Marion Nestle - We need new food policy
FOOD, Inc. see it here
Insight into were our food comes from and how it is produced ....and the big companies that control everything.
http://geraldcelentechannel.blogspot.com/2010/08/food-inc-corporate-controlled-food.html
Food is Medicine, GM Food is Poison
Among all developed countries, Americans are the fattest people in the world. The World Health Organization found over 60% of the American population is obese or overweight. Even more disturbing, the U.S. is the only country in the developed world to label obesity a national security health risk. Top Pentagon officials have warned Americans are becoming so fat, most of those volunteering for the Army are disqualified because of their size. Child obesity is also on the rise in the U.S. The Centers for Disease Control estimates 1 in every 3 American kids are either obese or overweight. Jeffrey Smith, the author of Seeds of Deception, points to the mass production and consumption of genetically modified foods in the U.S. as a possible source of the problem.
http://geraldcelentechannel.blogspot.com/2010/08/food-is-medicine-gm-food-is-poison.html
Showing posts with label health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label health. Show all posts
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Real Milk is Raw Milk
UPDATE: 21 July - War Over Raw Milk
2 June - Remember that when milk began to be homogenized in the 1950s the rate of atherosclerosis started to skyrocket. What we need is a return to real food, not corporate-dictated processed products.
" Milk from dairy cows that graze on pasture land rather than in feedlots might be healthier for your heart, according to a report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Dairy products are the main source of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), an unsaturated fat that some studies show could protect the heart. Pasture-grazing dairy cows have more CLA in their milk than grain-fed cows, according to the report.
In a study of 3,600 people, the researchers found that people with the highest concentration of CLAs had a 36 percent lower risk of heart attack than people with the lowest CLAs."Read more...
Real Milk Nutrition
UPDATE: 24 April, 2010 - While I am pleased to see this judge ruled with common sense and in keeping with the law I am baffled that the "health blogger" sourced in these articles failed to refer to Dr. Frank McCoy in regard to natural healing with food, especially raw milk. But them we are in the superficial zone these days as far as source material, too bad.
UPDATE: 18 April, 2010 - The Raw Milk Debate: Don't Have a Cow, Man
UPDATE 29 March - FOOD POLICE AT IT AGAIN
UPDATE: 28 March, 2010
A few years ago I was able to get some delicious raw milk from a cow down the road. I loved it each time I received my big glass gallon jar of this liquid. It brought back memories when I saw the rich, uncooked, deep yellow cream floating on top.
Some years ago I drove down the big long hill from my home back then and stopped at the Wagon Wheel to buy raw milk.
Before that I drove out to Willapa Valley for fresh liquid delight from Verna Kuttle's cows.
Before Washington, when my children were quite young, I walked next door to the farm each afternoon at milking time and drew a gallon of freshly collected raw milk from the big stainless steel cooler.
And even before that, as a small child I recall in delight on a day out at the farm, getting fresh creamy milk, still warm from the cow.
I am happy to say that my children probably had more raw, uncooked and non-homogenized milk than I did. None of us are the worse for it.
Sadly over the years Washington has been under the Olympia gestapo for any effort to have access to raw milk.
For year's you had to find a farmer to sell it too you and even then it was only sold as "pet" milk. I'm glad I had pets.
It's just the insanity of lack of knowledge that government workers seem to fall into, lock step.
No one dare ask if it might be good for you.
Funny too because one of the very first books I had when I was studying naturopathy in the 1960s had pages of treatments based on consuming raw milk.
Maybe times are changing.
2 June - Remember that when milk began to be homogenized in the 1950s the rate of atherosclerosis started to skyrocket. What we need is a return to real food, not corporate-dictated processed products.
" Milk from dairy cows that graze on pasture land rather than in feedlots might be healthier for your heart, according to a report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Dairy products are the main source of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), an unsaturated fat that some studies show could protect the heart. Pasture-grazing dairy cows have more CLA in their milk than grain-fed cows, according to the report.
In a study of 3,600 people, the researchers found that people with the highest concentration of CLAs had a 36 percent lower risk of heart attack than people with the lowest CLAs."Read more...
Real Milk Nutrition
UPDATE: 24 April, 2010 - While I am pleased to see this judge ruled with common sense and in keeping with the law I am baffled that the "health blogger" sourced in these articles failed to refer to Dr. Frank McCoy in regard to natural healing with food, especially raw milk. But them we are in the superficial zone these days as far as source material, too bad.
UPDATE: 18 April, 2010 - The Raw Milk Debate: Don't Have a Cow, Man
UPDATE 29 March - FOOD POLICE AT IT AGAIN
FDA Alerts Consumers of Raw Milk Danger, By Cole Petrochko, Staff Writer, MedPage Today, 23 March 09NB: High Doses of vitamin C have been shown effective in treating food borne illness.
WASHINGTON -- An outbreak of campylobacteriosis has prompted the FDA and several Midwestern state health agencies to warn consumers against drinking unpasteurized, raw milk.
The Michigan Department of Community Health had received at least 12 confirmed reports of raw milk-related illness as of March, 24, the FDA reported in its announcement of the alert.
Unpasteurized milk may contain a variety of infectious bacteria, such as Salmonella and E. Coli, which can cause illness or death, the agency noted.
Adverse events related to drinking the raw milk include vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, headache, and body ache.
While most healthy patients recover quickly from milk-borne illnesses, the FDA cautioned that severe reactions may occur in some victims, particularly in pregnant women, older patients, infants, younger children, and patients with a weakened immune system.
Although the FDA has required pasteurization of almost all packaged milk products (excluding some aged cheeses) since 1987, dairy disease is still a threat, according to a Dec. 2008 report in Clinical Infectious Diseases that cited an annual average of 5.2 outbreaks per year between 1993 and 2006. (See Raw Milk Remains a Health Threat)
The FDA noted that from 1998 to 2008, 1,614 illnesses and two deaths related to raw milk were reported.
Proponents of unpasteurized milk claim it's more nutritious than treated milk and inherently antimicrobial.
Not so, the FDA asserted.
"There is no meaningful nutritional difference between pasteurized and raw milk, and raw milk does not contain compounds that will kill harmful bacteria," the agency said.
