Clean air, water human necessity
East Tennessean Guest Column
DARANDA MARTIN
Issue date: 11/16/09 Section: ViewPoint
I have been a Johnson City resident for most of my life, and I claim Appalachia as my home.
I had not heard of coal ash until the Kingston, Tenn., coal slurry spill that occurred last year.
This incident was alarming and tragic and was said to have been a hundred times worse than the Exxon-Valdez oil spill that occurred in Alaska in 1989.
I trembled with shock when I witnessed the aftermath of the slurry break and destruction on national news.
Coal ash, also called slurry, had broken loose from a holding pond and plowed through resident homes, covering their land and rolling into the Emory River.
The coal ash belonged to the Tennessee Valley Authority which is overseen by the federal government and owned by the United States of America.
Coal ash is the byproduct made by burning coal - fossil fuel - to make electricity.
How safe is coal ash?
Coal makes waste and coal generates more than 130 million tons of waste annually.
Coal waste contains toxins, heavy metals and contaminants such as mercury, cadmium, thallium and arsenic that create major health and life concerns.
How safe is coal waste?
Coal wastes from slurry ponds leach these contaminants into groundwater and nearly all slurry ponds leak.
A high percentage of fresh water in the United States is underground and fresh water is now more precious than ever.
How safe is coal ash?
When the sun bakes the coal ash, it turns into a talc-like powder that will wreak havoc upon the lungs.
Some people say that coal ash is as safe as dirt while other people say that coal ash is toxic and poisonous. Others believe that coal ash should be labeled as a hazardous waste.
Furthermore, coal ash is not regulated by the federal government.
Consumer products are being made from coal ash waste. They include bowling balls, countertops and carpets. The ash is also put into roadbeds, concrete blocks and cements. It is also currently used in agriculture that grows our food and feeds our livestock.
I had not heard of coal ash until the Kingston, Tenn., coal slurry spill that occurred last year.
This incident was alarming and tragic and was said to have been a hundred times worse than the Exxon-Valdez oil spill that occurred in Alaska in 1989.
I trembled with shock when I witnessed the aftermath of the slurry break and destruction on national news.
Coal ash, also called slurry, had broken loose from a holding pond and plowed through resident homes, covering their land and rolling into the Emory River.
The coal ash belonged to the Tennessee Valley Authority which is overseen by the federal government and owned by the United States of America.
Coal ash is the byproduct made by burning coal - fossil fuel - to make electricity.
How safe is coal ash?
Coal makes waste and coal generates more than 130 million tons of waste annually.
Coal waste contains toxins, heavy metals and contaminants such as mercury, cadmium, thallium and arsenic that create major health and life concerns.
How safe is coal waste?
Coal wastes from slurry ponds leach these contaminants into groundwater and nearly all slurry ponds leak.
A high percentage of fresh water in the United States is underground and fresh water is now more precious than ever.
How safe is coal ash?
When the sun bakes the coal ash, it turns into a talc-like powder that will wreak havoc upon the lungs.
Some people say that coal ash is as safe as dirt while other people say that coal ash is toxic and poisonous. Others believe that coal ash should be labeled as a hazardous waste.
Furthermore, coal ash is not regulated by the federal government.
Consumer products are being made from coal ash waste. They include bowling balls, countertops and carpets. The ash is also put into roadbeds, concrete blocks and cements. It is also currently used in agriculture that grows our food and feeds our livestock.
Be the first to comment on this story