Bob Simpson said in a comment on our blog, “With regards to black smoke, I have heard the rumors. They just are not true.” Here is what we experienced. We could see the plume from our front window. Black clouds were often visible. About 5 PM the plume from the mill got larger and blacker. There was ash on our cars in the morning. I could see the ash falling at night in the light on my porch. While driving down Broadway on several occasions, there was suddenly smoke floating across the road. Then it would be gone. We bought an air cleaner that we could not afford and ran it all night. We kept the windows shut. Many people had breathing difficulties. Some people have suspicious chronic respiratory conditions. Some had serious respiratory stress during breakdowns at the plant, including hospitalizations. Many people came to the hearings of the local air quality district on the mill and told about their breathing and other health problems. No one listened. One man talked about his leukemia. Audience members laughed as if to say it was impossible for the mill to contribute to cancer. Many people remember the mill and what it dumped on our community. Some don’t come forward, because they don’t want to be ridiculed again. This is a chance to create a record of what happened. Please tell us your pulp mill stories.
3 Comments
Heidi
10/22/2009 03:11:16 pm
We in the science and health fields have failed at correlating cancer to pollutants. I find it hard to believe that cancer came from anywhere but man-made industrialization that the natural Earth has no capacity to digest into the ecosystem. It is just a matter of time until we make the link and then.......watch out!
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Concerned
10/24/2009 04:04:28 am
I saw the smoke and smelled that stink from the mill for years. One year I would find a black soot on my van every morning. I had a harder time breathing when that mill was open. Somebody needs to make them clean up their mess!!
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10/26/2009 02:33:50 am
In response to the pictures and complaint made about the smoke and possible toxic exposure, if you would provide me the date of the picture I will search the environmental reports to see whether anything was noted that day by the environmental engineers on staff.
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AuthorWe live here in West Eureka have been victims of Evergreen Pulp's pollution. Now Freshwater Pulp wants to start it up again. We would like to know your thoughts and experiences with this. Now that Freshwater is not going to reopen, we are concerned about the massive quantity of contaminants that have been dumped on the site. These sites usually leak into adjacent areas and people live 750 yards from the point of maximum impact, the most polluted point, a Hot spot. We are also concerned that the Marina center site be properly cleaned up and will continue to discuss other local issues here. However, we will not let the mill issue rest until we actually see the smokestacks go down and the site is cleaned up. Archives
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