The FDA's investigation into the outbreak is aided by the Michigan Department of Community Health, the Illinois Department of Public Health, the Indiana State Board of Animal Health, and the Indiana State Health Department.© 2004-2010 MedPage Today, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
UPDATE: 28 March, 2010
The Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (PMO) that was first proposed in 1924 by the United States Public Health Service has been adopted, in its 2003 revision, by 46 out of 50 states. (The four non-adopting states have passed similar ordinances of their own.) The PMO calls for the pasteurization of milk as a way of killing any potentially disease-causing bacteria in the milk, including Campylobacter, Escherichia, Listeria, Salmonella, Yersinia, and Brucella. I would also like to note that in 32 states, it is legal to sell and distribute raw, non-pasteurized milk and that both forms of milk exist in the majority of states.Original Post 23 March 2009 :
Today there are more pasteurization options in the marketplace than there were in 1924; these options include high-temperature, short-time methods as well as low-temperature, longer time methods. The goal of all methods is the same: to kill potentially pathogenic bacteria that may be present in the milk or milk product (like cheese or yogurt).Note: * = These temperatures and times are appropriate if the milk does not contain added sweeteners, and if it has not been condensed. If either of those changes applies, then the temperature must be increased by 3ºC (5ºF). In addition, eggnog is an exception to these rules and must be pasteurized according to a different set of times and temperatures.
Temperature Time Pasteurization Type 63ºC (145ºF)* 30 minutes Vat Pasteurization 72ºC (161ºF)* 15 seconds High temperature short time Pasteurization (HTST) 89ºC (191ºF) 1.0 second Ultra Pasteurization (UP) 90ºC (194ºF) 0.5 seconds Ultra Pasteurization (UP) 94ºC (201ºF) 0.1 seconds Ultra Pasteurization (UP) 96ºC (204ºF) 0.05 seconds Ultra Pasteurization (UP) 100ºC (212ºF) 0.01 seconds Ultra Pasteurization (UP) 138ºC (280ºF) 2.0 seconds Ultra-high temperature (UHT) sterilization
There's no debate about the effectiveness of pasteurization for killing unwanted bacteria. There's also no doubt that pasteurization gives dairy products a longer shelf life by lowering the presence of bacteria that cause spoilage. But pasteurization also kills desirable bacteria found in fresh milk, and it denatures milk enzymes that may be active in the human digestive tract when fresh milk is consumed.
There is little research, however, to determine what nutritional benefits are lost when milk is pasteurized. I've seen speculation about changes in protein structure, calcium, amino acid, and vitamin C bioavailability all being triggered by pasteurization, but I have not seen research that confirms or rejects these occurrences.
As I mentioned earlier, in the majority of states, dairy farms are free to produce raw (unpasteurized) milk as long as they adhere to the conditions and restrictions set out in state law. The safety of unpasteurized milk depends on the quality of the cow's life,
including the immediate environment and feeding. It also depends on the quality of handling facilities once the cow has been milked. For these reasons, I recommend a very careful look at any dairy farm's procedures, track record, and publicly available information before becoming a regular consumer of its unpasteurized milk. Producers of raw milk should be carefully monitoring the milk for the presence of microorganisms and will be able to certify that the milk meets all federal and state regulations in this regard.
Because freshness is at a premium, and the product shelf life is greatly shortened (which is not necessarily bad) the dairy should be within driving distance of your residence so you can visit it in person. In some states, like Indiana, where it is illegal for a local dairy to sell unpasteurized milk, cows from the dairy may be leased in order for consumers to obtain a regular supply of raw milk.
In the absence of a very high-quality dairy farm in driving distance from your residence, I recommend purchase of pasteurized milk. Even though it's one step further from natural milk (which I would prefer), the health risks-however small-don't seem like a worthwhile trade-off in exchange for the potential benefits. If a high quality dairy farm, producing certified organic milk in unpasteurized form is available in your area, I would recommend considering this option. Courtesy: WHFOODS.ORG
A few years ago I was able to get some delicious raw milk from a cow down the road. I loved it each time I received my big glass gallon jar of this liquid. It brought back memories when I saw the rich, uncooked, deep yellow cream floating on top.
Some years ago I drove down the big long hill from my home back then and stopped at the Wagon Wheel to buy raw milk.
Before that I drove out to Willapa Valley for fresh liquid delight from Verna Kuttle's cows.
Before Washington, when my children were quite young, I walked next door to the farm each afternoon at milking time and drew a gallon of freshly collected raw milk from the big stainless steel cooler.
And even before that, as a small child I recall in delight on a day out at the farm, getting fresh creamy milk, still warm from the cow.
I am happy to say that my children probably had more raw, uncooked and non-homogenized milk than I did. None of us are the worse for it.
Sadly over the years Washington has been under the Olympia gestapo for any effort to have access to raw milk.
For year's you had to find a farmer to sell it too you and even then it was only sold as "pet" milk. I'm glad I had pets.
It's just the insanity of lack of knowledge that government workers seem to fall into, lock step.
No one dare ask if it might be good for you.
Funny too because one of the very first books I had when I was studying naturopathy in the 1960s had pages of treatments based on consuming raw milk.
Maybe times are changing.
Got Raw Milk?By Jennifer Adler M.S., C.N.
Welcome to the largest underground food revolution—the raw milk movement. As a nutritionist I have been a part of this underground movement since 1999 and have been amazed at how this creamy-colored substance has brought together Republicans and Democrats, as well as liberals and fundamental Christians—all for a common cause. Who knew that milk, that stuff that you put on your cereal, could have such power?
Since ancient times, an exclusive raw-milk diet has been used to cure many diseases. In the early 1900s, the “Milk Cure” was used at the Mayo clinic to successfully treat cancer, weight loss, kidney disease, allergies, skin problems, urinary tract problems, prostate problems, chronic fatigue and many other chronic conditions. However, after 1947, raw milk became very difficult to obtain due to pasteurization laws.
Pasteurization, heating foods to a minimum of 161.5∝F and holding that temperature for at least fifteen seconds, is done to kill bacteria. Currently, many raw foods are viewed as dangerous and laws enacted in the name of public health and safety require more foods to be sterilized by pasteurization. Pasteurization was implemented in the 1920s to combat tuberculosis, infant diarrhea and other diseases caused by poor animal nutrition and dirty production methods. However, refrigerated trucks, stainless steel tanks, milking machines and inspection methods make pasteurization unnecessary for today’s world. As Sally Fallon states in Nourishing Traditions, pasteurization destroys the enzymes needed to digest dairy and diminishes vitamin content, denatures fragile milk proteins, destroys vitamins C, B12 and B6, and kills beneficial bacteria. Pasteurized milk can promote pathogens because the beneficial bacteria naturally found in milk provide protection against invading pathogens. When milk is pasteurized, the protective bacteria is destroyed.
What is happening locally?
In Washington, due in a large part to the efforts of local activist, Emmy McAllister, raw milk sales are legal on the farm, through home delivery and retail stores, if local health ordinances permit. So take advantage of being one of only eleven states that allow raw milk to be sold retail, taste the magic and feel the difference for yourself.
