Re: DON'T PETITION ATSDR!

[coho@igc.org]

From: Bill Skubi <coho@whidbey.net>

Bill Skubi on Whidbey Island concurs with Laura Olah's assessment of ATSDR's
superficial approach to risk assessment.

Three years ago Whidbey Islanders for a Sound Environment petitioned ATSDR
to consider the effect of extreme jet aircraft noise from low level training
over residential areas in a risk assessment for Whidbey Island Naval Air
Station. Instead of ignoring this health issue completely as was the case in
an early draft the final draft of the impact statement did treat noise
impacts based solely on information provided by the Navy and county. There
was no reference to any scientific data or studies only a statement
crediting the county government with taking active measures to mitigate
aircraft noise.

The soul measure the county has taken was the passing of a "Noise Level
Reduction Ordinance" in 1992 that puts the soul responsiblity for noise
mitigation on individual property owners residing in the impacted area.
There is no actual mitigation required in this ordinance. Therefore our
exerience, too, was that the ATSDR risk assessment as it treated a problem
we know to cause health problems was to give the false impression in their
report that it was being actively addressed by local officials and the Navy.

Bill Skubi
Coho Communications
PO Box 1504
Coupeville, WA 98239
(360) 678-6377 / FAX (360) 678-3247
e-mail: coho@whidbey.net
home page--http://www.whidbey.net/~coho/