July 25, 2006
PRESS
RELEASE
For Immediate Release
For more information
contact:
Dr. Peter deFur, Environmental
Stewardship Concepts (804)741-2922
Laura Olah, CSWAB (608)643-3124
Children at Risk from Lead in Badger Soils
MERRIMAC, WI – According to a report released today by
Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger (CSWAB), state regulators are allowing
the Army to leave higher than previously-approved levels of lead in soils at Badger
Army Ammunition Plant – a move that could place the health of children at
risk.
“Based on a $6-million risk assessment by the Army,
both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and WNDR approved a cleanup level
of 30 parts per million (ppm) in 1998,” said Laura Olah, Executive
Director of CSWAB. “The WDNR is now approving lead levels as high
as 250 ppm, a level which places children at particular risk considering the
minute levels that cause adverse effects in children.”
“A remediation goal for human babies should be as
close to zero as possible as there is no safe exposure to lead,” said Dr.
Peter deFur, a consultant and professor at Virginia Commonwealth University
working with CSWAB. “As lead is studied more and more, we
find that it is more and more toxic. It would be a great injustice if our
children were allowed to be exposed to this incredibly toxic compound
unnecessarily.”
“Prolonged exposure to soil at the elevated
cleanup level could raise lead levels in children’s blood to dangerous
levels,” deFur added. “Leaving such significant
concentrations of lead in the soil could potentially harm the intellectual
development of children.”
Lead is a blue gray metal found naturally in the
environment. Human activities such as military and industrial operations
concentrate lead in some areas, which can lead to a number of significant
health risks. Lead targets the central nervous system, and impairs its
development in children. Children exposed to lead have demonstrated lower IQs,
reduced motor skills, developmental problems, hyperactivity, and increased
aggression.
To view the report, go to http://www.cswab.org/leadinsoil.html
END
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Laura Olah, Executive Director
Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger
E12629 Weigand's Bay South
Merrimac, WI 53561
Phone: (608) 643-3124
Email: info@cswab.org
Website: www.cswab.org