Mark McAfee, owner of Organic Pastures, the largest raw dairy in the United States, boasts about his company’s safety record. McAfee has inoculated pathogenic contaminants such as E. coli 0157:H7, Listeria and Salmonella into his raw milk and pasteurized milk. In the raw milk, none of the pathogens survive because the natural bacteria protect the milk. In the pasteurized milk, in which the bacteria and enzymes have been destroyed, the pathogens take over. Even Louis Pasteur, the man credited with inventing pasteurization, in his later years stated that pasteurization was not the panacea once touted. In addition, raw milk never goes rancid, it just changes from milk to curds and whey and so on. Pasteurized milk goes dangerously rancid without refrigeration.
Is raw milk dangerous? It can be. Food can be the perfect vehicle for pathogens and disease. However, the reason pathogens in food are so prevalent may have more to do with factory farming and industrial food. Raw milk is not inherently dangerous. As Sandor Ellix Katz puts it in his book The Revolution will not be Microwaved, food is most often contaminated in the course of its processing, handling and storage, or as a result of diseased animals. Healthy plants and animals produce safe, healthy food worthy of a revolution.
Why has raw milk become such a huge health movement? The reasons range from culinary to health to political. On the health side, I have seen numerous incidences of people with dairy sensitivities finding themselves able to consume raw dairy without problems. Raw dairy contains the enzymes necessary for digestion; amazing how brilliant nature is. On the culinary side, raw milk tastes like real milk: delicious, creamy and satisfying on a core level. I have gone to great lengths over the years to procure raw dairy because once exposed the real stuff, I can’t go back. Politically, I along with many other activists, use my dollar to vote for the world I want to see. My vision is a land that promotes sustainable, small-scale farms with healthy, happy animals grazing freely on the grass they were meant to eat. Where I can go to a farmer I know by name to pick up my milk, along with other culinary delights. Where I can compare the milk from Iris to the milk that Lupita provides to see which suits my palate. Pasteurization laws conveniently put milk in the hands of large, industrialized, faceless, dairy operations that provide less than excellent living accommodations for their four-legged inhabitants.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Mushrooms for Your Health
It has been a very long time that I have had a love affair with mushrooms. I was very young the first time my father took me to Kennett Square on one of his mushroom buying drives.
The mushroom houses were long, dark buildings filled with trays of soil and all kinds of amazing mushrooms sprouting from that soil.
The mushrooms were packed in wooden baskets and we even purchased mushroom soil in bags to add to his gardens.
Over the years I've learned more and more about amazing fungi. Most recently I've become interested in the idea of using mushrooms for toxic remediation because of a video I watched a while back. This is related to my work with the Silver Valley Community Action Center, and a longtime goal of SVCRC to find a better way to do mine clean up than repositories.
I'll continue to be a mushroom lover, and a user of mushrooms for health. We offer very high quality medicinal mushrooms and these are the ones I have used to help many people with a variety of health concerns. Contact us FMI(see Mycelia and Beta-Glucan). We're pleased to supply your needs.
So you can follow up on mushrooms for health here's a sampling from Natural Health News -
Men's Health and Magic Mushrooms
Antidepressants Might Be Right Under Our Noses
New medical trials explore benefits of hallucinogenic drugs
Vitamins for Alzheimer's
Don't let flu hit you full force...
Mushroom Nutrition
The mushroom houses were long, dark buildings filled with trays of soil and all kinds of amazing mushrooms sprouting from that soil.
The mushrooms were packed in wooden baskets and we even purchased mushroom soil in bags to add to his gardens.
Over the years I've learned more and more about amazing fungi. Most recently I've become interested in the idea of using mushrooms for toxic remediation because of a video I watched a while back. This is related to my work with the Silver Valley Community Action Center, and a longtime goal of SVCRC to find a better way to do mine clean up than repositories.
I'll continue to be a mushroom lover, and a user of mushrooms for health. We offer very high quality medicinal mushrooms and these are the ones I have used to help many people with a variety of health concerns. Contact us FMI(see Mycelia and Beta-Glucan). We're pleased to supply your needs.
So you can follow up on mushrooms for health here's a sampling from Natural Health News -
Men's Health and Magic Mushrooms
Antidepressants Might Be Right Under Our Noses
New medical trials explore benefits of hallucinogenic drugs
Vitamins for Alzheimer's
Don't let flu hit you full force...
Mushroom Nutrition
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Critical Humourism
I like humor. I like it so much that I have a web page devoted to corn. It even has its very own web jester (Yes, in deedy, our own Mr. CAB keeps us laughing with his funny jokes and oft times silly humor.)
Now I found something I think is humourous, although it may wax cynical in the minds of some.
However you find your own take on this whimsy, please understand that's all it is meant to be.
Searching: An interesting dichotomy
It’s interesting on several levels to me because Joe Mercola fancies himself as the health expert of the internet. Then, I remember when he first started out and was found looking over my main web site just about every day.
Now, I too am considered a formidable health expert by a high number of people around the world. I speak with many of them daily; many more contact me via my blogs, my newsletters and websites, phone, snail mail, and email.
Of course this keeps me pretty occupied, but I do make time for the necessary research I do for clients and for my publications.
Yes, I do sell products, and all profits go directly to our 501c3 tax-exempt, non-profit organization that keeps us on line, no matter which product or service you choose.
We haven’t sold out to what I like to refer to as ‘Wildwood Hucksterism’, especially when it comes to what’s really in that pink Himalayan salt.
Just remember that the pink salt is high in sodium, and fluoride, so it is easy to understand why our choice, Celtic salt, remains our choice, with 17% less sodium, no traces of fluoride, and its proven health benefits.
So maybe now you’ll switch, and bypass the fluoride too. We’ll be pleased to take your order, and we’ll even keep the light on…
Now I found something I think is humourous, although it may wax cynical in the minds of some.
However you find your own take on this whimsy, please understand that's all it is meant to be.
Searching: An interesting dichotomy
It’s interesting on several levels to me because Joe Mercola fancies himself as the health expert of the internet. Then, I remember when he first started out and was found looking over my main web site just about every day.
Now, I too am considered a formidable health expert by a high number of people around the world. I speak with many of them daily; many more contact me via my blogs, my newsletters and websites, phone, snail mail, and email.
Of course this keeps me pretty occupied, but I do make time for the necessary research I do for clients and for my publications.
Yes, I do sell products, and all profits go directly to our 501c3 tax-exempt, non-profit organization that keeps us on line, no matter which product or service you choose.
We haven’t sold out to what I like to refer to as ‘Wildwood Hucksterism’, especially when it comes to what’s really in that pink Himalayan salt.
