[CPEO-IRF] South Weymouth, MA

[Lenny Siegel <lennysiegel@gmail.com>]

Subject: Health and the Westgate Landfill
From: DCatbird37@aol.com


Dear Protectors,

     Having with great interest read the Boston Globe South article 
10-14-07, highlighting the Massachusetts Department of Public Health's 
(MDPH) announcement of high incidence rates of amyotrophic lateral 
sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's Disease)  in proximity to certain 
southeastern Massachusetts designated CERCLA (Superfund) sites, 
including the former South Weymouth Naval Air Station, I am again asking 
for your support in seeing justice served.

      The Navy, over the past year has released findings purporting 
that both Public Health and Ecological Health of the former airbase are 
in no way jeopardized.

      I believe these recently released findings brings the Navy's 
presented findings into serious question.

      If the Navy were forthcoming with the health records that the 
MDPH requested of them, I've little doubt the highly elevated incidence 
of 9.5 per 100,000(the National expected rate = 4-6 per 100k) would be 
further inflated. But, as in all the stonewalling of full disclosure in 
this military environmental cleanup, the facts are held from the public.

      The Environmental Protection Agency falls short in it's mission 
to protect the Public Health, by approving the Navy's report of 
ecological soundness, even as no living creatures are found downstream 
of the toxic WestGate Landfill site, beyond a young pickerel that shot 
up there, no doubt, to escape the snapping jaws of it's larger, 
cannibalistic brethren in Thompson's Pond.

        The Navy's proposed capping of this poisoned landfill, 
completely disregards any kind of precautionary health protection for 
our citizens, and again the EPA sides with this method, being signed off 
by someone for the inabsentia EPA Region 1 Director James Owens.

         I received the final Record of Decision (ROD) on remediation 
of this wetland situated, stream abutting, toxic legacy just this week, 
and justice is not being served. Few have bothered to pay attention to 
this environmental cleanup, but the unsuspecting people in these 
abutting towns as well as those downstream, risk elevated health 
problems for generations, due to the precautionary health-protective 
remediation costing 30+ million, while the "preferred" and chosen method 
is 3+ million.

          I have no doubt that if the Navy, EPA, MDPH and state 
department of environmental protection (DEP), got together with all the 
geographically tagged data at their disposal, they would not only 
solidify their ALS study, but find other, increased incidence of 
multiple sclerosis for one, interesting correlations between 
contaminated areas and disease.

          This moral imperative is overlooked for purely financial and 
political reasons, and those of us here, in declining health, after 
being outspoken for years, find inadequate, or no support from our 
elected or appointed officials, in positions to protect our welfare.

           The Congressman, I helped elect, after years of interest, 
inviting myself and others to round table discussions with himself and 
staff, no longer even feigns interest.

            The board(South Shore Tri-Town Development Corp.), 
appointed to protect the town's peoples best interests with the 
redevelopment, have shown no interest in repeated public health warnings.

            LNR, the "Master Developer"  prior to town votes on the 
Master Plan, announced in the Patriot Ledger newspaper, that they would 
pay to remove the toxic WestGate Landfill themselves. Since the vote 
took place, in their favor, they've fallen silent on the subject. There 
is no justice here.

            The EPA refuses to answer questions posed regarding the 
stalled, lack of enforcement of there announced need to upgrade their 
models of ascertaining Maximum Contaminant Levels(MCL) of substances, to 
be protective of children's health. (The currently used model continues 
to use a 160-180 pound man as a variable). There is no justice here.

             The EPA, although promised months ago, has failed to 
explain how the bioaccumulative properties of the heavy metals borne in 
the waters of base test wells, will not adversely effect the health of 
the planned new residents of the base, as irrigation from well water is 
being counted on. There is no open, honest, timely communication here.

             The EPA provides no adequate explanation of how the 
extreme levels of known neuro-toxic metals are allowed to persist on the 
former base without any health precautions being deemed federally 
approved for health protective tracking. Our government continues to 
overlook an increasingly overburdened health care system screaming for 
solutions, to address the short-term bottom line for a Department of 
Defense that truth be told, would benefit the American Public more by 
addressing their legacy of military released toxins, than continuing to 
dump hundreds of billions into an impossible war we have no right to be 
waging.

            This injustice, brought on by what I can only assume is 
political foot-dragging fueled by financial structures in place , 
endangers our children.

             I ask the Congressman and those EPA officials engaged to 
revisit their approval of this Final WestGate Landfill Plan.

             I also would ask the aforementioned protectors to revisit 
their approvals of  the Public Health and Ecological Risk Assessments, 
in lieu of the MDPH's stated concerns.

             As previously stated, geographically-tagged data already 
collected by state and federal agencies(EPA,DEP,USGS and MDPH), along 
with that collected by the Navy could be easily combined in the existent 
Geographical Information System(GIS) that the Navy and EPA currently 
employ. If this is not insisted upon by elected officials, then justice 
will not be served.

                               sincerely,
                                               David Wilmot
                                               10 Arch St.
                                               Abington, Ma. 02351
--


Lenny Siegel
Executive Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
a project of the Pacific Studies Center
278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org


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