at 10 parts per billion.

Arsenic is a toxic metal that can occur naturally in the environment or
as a by-product of some agricultural and industrial activities.
According to the EPA, the effects of long-term chronic exposure to
arsenic can include increased risk of certain types of cancer, as well
as skin damage and circulatory problems.

"The good news is, we detected only trace amounts of arsenic in waters
beyond the dammed tributary," Vengosh said. "The data suggests that in
less than three weeks since the spill, river flow has diluted the
arsenic content. The river is clean, but the water from areas like the
dammed tributary, where the coal ash has accumulated, still contains
high arsenic levels."

Vengosh is an internationally cited expert on the chemistry of
radioactive elements in surface and ground waters. He has conducted
extensive research on radon and radium contaminants in the ground waters
of western North Carolina and the Middle East.

He and Ruhl collected the water and solid ash samples at sites affected
by the TVA spill on Jan. 9. Duke research scientist Gary Dwyer analyzed
the water samples for trace metal content using inductively coupled
plasma mass spectrometry. Following preliminary analysis, the solid ash
samples were incubated and underwent more detailed analysis of their
radioactive content using gamma spectrometry.

Vengosh's team collected the samples from the TVA spill after being
contacted by United Mountain Defense, a nonprofit environmental group
based in Tennessee. The Duke researchers received no funding from the
group or any other external party. All funding was provided by the
Nicholas School, Vengosh said, "to maintain total impartiality in our
analysis."

"The TVA spill is one of the largest events of its kind in U.S. history.
It raises questions concerning the safety of storing coal ash and the
potential effects of coal ash on environmental and human health,"
Vengosh said. "We hope our analysis will help provide some answers."

unitedmountaindefense.org

(link...)

Chris Irwin
865 257-4029

Jan 23, 2009 Friday

Dear folks,

Check out (link...)
Check out (link...)
Check out (link...)
Check out Swan Pond Resident: (link...)

United Mountain Defense volunteers have been waiting to get new carpet put in the UMD volunteer house since we had an indoor flood on sunday night. We've still been helping organize between vacumming water and working with carpet specialists, and the insurance man.

So we have also been hounding TVA about the Material Safety Data Sheets AND WE FINALLY GOT A COPY OF IT TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The copies that we have are for Class F fly ash and for bottom ash. The main chemicals listed are aluminum oxide, iron oxide, calcium oxide, magnesium oxide, titanium oxide, and inorganic arsenic at varying ranges. We will try to get these sheets up on UMD's website and this blog.

We have also spent the day working on figuring out the air quality thing. WE HAVE GOOD NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The Swan Pond community is so much further ahead than other coal impacted communities because of all their documentation, diaries, doctor's visits, and keeping track of their symptoms. The community listserve serves as a historical document because people keep posting their health issues there.

We have been working on formulating an air quality monitoring program. We want to bring down the Bucket Brigade? These are low volume air monitors that each citizen could recieve training to use. We could set them up inside local houses and also outside. We are looking into Summa containers to test for Volitile Organic Compounds and other gases. We are also looking into high volume air monitors and TEOM infra red scanning particulate monitors. CTEH/ TVA and TDEC are only testing to PM10 which is okay but we want to test for Total Suspended Particles which will give us a fuller air quality picture.

We have learned that TDEC has still not installed the two high volume air monitors they promised on Jan 15, 2009 but instead only installed one on Lake shore Drive. Can anyone verify that a big loud vaccum air monitor is plugged in to an electrical outlet out on Lakeshore drive with a smaller CTEH monitor next to it?

Yesterday I tried to find the air monitor on Berkshire Drive and only saw and video taped the small low volume CTEH/ TVA monitors. Is there a big air monitor plugged in to an electrical outlet there on Berkshire? So CTEH/ TVA is using low volume air monitors that would typically be used for indoors. The equipment they are using can not show compliance or non compliance with the EPA ambient air quality standards. Basically their equipment is too small. If you are so inclined you should call Tom Welborn of EPA at (404) 562 9354 and tell him that TVA is using low volume monitors to say they are achieving EPA ambient air quality standards. Request more high volume air monitoring equipment now. TELL HIM ABOUT THE HEALTH IMPACTS OF THE COMMUNITY including nose bleeds and respiratory problems. The air is also turning gold and silver jewelery black. Ask to file an official complaint.

Also call TDEC at (615) 532 0562 and tell them they need to order TVA to install more high volume air monitors as per the EPA's and TDEC's monitoring and reporting requirements. TDEC is the lead enforcement agency right now so we should focus our energies on them. Tell them about the communities health. Call TDEC and file a complaint, ask them to install more high volume air monitors.

Also we made a call today to OSHA about the fact that a lot of the independent contractors did not give TVA's MSDS sheets to their workers. These workers aren't informed about the toxins they are working with and their employers are not supplying them with the appropriate safety equipment. We called Phillip Harrell of OSHA at (615) 232 3803. OSHA needed to know the names of the contractors so that they could follow up on getting MSDS sheets out to the workers. Either call OSHA with the names of the contractors or email us and we will call them for you.

Also about the dump trucks tracking coal fly ash out onto the roads. We need to be more diligent about the trucks because we witnessed trucks traveling out of the disaster site without being washed. We were able to identify them because they had mud caked up on the sides, back, and wheel wells of the trucks. This has and will continue to be an ongoing problem for your community, but we can put a stop to it by reporting the dirty trucks. The following is a breif history of the dirty dump truck situation.

On Jan 6, 2009 Mr. Graves first video taped dirty dump trucks and made official complaints to the TN Highway Patrol, TDEC, EPA, TVA, and Howie Rose of Roane County Emergency Management Agency. On Jan 9, 2009 we reported dirty dump trucks. On Jan 12, 2009 Howie Rose told me TVA had purchased three truck washers to be installed. On Jan 15, 2009 we told Gill Francis of TVA not to forget the truck washers. On Jan 22, 2009 we called to report dirty dump trucks. As of Jan 23, 2009 TVA had still not installed the truck washers and Howie Rose said TVA will be installing them by this coming Tuesday Jan 27, 2009. This means that all of these agencies and TVA have knowingly been tracking coal fly ash out onto your roads for more than 17 days. This is unacceptable.

Please call TDEC (865) 594 6035
EPA (404) 562 9354
TN Highway Patrol (865) 594 5793
Howie Rose Roane County Emergency Management (865) 250 7347
TVA (865) 717 4006
File official complaints and make a paper trail for these injustices.

Alright, thanks for hanging in there.

I thank you for your help, support, courage, and kind words.

There is no shortage of a need for project funding. United Mountain Defense is a 501c3 and we are seeking funding or co-sponsoring organizations to help fund personal protection equipment, bottled water, independent air and water monitoring, and real time web cams.

If you are a resident impacted by TVA's coal ash disaster please contact us at 865 689 2778.

If you can make a donation of money or other resources please send a check to United Mountain Defense P.O. Box 20363 Knoxville, TN 37920 or use our PayPal account at (link...)

Till then ,matt landon full time volunteer staff person for United Mountain Defense