Just remember that the pink salt is high in sodium, and fluoride, so it is easy to understand why our choice, Celtic salt, remains our choice, with 17% less sodium, no traces of fluoride, and its proven health benefits.
So maybe now you’ll switch, and bypass the fluoride too. We’ll be pleased to take your order, and we’ll even keep the light on…
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Monday, February 28, 2011
Interconnectedness: Politics-Finance-Your Health
RELATED ARTICLE, 4/22/10
I sometimes think that everyone should think in the same way I do, but then that may not be a good thing. I'd at least like more people to be able to see things in the interconnected way things are and how the Wall Street fiasco, political maneuvering on the health bill, and the limited perspective on the outcomes of these things can directly effect your health.
Yes, I know that was a run-on sentence, but I'm ok with it. Just trying to make a point...
As I explained recently to someone in health care, I've been in health care all my life except for my first five years. I owe that to my father who was trying to brainwash me into being the next doctor in our family (we have lots of them, dating back to before the Civil War). It makes for an unusual childhood, but perhaps the pay off is the way I closely observe.
This foresight, or hindsight, or whatever sight led me to think about a few things and the following is what I ended up expressing.
Now that it has been published, I'm adding in here for those of you who read Natural Health News to consider and comment -
I sometimes think that everyone should think in the same way I do, but then that may not be a good thing. I'd at least like more people to be able to see things in the interconnected way things are and how the Wall Street fiasco, political maneuvering on the health bill, and the limited perspective on the outcomes of these things can directly effect your health.
Yes, I know that was a run-on sentence, but I'm ok with it. Just trying to make a point...
As I explained recently to someone in health care, I've been in health care all my life except for my first five years. I owe that to my father who was trying to brainwash me into being the next doctor in our family (we have lots of them, dating back to before the Civil War). It makes for an unusual childhood, but perhaps the pay off is the way I closely observe.
This foresight, or hindsight, or whatever sight led me to think about a few things and the following is what I ended up expressing.
Now that it has been published, I'm adding in here for those of you who read Natural Health News to consider and comment -
Politics, Finance, and Your Health
In the late 70s I took a position of Executive Director at an urban tribal health center. There were a ton of problems, if not more. This health program was extremely important because it was the first funded under the Indian Self determination Act, PL 93-638.
With all the politics involved a traditional model of governance was established and the clinic continues to serve today. It also has been a model other tribes have used to develop improved health care delivery.
One day I came to work only to find a poster tacked to my office door; it was Wonder Woman.
I don’t usually like to write too much about politics or economics, but from time to time issues do arise that seem to have a close relationship to health.
In the past few days one or three have come to my attention that touch on issues related to health and to things that have been important to me for a very long time.
I don’t like war. And more of what I don’t like about it is the damage it does to not only our military, but other those serving in other countries, and to innocents.
Currently we are spending an obscene amount of money on war that is really getting us nothing, and moving us nowhere.
Here you can learn for yourself - http://costofwar.com/
This is a project of http://www.nationalpriorities.org/
Learning about what members of Congress vote for who gives them how much money can be found here - http://www.opensecrets.org/
Open Secrets becomes very useful when looking at how the health reform bill came to pass, as it were, especially if you watched a recent Frontline program evaluating it.
Lawrence H. Summers was sworn in as the 71st Secretary of the Treasury in July 1999 after serving as Under Secretary for International Affairs and Deputy Secretary of the Treasury. From 1991 to 1993 he served as Chief Economist of the World Bank.
During his first stint in the Clinton administration he basically stopped progressive regulations that would have prevented the most recent problems with ‘bubbles’ and the Wall Street Bailout.
A very astute and erudite woman, Brooksley Born, tried to stop the derivatives mess when Summers was first at the Treasury Department.
He dismissed her to some dark basement of ineffective impact because she wanted strong regulations to halt the derivative nightmare of that time.
Subsequently, Summers again took aim at Born again - http://firedoglake.com/2010/04/09/brooksley-born-raises-an-important-question-but-answers-are-weak/
Another mention of this situation is recorded in a recent program on Bill Moyers Journal - http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/04162010/profile2.html
This is not unlike the work of Catherine Austin Fitts who questioned many concerns when she was at HUD.
As usual, the fast printing of money and the recent sell outs to the banksters comes close to the sell out to Big Insurance and PhRMA.
Much of this could certainly have been avoided it male egos weren’t so entrenched and fragile.
Now we’re about to get it again in the proverbial shorts because the real change we need in banking reform is just another watered down deal for citizens and another government handout to Wall Street.
http://www.campaignmoney.org/blog/2010/04/13/sen-mcconnell-takes-financial-industry-cash-opposes-financial-industry-reform
And we still have Summers, Geithner, and Bernanke. No real change!
Should we start panhandling for spare change?
Or do we need more ‘women of steel’?
Copyright©2010 Gayle Eversole, DHom, PhD, MH, NP, ND. All rights reserved.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Airport X-Ray Machines: UPDATE
4 August - Police agencies admit to saving body scan images
Capabilities of the checkpoint security machines are still shrouded in mystery
According to CNET, the U.S. Marshals Service admitted this week that it had saved thousands of images that had been recorded from a security checkpoint in a Florida courthouse.
The revelation comes at a tense time. Two weeks ago, when Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said such scanners would appear in every major airport, privacy advocates such as the Electronic Privacy Information Center in Washington D.C. filed a lawsuit to stop the device rollout.
The reason? Because the devices were "designed and deployed in a way that allows the images to be routinely stored and recorded," EPIC executive director Marc Rotenberg told CNET, adding that this "is exactly what the Marshals Service is doing."
The TSA maintains that body scanning is "constitutional" and the CNET report notes that while the machines are built to "allow exporting of image data in real time" and provide networked "high-speed transfer of image data," the system are built with filters to "protect the identity, modesty, and privacy of the passenger."
7/17/10 New body-scanner software to show only stick figures
6/29/10 Airport body scanners deliver radiation dose 20 times higher than first thought, warns expert:
June 29, 2010 Airport body scanners deliver radiation dose 20 times higher than first thought, warns expert 30 Jun 2010 Full body scanners at airports could increase your risk of skin cancer, experts warn. The X-ray machines have been brought in at Manchester, Gatwick and Heathrow. Scientists say that the low level beam does deliver a small dose of radiation to the body but because the beam concentrates on the skin - one of the most radiation-sensitive organs of the human body - that dose may be up to 20 times higher than first estimated.
