Sludge Watch ==> St Loius -Gov't sludge study - Toxic Sludge is Good for You

[Maureen Reilly]

Sludgewatch Admin:

Lets see. The government of the United States conducted a study to show that 
putting sludge on lead contaminated properties will lower the lead level in 
children and other nearby residents.

Oh. And they neglected to test the lead blood levels to see if it works.

The US EPA - they say it loud, they say it proud: "Toxic Sludge is Good for 
You"

(or..."we think sludge is good for you but we just keep forgetting to 
complete the risk assessment on sludge and human  health and we refuse to 
investigate sludge related health complaints")
.....................................................


http://www.bnd.com:80/editorial/story/317428.html
Explanations in order

    * Read the East St. Louis project report

Three scenarios: You guess which one is correct.

• The U.S. government took a lead-contaminated lot next to A.M. Jackson 
Elementary in East St. Louis and made it safe. They tilled biosolids into 
the soil because it was rich in iron and phosphate that would bond to lead 
to let it pass safely through a child's body, preventing brain damage.

• Government researchers spread human and industrial wastes across a vacant 
lot next to the school without knowing whether the process would work and 
really stop children from absorbing lead. They didn't check back to see if 
the sludge added heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, other chemicals and 
disease-causing microorganisms to the soil. They didn't check any of the 
children or residents for health effects.

• Government researchers targeted poor, uneducated black people for 
experimentation, just like they did for 40 years with the Tuskeegee 
Experiment. They lied about the safety of the process. They would never have 
done this in a white neighborhood.

We're not sure which scenario, or which pieces of these scenarios, 
represents the truth. In fact, no one does. We're all left guessing.

The only answer that seems apparent so far is that this experiment, as good 
or ill-intentioned as you want to paint it, was conducted by people who 
truly did not know what they were doing.

U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello is calling for an immediate investigation and some 
answers. We, too, want some quick answers and a long-term look at this 
issue.