#67 Jan/Feb 2004
The Washington Free Press Washington's Independent Journal of News, Ideas & Culture
Home  |  Subscribe |  Back Issues |  The Organization |  Volunteer |  Do Something Directory 

Regulars

Reader Mail

Northwest & Beyond

Nature Doc

Issues On Film

Good Ideas from Different Countries

Features

Two more winners in our ongoing rubber ducky essay contest!

Duck Essay Contest Rules

Politics

Administration's Facade of Credibility Erodes
Official investigations are slowly prying out information on 9/11, butwith considerable obstacles
by Rodger Herbst

Emerging Democratic Majority: So What?
It makes no difference until Dems move to suburbs, or we get a fairelectoral system
by Steven Hill and Rob Richie

Voting Your Global Conscience
The Simultaneous Policy offers an ingenious scheme to take back theworld
by Syd Baumel

The Coalition of the Smelling

Economy

Low Income Credit Union Opens Doors
press release from TULIP

Workplace

Golden Parachute (of Revenge)
by anonymous

Illegal Economy
Wal-Mart immigration sting leads to policy changes
by Briana Olson

Books

Beyond Capitalism
book review by Dave Zink

Protest Primer

Toward a Toxic-Free Future

Dirt-y Secrets
Vashon Islanders learn to limit exposure to persistent toxins
by Kari Mosden

Toxic Breastmilk
news and ideas from Washington Toxics Coalition
by Sibyl Diver and Laurie Valeriano

Nature

Lost Orca No 'Free Willy'
by Hanna Lee

Health

The Vaccine Conflict
UPI Investigates
by Mark Benjamin, UPI Investigations Editor

Law

Solidarity With Leonard Peltier
March and Rally in Tacoma
by Steve Hapy Jr, Arthur J. Miller, and Tacoma Leonard Peltier Support

Who Killed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr?
Interview with King family attorney William F. Pepper by Joe Martin

Dirty Secrets

by Kari Mosden

What happened between a copper smelter, consistent northerly winds, and an island just north of Tacoma, Washington, is now another unfortunate chapter of toxic pollution in Pacific Northwest history. What's being done about it on Vashon Island, on the other hand, is promising and important work.

Vashon Island is an idyllic and nearly rural place to live, a popular get-away on the weekend, and a bedroom community for Seattle commuters. It takes just a short ferry ride from Seattle to get there, and once you arrive, the tranquility of the place is immediately apparent--the closest thing to a stoplight is a wait at the ferry dock. However, Vashon has a secret, something that is literally right under its residents' toes: elevated levels of the toxic heavy metals arsenic, lead, and cadmium permeating the soil on most of the island. Arsenic can cause death at high levels, but lower levels may produce effects on the blood and heart, as well as several kinds of cancer. Lead can damage the nervous systems, kidneys, and reproductive system. Cadmium damages the lungs, can cause kidney disease, and may also cause cancer.

Lead and cadmium are both persistent toxic chemicals (known as PBTs) that stay around in the environment for decades, increase in concentration as they move up the food chain, and are extremely toxic in tiny amounts. These heavy metals would be targeted in the future for clean up and reduction under the Department of Ecology's PBT program, if funding is restored. But, for now, those living on Vashon could be at risk for toxic exposure, depending on where kids play or what types of vegetables are planted in the garden.

How is it that such a quaint, hidden gem of a place could be contaminated by this invisible threat? It was the copper smelting plant just south of the island in Ruston, Washington. The stacks from the plant spewed toxic wastes into the wind for years and years, and Vashon is the living legacy of the effects. This is not news to the ten thousand or so residents of Vashon Island. In fact, there was quite a ruckus a few years back when some parents discovered the high levels of toxic chemicals in the parks and school playgrounds. After much replacing of topsoil, those parts of the island are safe enough for children to play in again, but much of the island is still contaminated.

The residents have been educated about the problem, and they know better than to eat dirt (at least the adults do), but the threat is still there. The Heavy Metals Remediation Committee (HMRC) is a subset of the Vashon-Maury Island Community Council, formed to "address community concerns and health risks relating to heavy metals in our soil, plants, air and water." They put on informational programs, such as Get the Scoop on Our Dirt, and You Can Grow Cleaner Dirt, and serve as a resource for residents of the island. May Gerstle, the chair of the committee, heads up the effort to clean the soil and educate the residents. "We have done quite a bit of work to uncover the impacts of these heavy metals in the soil," May tells me, going on to explain that their focus is now on the human health impacts of the toxic substances. May is not a newcomer to community activism and organizing, which probably explains why she is so successful in rallying people to action on Vashon. She grew up in Berkeley, California, where she was exposed to the many social movements from that famous activism hot spot. She has lived on Vashon for eight years, and prior to moving there she was a community relations director in Seattle. Her former career helped her to understand and prioritize important issues. It seemed fitting to be elected to the board of the Community Council when she moved to Vashon. When residents of the island found out that the soil in the playgrounds and schools was contaminated, May was there to organize the group that became the HMRC. Her own health had not been affected by the toxic soil, as far as she knew, but she was concerned. Vashon is her home, and the health of her community and the environment is important to her.

Now, having cleaned up playgrounds and educated gardeners and other island residents, the HMRC is moving on to doctors. Their latest project is a Handbook for Healthcare Practitioners. "Doctors and other healthcare practitioners don't always know what the symptoms of lead, arsenic, or cadmium poisoning look like because they are not usually trained for that in medical school," May said, adding that the HMRC hopes this handbook will help close that gap. They have gone to great lengths to ensure the relevance and accuracy of the handbook. As May puts it, "this is no 'woo-woo' publication," meaning it's a well-researched and evidence-based document.

We often don't think much about the harm of tracking dirt into the house, what our vegetable gardens may take out of the soil aside from water, or where our animals have been. However, it is seemingly harmless activities such as these that can expose residents of Vashon Island and elsewhere, to toxic chemicals. Harmful exposure to these toxic metals typically comes by accidental ingestion, but health problems can also develop only after years of exposure, or may not show up until many years after exposure has stopped. Safe practices, such as frequent hand washing, taking shoes off in the house, and washing all vegetables and fruits before eating them, can go a long way towards reducing one's exposure. As with most toxic issues, there is too much that we don't know, and, as the HMRC has pointed out, the best course of action is education and caution.



Bookmark and Share



Google
WWW Washington Free Press

The Washington Free Press
PMB #178, 1463 E Republican ST, Seattle WA 98112 WAfreepress@gmail.com

Donate free food
Home |  Subscribe |  Back Issues |  The Organization |  Volunteer |  Do Something Directory