1/11/10 Airport Scanners Save and Transmit Scanners, ordered by TSA
Better airport security in Israel
1/5/10 Updates re: Scanner Scam
http://www.thestar.com/iphone/news/world/article/744199---israelification-high-security-little-bother
http://motherjones.com/mojo/2010/01/airport-scanner-scam
1/3/10 - "Body scanner wouldn't have foiled syringe bomber, says MP who worked on new machines" Read complete article
T-Waves: A new model of the way the THz waves interact with DNA explains how the damage is done...
" Drawing on sources like The Mayo Clinic and The Radiological Society of North America as well as interviews with prominent radiologists, molecular biologists, and medical doctors, ionizing (penetrating) radiation in any dose, no matter how tiny, causes genetic mutations, which set all living cells exposed on the path to cancer. X-rays are considered ionizing radiation." Read complete article
12/29/09 - While India rejected airport sreening in the past, the Netherlands has adopted the process for flights to the US. As this happens people wonder if there is anyone in charge at TSA and/or DHS ( a department we could rightfully have done without and one that now should be abandoned - think of all the trillions we'd save ) and Obama says no one at DHS is doing thier job.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
This was originally Posted in 2006, based on 2005 reports, but seems to be current discussions, and needs to be considered by those who have concerns about their health.
10 second exposure with backscatter=2 minutes in cabin radiation exposure.
FMI: Whole Body Imaging Technology, see what the x-ray machine sees.
----------------------------------------------------------
from repost in 10/2008:
At the same time as the US Homeland Security Department is pushing for airport x-ray machines that expose your privacy, Germany is calling a halt to this non-sense.
Probably it is worth your consideration to consider using some protective measures and to help clear the radiation exposure effects (iodine, kelp baths, our bath salt blend for chemo/radiation patients) if you're planning to travel by air.
Capabilities of the checkpoint security machines are still shrouded in mystery
Despite claims by the TSA that electronic body scan images "cannot be stored or recorded," some federal police agencies are in fact saving tens of thousands of images, according to a report by CNET News.
The body scanners, increasingly found in airports, courthouses and other places where security is high, use an assortment of technologies. These include millimeter wave scanners (shown below) — in which the subject is harmlessly pelted with extremely high frequency radio waves which reflect a picture back to the device — and backscatter X-ray (shown above) — which measures low-powered reflective X-rays to produce clearer body shots, shots that can reveal alarmingly precise anatomical detail.According to CNET, the U.S. Marshals Service admitted this week that it had saved thousands of images that had been recorded from a security checkpoint in a Florida courthouse.
The revelation comes at a tense time. Two weeks ago, when Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said such scanners would appear in every major airport, privacy advocates such as the Electronic Privacy Information Center in Washington D.C. filed a lawsuit to stop the device rollout.
The reason? Because the devices were "designed and deployed in a way that allows the images to be routinely stored and recorded," EPIC executive director Marc Rotenberg told CNET, adding that this "is exactly what the Marshals Service is doing."
As CNET's Declan McCullagh explains, it's the mystery of the devices' potential that is most unnerving: "This trickle of disclosures about the true capabilities of body scanners — and how they're being used in practice — is probably what alarms privacy advocates more than anything else," he wrote.
The TSA maintains that body scanning is "constitutional" and the CNET report notes that while the machines are built to "allow exporting of image data in real time" and provide networked "high-speed transfer of image data," the system are built with filters to "protect the identity, modesty, and privacy of the passenger."
7/17/10 New body-scanner software to show only stick figures
Boston's Logan International Airport hopes to be the first airport in the country to get new software that should eliminate privacy concerns over full-body scanners at security checkpoints.
The software would produce stick-figure images of passengers instead of the more revealing images currently viewed by operators at remote stations.
The software would detect suspicious objects on passengers that require further attention - such as possible weapons or explosives - allowing Transportation Security Administration screeners and explosive weapons specialists to hone in on them and determine whether they pose a danger.
6/29/10 Airport body scanners deliver radiation dose 20 times higher than first thought, warns expert:
June 29, 2010 Airport body scanners deliver radiation dose 20 times higher than first thought, warns expert 30 Jun 2010 Full body scanners at airports could increase your risk of skin cancer, experts warn. The X-ray machines have been brought in at Manchester, Gatwick and Heathrow. Scientists say that the low level beam does deliver a small dose of radiation to the body but because the beam concentrates on the skin - one of the most radiation-sensitive organs of the human body - that dose may be up to 20 times higher than first estimated.
1/11/10 Airport Scanners Save and Transmit Scanners, ordered by TSA
Better airport security in Israel
1/5/10 Updates re: Scanner Scam
http://www.thestar.com/iphone/news/world/article/744199---israelification-high-security-little-bother
http://motherjones.com/mojo/2010/01/airport-scanner-scam
1/3/10 - "Body scanner wouldn't have foiled syringe bomber, says MP who worked on new machines" Read complete article
T-Waves: A new model of the way the THz waves interact with DNA explains how the damage is done...
" Drawing on sources like The Mayo Clinic and The Radiological Society of North America as well as interviews with prominent radiologists, molecular biologists, and medical doctors, ionizing (penetrating) radiation in any dose, no matter how tiny, causes genetic mutations, which set all living cells exposed on the path to cancer. X-rays are considered ionizing radiation." Read complete article
12/29/09 - While India rejected airport sreening in the past, the Netherlands has adopted the process for flights to the US. As this happens people wonder if there is anyone in charge at TSA and/or DHS ( a department we could rightfully have done without and one that now should be abandoned - think of all the trillions we'd save ) and Obama says no one at DHS is doing thier job.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
This was originally Posted in 2006, based on 2005 reports, but seems to be current discussions, and needs to be considered by those who have concerns about their health.
10 second exposure with backscatter=2 minutes in cabin radiation exposure.
FMI: Whole Body Imaging Technology, see what the x-ray machine sees.
----------------------------------------------------------
from repost in 10/2008:
At the same time as the US Homeland Security Department is pushing for airport x-ray machines that expose your privacy, Germany is calling a halt to this non-sense.
Probably it is worth your consideration to consider using some protective measures and to help clear the radiation exposure effects (iodine, kelp baths, our bath salt blend for chemo/radiation patients) if you're planning to travel by air.
Germany says full-body airport scanner "nonsense"
BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany will not participate in EU proposals for airports to use full-body scanner security checks, which have raised privacy issues, its interior ministry said on Friday.
"I can tell you in all clarity that we will not take part in this nonsense," a spokeswoman for the interior ministry told a regular news conference.
The executive European Commission proposed last month to add body scanners to a list of security measures that can be used at airports in the 27-country bloc.
EU lawmakers criticized the scanners in a resolution on Thursday, saying they were equivalent to "a virtual strip search" and raised serious human rights concerns. The lawmakers called for a detailed study of the technology before it is used.
