We have once again easily and with a stiff swing of the broom have swept a local environmental disaster under the proverbial rug of “political correctness” and we maintain the attitude “if we don’t see it then it must not be there!”
50 pounds of Mercury released into the Hiwassee River over a 3 day period of torrential downfall of nearly 13 inches. This is an enormous amount of mercury to be “dumped” on the citizens of Bradley County that will affect many families for many generations.
At this point the water may be free of mercury in Bradley County but the real concern is for the environment and the waterways south of Olin Chemical. A statement recently in a local paper by Cleveland Utilities Director Tom Wheeler that gives the appearence that all is well in Bradley County because you said the water is fine! This goes well beyond the water we drink and you know it. The Chamber of Commerce knows it too. Shame on you for not making this an immediate concern for us, the people of this county that live within the “kill zone” of this tragedy!
Recently, Olin has announced that they are going to stop the production of chemicals that produce Mercury in 2012 and have recently hired a company with literally two months experience to assist with cleanup at a cost of 80 million taxpayer dollars (catch that story in my blogs) all arranged by the ever so helpful Chamber of Commerce and its minions.
Many companies that have stopped using mercury in their production have what the industry calls a “mercury legacy” where mercury waste and storage is leeched into the community for many generations to come into that same Hiwassee River where many of your families recreate daily, putting them at risk of severe disease.
It is well documented that several Olin Chemical plants have mercury storage bins up to 420 tons of mercury. The saddest part of that statement is that the environmental police say they can release 70 pounds a year on a normal year till that supply is leeched into your private property and into the bellies of your children for many generations.
The symptoms of mercury poisoning go from as mild as red cheeks, burning skin, shedding of skin, to more severe cases of tachycardia, hypertension, alzheimers and certain types of cancer, brain damage and death.
Children are easily affected by mercury and stand to lose teeth, hair and nails, kidney dysfunction, memory loss and insomnia. Neurological symptoms are common and are as the other symptoms are usually always irreversible, meaning once you have them it aint going away, particularly in fetuses, infants and young children. Some minor cases seem to get better and can be reversible, once the mercury is removed from the childs vicinity.
Citizens who swim in the waters south of Olin along the Hiwassee and feel they have been exposed to mercury poisoning are encouraged to quickly shed all clothing and bathe with soap and water then seeking treatment from your doctor and train your family of what to look for if symptoms surface.
Many cases of mercury poisoning easily gets misdiagnosed as rhinosinusitis (runny nose) bronchiectasis (congestion)and low sperm counts, infertility! Chronic exposure that is sure to happen with inhabitants south of the Olin plant along the Hiwassee River can accumulate over the years and become fatal.
Interestingly enough the most common contaminant is the consumption of fish and ingestion of that fish by humans. That’s what we do in the Tennessee River, we fish and eat that fish! Animals eat plants and partake from the soil and water and then we consume the animals.
Mercury may also be inhaled and causes many of the same symptoms listed above. One study I saw of fish in the Tennessee River from a random sampling showed extremely high levels of toxicity quantified in milligrams per deciliter at 100 times the accepted range.
With this tragedy being swept under the rug by the political police, we are now in the midst of a tragedy, echoing sentiments of Chernobyl, the likes of Erin Brockovich warning of contaminants in the soil and water and no one cares till the population starts dropping dead or twitching in some river bed on the Hiwassee or the Tennessee River!
Wake up Cleveland!
YOU HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO MERCURY AND YOUR LIFE MAY BE IN DANGER BECAUSE OF IT!
Lets hold these large Corporations and the minion NGOs (non governmental organizations) that represent them and make them accountable to the citizens that they are placing a slow death upon!
While you sleep Cleveland and I pray every day that hundreds of thousands of people are not affected downstream and wont drink the water or farm the soil, but I am afraid they are and are very active on our rivers , lakes and waterways! Many will become sick and perhaps die because of negligence, lets at least make them realize they just hurt you badly!
This reality is real and it has already happened and God have mercy on us when these pollutants grab hold of your myelin sheaths and rob you of your mind, body and spirit and the many generations to come!
The Environmental group Oceana has been investigating Olin Plants for years and are very concerned with the incidents of the last few days. The pressure they put on them is partially responsible for the recent shut down on mercury production at Olin Chemical!
Contact the CDC or your local health department if you feel you have been exposed to dangerous levels of mercury, south of OLIN Chemical!
Bradley County News Network 