Environmental Health
Environmental health is defined as freedom from illness or injury related to toxic agents and other environmental conditions that are potentially detrimental to human health (The Institute of Medicine; in Nursing, Health, and the Environment, 1995). Environmental health focuses on the linkages between human health and the conditions present in the environment and all of its elements, including such things as: the air that we breathe, the water that we drink and bathe and swim in, the soil that we come in contact with, the food we consume, the housing we live in, and the landscape. According to the World Health Organization, environmental hazards are responsible for about a quarter of all disease worldwide.
There are a number of environmental health issues that confront counties in southwestern New Mexico, such as childhood lead poisoning, particulate matter air quality problems, high concentrations of fluoride, arsenic and radio nuclides in drinking water, leaking septic tanks, and environmental impacts from mining activities.
GRIP Participates in White House Discussion on
Health Benefits of Clean Energy Reform
Estimated $120 billion annually in health cost savings from developing clean energyGetAGRIP Fall 2008
A shift to a sustainable clean economy will create new jobs and improve public health was the message at an invite-only White House stakeholders meeting designed to engage communities from around the country and gain input from the trenches on the transition to a Clean Energy Economy. Because many of the same sources that emit greenhouse gases are major sources of air pollution, a switch to cleaner energy will reduce particulate pollution, smog and toxics in the air Americans breathe. A recent National Academies report estimated that fossil-fuel based energy production and use in the US contribute $120 billion annually in health and environmental costs. The National Institutes of Health estimates that the cost savings realized from improving health will offset the cost of addressing climate change and, therefore, should be considered as part of all policy discussions related to climate change.
“Energy reform and environmental protection go hand-in-hand,” stated Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson. According to Jackson, half of all deaths in the US are linked to environmental causes, such as cancer, heart disease, and respiratory disease. She also noted the disproportionate impact of poor environmental quality on low-income and minority communities. Health data show that African Americans die from asthma twice as often as whites, and have higher cancer mortality rates than any other group. Nearly 30 million Latinos – 72 percent of the US Latino population – live in places that don’t meet US air pollution standards.
Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius explained “it’s really about the health of our children today, jobs, and the fate of our planet tomorrow. We are learning that the health of our planet and the health of our people are tied together. It’s difficult for one to thrive without the other. If we work to reduce pollution, we will also reduce deaths from respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.”
Breakout groups with officials provided an opportunity for participants to offer input to the Administration on what is needed at the Federal level to make environmental and clean economy initiatives successful at the local level. GRIP highlighted efforts in smaller, rural communities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, such as the Silver City Climate Action Plan and Viva Verde. There is also a need to link green jobs training to actual green jobs. Requirements are needed for transmission line and renewable energy projects on federal land to hire local workers to help mitigate high unemployment rates in southwestern New Mexico. In our efforts to develop the clean energy economy, we need to be aware of potential unintended environmental consequences. Transmission line development should avoid or mitigate impacts to important wildlife habitat. Development of concentrated solar in the arid southwest should consider impacts to limited water resources by requiring dry cooling systems that can reduce water consumption by 97% over wet cooling.
White House Officials made clear the Obama Administration’s commitment to achieving clean energy and climate legislation. Indeed, as of press time, the President announced his plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 17% below 2005 levels by 2020 and 83% by 2050 and attend the United Nations climate talks in Copenhagen in early December. These targets are those laid out in the House climate/energy bill passed in June. The Senate version of the bill is still under discussion. Insiders say that it won’t be until 2010 and after health reform is completed before Congress will take up climate legislation again.
Watch the White House Briefing here
EPA Administrator Prepared Remarks here
NMED Releases Record of Decision for Hurley Soils Clean-up
GetAGRIP Fall 2008
A draft Record of Decision (ROD) has been written by the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) regarding remediation completed this summer in the town of Hurley. Out of 670 Hurley properties sampled, 523 were found to be contaminated with copper in excess of 5,000 parts per million, and in some cases with other metals. It has been almost 14 years since an agreement between the state and Chino Mines was signed to investigate and to clean up potentially dangerous “historic contamination” which occurred prior to 1970 in Hurley as well as an estimated 50 square miles in and around the Chino Mine.
GRIP has been involved from the beginning of this process attending monthly citizen meetings of a mandated advisory Community Work Group that has endeavored to stay abreast of the many technical documents generated.
In 2005 GRIP and concerned individuals protested a NMED policy decision to raise its own recommended Remedial Action Criteria (RAC) of 2,000 ppm for the level of copper which if exceeded would require removal from soils. The RAC, through negotiation with Chino Mines, was raised to 3,100 ppm later in the same year, and after a dispute resolution process, to the final and less protective 5,000 ppm.
Since the early 1900s dumping, crushing, milling, and smelting of raw ores occurred in the town of Hurley, with nearby tailings piles and smelter emissions adding to the deposition of copper and other metals in Hurley and surrounding soils.
Incidental ingestion of copper was determined to be the major source of contamination in a Human Health Risk Assessment which found children to be most at risk due to direct contact while playing and hand-to-mouth contact with metals in soils.
The cleanup was voluntary and there were nine owners of properties who either did not permit the NMED to test or to remediate their yards. This leaves the cleanup technically incomplete and triggers a mandatory five-year review to be completed indefinitely or until all yards are sampled and those with soils exceeding 5,000 ppm remediated.
Contaminated soils were removed and replaced with clean dirt and a choice of sod or gravel. Several owners allowed only partial cleanup. In general most homeowners seem to be pleased with the work.
The expedited Interim Remedial Action (IRA) took 16 months and an estimated $12 million dollars. The draft ROD for the Hurley Soils Investigation Unit may be read at the Bayard Public Library, Silver City Public Library, Western New Mexico University’s Miller Library or at the New Mexico Environment Department Silver City office at 3082 32nd St. Bypass, Suite D.
This interim action is a bit unusual as far as Superfund projects are concerned, but was approved by the NMED to avoid the potential months or years of exposure time it might have taken to review and revise and approve a Feasibility Study and ROD before beginning a cleanup. NMED is confident the interim cleanup is protective and would have been the selected remedy if done in the usual order. A final ROD will be issued after consideration of public and agency comments.
While GRIP was disappointed with the state’s final RAC, the state assures that Chino Mine owners are responsible for addressing the level of health risk should concerns arise due to new science indicating additional risk from targeted metals.
The Hurley ROD is the first of several to be issued. Other Investigation Units (IUs) in various stages of Superfund-style Ecological and Human Health Risk Assessment are: Hanover/Whitewater Creek from Highway 152 to the confluence of San Vicente Creek, the Smelter/Tailings Soils IU, Lampbright IU, and an overall Ecological IU. The CWG has been meeting for over ten years and GRIP continues its commitment to follow this long process to insure that remedies selected are comprehensive and protective of human and ecological health.
2008 Southwest New Mexico Environmental Health Resource Guide!
GRIP was chosen by the New Mexico Department of Health/Office of Border Health to compile and publish
an Environmental Health Resource Guide, aimed at helping citizens address environmental health issues in their communities.
The Environmental Health Resource Guide for Southwestern New Mexico - offered in both English and Spanish - was prepared by Marya Gendron, Allyson Siwik, Donna Stevens, and Harry Browne of the Gila Resources Information Project.
Southwestern New Mexico Environmental Health Resource Guide
South-Central New Mexico Environmental Health Resource Guide here!
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