The Commission says a number of EU states including the Netherlands already use body scanners and the EU executive wanted to harmonize conditions in which they can be operated.
The scanners do not exist at German airports and have sparked vivid criticism by politicians across the political spectrum.
(Reporting by Kerstin Gehmlich; Editing by Matthew Jones)
This was posted in 2006. I've noticed a number of inquiries on the topic of airport x-rays, so I am posting it again.So you plan to take an airplane trip in the future you say. Well now that the illustrious Department of Homeland Security is going to force you to be X-rayed, what is it that they have told you about the cumulative effects of exposure to gamma radiation in their so-called 'security" screener?
How much more cancer risk do you need? And just what long term studies have been done, especially when considering frequent flyer risk.
I guess I would want more data.LOS ANGELES (Dec. 20) - A woman mistakenly put her 1-month-old grandson through an X-ray machine at Los Angeles International Airport, authorities said.
Security stations at Los Angeles International Airport Damian Dovarganes, AP
A woman mistakenly put her infant grandson through a security X-ray at Los Angeles International Airport Saturday. Doctors said the 1-month-old did not receive a dangerous dose of radiation.
A startled security worker noticed the shape of a child on the carry-on baggage screening monitor and immediately pulled him out, the Los Angeles Times reported for a story in Wednesday's editions.
The infant was taken to a local hospital, where doctors determined he did not receive a dangerous dose of radiation.
"This was an innocent mistake by an obviously inexperienced traveler," said Paul Haney, deputy executive director of airports and security for the city's airport agency.
The incident happened early Saturday, airport officials said.
Haney said in 1988, an infant in a car seat went through an X-ray machine at the Los Angeles airport.
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press.
Friday, January 28, 2011
The patient is the best historian
Medical education is a form of brainwashing, not too different than educating future lawyers. Most higher education is not far removed, because it is the major way, just as in the days of the Guilds, that a trade or profession was continued. Keeping the education process in a narrow perspective fosters the culture in that field, and perpetuates the lack of growth and change, new ideas, or new approaches.
One thing that used to be a Golden Rule in health care was the importance of listening to your patient. Today, this is not always possible because of the tight control of the bottom line over health care practices by administrators and insurers, as well as the pharmaceutical companies.
I listen to my clients and often hear them tell me of their frustration with doctors who look at a computer, not at them, and type while talking. Others just say that the doctor just doesn't listen. I another case the person has told me that the doctor forces her beliefs against natural treatment and makes this person feel demeaned. The complaints and horror stories fill a book.
This recent UPI article points to this concern, so perhaps you'll see some effort to begin listening to patients come around once again.
One thing that used to be a Golden Rule in health care was the importance of listening to your patient. Today, this is not always possible because of the tight control of the bottom line over health care practices by administrators and insurers, as well as the pharmaceutical companies.
I listen to my clients and often hear them tell me of their frustration with doctors who look at a computer, not at them, and type while talking. Others just say that the doctor just doesn't listen. I another case the person has told me that the doctor forces her beliefs against natural treatment and makes this person feel demeaned. The complaints and horror stories fill a book.
This recent UPI article points to this concern, so perhaps you'll see some effort to begin listening to patients come around once again.
Physicians often misjudge patient beliefs
HERSHEY, Pa., July 28 (UPI) -- Doctors often guess wrong about their patients' health beliefs, U.S. researchers found.
Dr. Richard Street from Texas A&M University in College Station and Dr. Paul Haidet of Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine in Hershey found patients' health beliefs differ from their physicians' perception of these beliefs, and suggest doctors pay more attention to what their patients have to say.
The study, published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, found physicians generally do not have a good understanding of patient's health beliefs, but their understanding is significantly better when patients more actively participate.
"If physicians had a better understanding of their patients' beliefs about health, they could address any misconceptions or differences of opinion they had with the patient regarding the nature, severity, and treatment of their illnesses as well as make treatment recommendations better suited to the patient's life circumstances," Street said in a statement. "Encouraging the patient to be more involved in the consultation by expressing their beliefs and concerns is one way physicians can gain this understanding."
Street, Haidet and colleagues analyzed 207 audio-recorded physician-patient consultations as well as surveys about the cause, treatment and other aspects of the patients health condition conducted by both physicians and patients after the consultation. Physicians were also asked about how they thought the patients responded.
© 2010 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Natural Health News: Health Concerns for Gulf Coast Residents
UPDATE: 25 August
UPDATE: 21 August
A new study has found a higher incidence of respiratory problems and chromosomal changes to white blood cells among fishermen who helped clean up a 2002 oil spill off the Spanish coast, providing a guide to potential flashpoints that may arise as federal scientists begin studying the long-term health of responders to this summer's Gulf of Mexico gusher.The exposed workers were examined two years after their contact with spilled oil, when "a greater proportion" of that group was found to still experience respiratory symptoms such as wheezing and nighttime shortness of breath, the study's authors wrote. Chromosomal abnormalities in white blood cells, considered a potential marker for heightened cancer risk, was also detected at higher rates in fishermen who regularly came in contact with oil during cleanup work.
UPDATE: 21 August
Oil Enters Food Chain: The recent discovery of trace amounts of oil in blue crab larvae has left experts forecasting dire news for the Gulf ecosystem. It’s evidence that the oil from the spill loosed from the Deepwater Horizon explosion has already begun working its way up the food chain — where it could be fatal to animals who ingest it. Read more...
Newly Discovered Oil-Eating Microbe Flourishing in Gulf -
WASHINGTON (Aug. 24) -- A newly discovered type of oil-eating microbe is suddenly flourishing in the Gulf of Mexico.
Scientists discovered the new microbe while studying the underwater dispersion of millions of gallons of oil spilled into the Gulf following the explosion of BP's Deepwater Horizon drilling rig.And the microbe works without significantly depleting oxygen in the water, researchers led by Terry Hazen at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, Calif., reported Tuesday in the online journal Sciencexpress.Science / AAAS / APIn this image provide by the journal Science, microbes degrade oil, indicated by the circle of dashes, in the deepwater plume from the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, as documented in a study by Berkeley Lab researchers.
UPDATE: 3 August
Public Health - Many of you have written to us asking about the health effects of oil and dispersants to cleanup workers and communities. You can read about potential health hazards here: www.sciencecorps.org/crudeoilhazards.htm If you suspect you are ill from chemical exposure, you may contact detox specialists at The Environmental Health Center - Dallas. For other health resources, click here.
UPDATE FOR HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS! - Dr. Michael Harbut has provided up-to-date information for physicians. Michael R. Harbut, M.D., M.P.H. is a Clinical Professor of Internal Medicine at Wayne State University, Director of the Karmanos Cancer Institute's Environmental Cancer Program & Past Chair of the Occupational & Environmental Medicine section of the American College of Chest Physicians. He is Chief at the Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine, P.C. and has treated many patients with solvents and petroleum exposures. Click here to read Dr. Harbut's recommendations.
What Are the Potential Physical Health Effects From the Gulf Oil Spill?
An Expert Interview With Vikas Kapil, DO, MPH, From the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
New Health Bill and Tax Provisions
Tax Provisions in the Health Care Act
MARCH 22, 2010
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590), passed by Congress on Sunday, contains numerous tax provisions.
The Reconciliation Act of 2010 (H.R. 4872), which also passed the House on Sunday, contains many other tax items, including extending the general exclusion for reimbursements for medical care expenses under an employer-provided accident or health plan to any child of an employee who has not attained age 27 as of the end of the tax year and codifying the economic substance doctrine. The reconciliation bill has not yet passed the Senate.
Among the many tax provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act are the following:
More to consider re: Health Reform
A time to consider taking responsibility for your health. You can do it!
Seniors wary of health overhaul impact on Medicare
N.Y. Times columnist: Death panels will save 'a lot of money'
Health Care Battle Ends; War on Social Security Begins
Refer to this article for more information.
Seniors wary of health overhaul impact on Medicare
N.Y. Times columnist: Death panels will save 'a lot of money'
Health Care Battle Ends; War on Social Security Begins
Refer to this article for more information.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
TVA Coal Sludge and Health Risks
June 11, 2010: US drywall now contains toxic coal ash
From 2007 Coal Ash Is More Radioactive than Nuclear Waste: Burning away all the pesky carbon and other impurities, coal power plants produce heaps of radiation
See also: Mold problems and flooding: Lessons to be learned from Katrina
UPDATE: 9 April, 2010 - Judge Awards Families $2.6M Over Chinese Drywall
UPDATE: 3 April, 2010 - Feds: Homes with Chinese drywall must be gutted
UPDATE: 24 June, 2009 -
This item was originally posted in December, 2008. It is re-posted now because of the dry wall issue.
UPDATE: 8 May
Fla. to test air in homes with Chinese drywall
UPDATE: 14 April -
Coal sludge and health risks apply to dry wall from China.
Thank you to Scott Patterson for letting me post his comments. He is in the business of home inspection.
See also -
Dusts From Drywall
Tainted Chinese Drywall
-------------------------------------------------------
UPDATE: 2 January, 2009 - The Christian Science Monitor has a very good article on this situation that points out the lax requirements dating back the the corporate influence in the Clinton Administration. Lax EPA regulations continued during the outgoing Bush regime. One issue similar to the Cataldo Mission toxic site is a waste repository being built with no liner. Obviously this is a major issue needing to be addressed by the newly elected administration.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The coal sludge ponds that failed, as reported in media reports recently, raise health issues. It is good to see that the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is planning to test the water in the area hit by this flood of waste. And certainly it seems as if the damage done to peoples homes and lives is being addressed.
I work with a group that is in community that has been the victim of mine waste for over 100 years. The information I develop for them on health is shared with other groups who are dealing with the impact of mining waste.
In the news stories there has been mention that the coal waste is radioactive. Coal waste also leaves arsenic in the water as well as the possibility for other heavy metal leaching.
TVA would be well advised to supply all those harmed in this tragedy with high quality vitamin C and iodine products. Additionally, a very specific product containing both vitamin C and specialized essences of garlic (equal to 35 cloves of the full spectrum of garlic's benefits) is appropriate.
Vitamin C is an excellent chelator and will help remove heavy metal waste from the body. Garlic is a heavy metal chelator as well and it offers other protective support for health. Iodine, such as Iosol or professional products like Prolamine Iodine, even adding the sea vegetables to one's diet, works to reduce the impact of radioactivity.
For more information on clean-up concerns please see Silver Valley Action.
From 2007 Coal Ash Is More Radioactive than Nuclear Waste: Burning away all the pesky carbon and other impurities, coal power plants produce heaps of radiation
See also: Mold problems and flooding: Lessons to be learned from Katrina
UPDATE: 9 April, 2010 - Judge Awards Families $2.6M Over Chinese Drywall
UPDATE: 3 April, 2010 - Feds: Homes with Chinese drywall must be gutted
UPDATE: 24 June, 2009 -
Public Not Allowed to Know Location of Hazardous Coal Ash Sites
by Environmental News Service (ENS)
EPA Withholds Locations of 'High Hazard' Coal Ash Sites
WASHINGTON, DC - There are 44 coal combustion waste sites nationwide that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has identified as "high hazard," but the agency cannot make the locations of these hazardous sites public, Senator Barbara Boxer told reporters today. The California senator chairs the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, which oversees the federal environmental agency.
Complete Article...
This item was originally posted in December, 2008. It is re-posted now because of the dry wall issue.
UPDATE: 8 May
'Stinky' Drywall Imported From China Raises Health And Safety ConcernsUPDATE: 18 April -
ScienceDaily (2009-05-07) -- Homeowners throughout the United States are complaining of stinky odors, copper pipe and wire corrosion, and respiratory problems in an ongoing crisis that officials say is linked to drywall imported from China. ... > read full article
Fla. to test air in homes with Chinese drywall
UPDATE: 14 April -
Coal sludge and health risks apply to dry wall from China.
Thank you to Scott Patterson for letting me post his comments. He is in the business of home inspection.
Toxic Chinese Drywall might be in your home!
Over the past few months, owners of newer homes nationwide have been complaining of drywall that smells like rotten eggs. In several cases, they have had to leave their home because the smell was so bad. In addition to the putrid smell, many homeowners have reported problems with air conditioning and other systems that are likely related to the defective Chinese drywall. This is being called the next EIFS like disaster in the real estate market!
Many have spent hundreds and even thousands of dollars - to have air conditioning, pipes and wiring repaired. Usually, drywall is manufactured in the United States, but a shortage between 2004 and 2006 prompted many builders to buy drywall from China.
Most of the reported problems stem from drywall imported from China during the construction boom years of 2004-2005. Florida and the Gulf Coast states have been the first to report and have issue with this drywall showing up but it also showing up in non-coastal areas.
Knauf Plasterboard Tianjin Co. Ltd. of China, a subsidiary of German-based manufacturer Knauf, is the company at the focus of these drywall problems. If your newer home smells like sulfur or rotten eggs, you may have defective Chinese drywall. The problem is coming from coal ash that was mixed into the gypsum drywall compound. It appears that China was attempting to get rid of their coal ash problems by mixing it with the drywall compound. When the drywall is exposed to moisture, such as high humidity a chemical reaction starts. The result of this reaction is the production of Hydrogen Sulfide and Sulfuric acid gas. This is the rotten egg smell that is present with the drywall.
This drywall is responsible for the destruction of the copper coils in HVAC units in the homes that it has been installed in. The corrosive off gassing is also responsible for damaging many other components in the homes from the copper electrical to the nails and screws that are holding everything together in the home.
If you think that you might have Chinese Drywall, you should contact a reputable home inspector who is familiar with this problem. If you need help locating an inspector just give me a call and I might know of a person in your area. As this new discovery is just starting to rear its ugly head, many are not aware of this problem. Call Scott Patterson at 615-302-113 if you have a problem or question.
The author of this informative notice is Scott Patterson. Scott is a nationally recognized home inspector who works out of the Nashville TN area and holds multiple state home inspector licenses. This may not be reproduced with out written permission from the author. Copyright 2009
See also -
Dusts From Drywall
Tainted Chinese Drywall
-------------------------------------------------------
UPDATE: 2 January, 2009 - The Christian Science Monitor has a very good article on this situation that points out the lax requirements dating back the the corporate influence in the Clinton Administration. Lax EPA regulations continued during the outgoing Bush regime. One issue similar to the Cataldo Mission toxic site is a waste repository being built with no liner. Obviously this is a major issue needing to be addressed by the newly elected administration.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The coal sludge ponds that failed, as reported in media reports recently, raise health issues. It is good to see that the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is planning to test the water in the area hit by this flood of waste. And certainly it seems as if the damage done to peoples homes and lives is being addressed.
I work with a group that is in community that has been the victim of mine waste for over 100 years. The information I develop for them on health is shared with other groups who are dealing with the impact of mining waste.
In the news stories there has been mention that the coal waste is radioactive. Coal waste also leaves arsenic in the water as well as the possibility for other heavy metal leaching.
TVA would be well advised to supply all those harmed in this tragedy with high quality vitamin C and iodine products. Additionally, a very specific product containing both vitamin C and specialized essences of garlic (equal to 35 cloves of the full spectrum of garlic's benefits) is appropriate.
Vitamin C is an excellent chelator and will help remove heavy metal waste from the body. Garlic is a heavy metal chelator as well and it offers other protective support for health. Iodine, such as Iosol or professional products like Prolamine Iodine, even adding the sea vegetables to one's diet, works to reduce the impact of radioactivity.
For more information on clean-up concerns please see Silver Valley Action.
Spill may have permanently altered Tenn. communityBy KRISTIN M. HALL, Associated Press Writer Kristin M. Hall, Associated Press Writer Tue Dec 30, 3:17 am ET
KINGSTON, Tenn. – A week after more than a billion gallons of coal ash broke through a retention pond dike and roared into a small river cove, the landscape has turned into a muddy pit that's little like the scenic spot that attracted people to live here.
The Emory River is clogged with giant chunks of gray ash sticking out of the water and trees ripped out by their roots and washed downstream during the Dec. 22 disaster. Ducks float in a film of sand-like residue on the surface. Dozens of pieces of heavy equipment are digging along the river to try to clean it of coal ash.
The Kingston Steam Plant, a coal-fired power plant operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority, sits on the confluence of two rivers, about 35 miles west of Knoxville.
The deluge destroyed three houses, displaced a dozen families and damaged 42 parcels of land, but there were no serious injuries.
There are 62 pieces of heavy machinery slowly gathering up the spilled ash from residential roads, railroad tracks and the river, plant manager Ron Hall said Monday.
But no one at TVA can say how long the cleanup will take and how thorough the restoration can be.
"It's almost like someone dying, because it's so permanent," said Crystell Flinn, whose home was swept away.
Hall said workers will pull the sludge out of the river using barges and skimmers, and dump trucks will carry it to a different site at the plant. But the material won't return to the large riverside retention ponds still there.
"We will not likely put in wet ash ponds again, even though they have shown to be structurally integral," TVA environmental executive Anda Ray said Monday. "We are looking at options for what to do long term for that ash disposal, but there are dry ash pond technologies."
In the days after the spill, officials are finding more reasons to be concerned about the possible harmful long-term effects. Federal officials on Monday cautioned residents who use private wells or springs to stop drinking the water.
But the area isn't densely populated, and TVA said that no more than four wells are in the spill area.
Samples taken near the spill slightly exceed drinking water standards for toxic substances, and arsenic in one sample was higher than the maximum level allowed for drinking water, according to a press release from TVA, the Environmental Protection Agency and other agencies.
Federal officials should have tests on the affected wells sometime this week.
"I think they (the wells) were beyond the actual slide point of the material," EPA spokeswoman Laura Niles said. "There shouldn't be direct impact, but that's why they are sampling."
Authorities have said the municipal water supply is safe to drink.
Arsenic occurs naturally in the environment, but elevated levels can cause ailments ranging from nausea to partial paralysis, and long-term exposure has been linked to several types of cancer, according to the EPA.
Ray said arsenic levels were high because of the type of measurement that the EPA used, which included soil mixed in with water.
"Those samples were not dissolved arsenic," Ray said. "The dissolved arsenic, which is what you look at for drinking water samples, are undetectable in all the cases. The elevated arsenic that the EPA is referring to is the data that we collected when it was stirred up. It is routinely filtered out through all water treatment plants."
Environmental concerns could shift when the sludge containing the fly ash, a fine powdery material, dries out. The EPA and TVA have begun air monitoring and on Monday advised people to avoid activities that could stir up dust, such as children or pets playing outside.
The dust can contain metals, including arsenic, that irritate the skin and can aggravate pre-existing conditions like asthma, Niles said.
The EPA recommends that anyone exposed to the dust should wash thoroughly with soap and water and wash the affected clothes separately from other garments.
Ray said TVA will start installing sprinkler systems in areas where the ash has dried out to keep it moist.
Knoxville-based TVA supplies electricity to Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Kentucky, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia.
Copyright © 2008 The Associated Press
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Affordable Health Care
As we listen to the progaganda on health reform today remember that a worker in New Hampshire pays $8000 more than their Member of Congress for health insurance. They also have to pay a tax on it.
If you don't inderstand that this so-called "health reform" activity is more about payoffs to Big PhRMA and Big Insurance then you aren't on track with what is actually happening.
There is no change and there is no health reform.
Make sure you let your representatives know what you think!
If you don't inderstand that this so-called "health reform" activity is more about payoffs to Big PhRMA and Big Insurance then you aren't on track with what is actually happening.
There is no change and there is no health reform.
Make sure you let your representatives know what you think!
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