Science versus Fiction: Have New Mexico Environmentalists Been Telling the Truth

De BISAWiki

While it may be a risky musing as to whether Chris Shuey influences the other New Mexico, advertising, and editorial comments of the Gallup, it does seem Mr. Shuey may have created the foundation for his job on a uranium-related disaster. Could an ambulance chaser be blamed by someone for wanting to make a living, too, on one other hand? For insufficient a Three-Mile-Island show in laid-back Gallup, New Mexico, Chris Shuey served create Southwest Research and Information Center right into a expressive "expert" counterpoint from the uranium business by apparently piggy-backing the 1979 uranium mill tailings leak near Church Rock. It had been considered among the worst tailings spots ever to possess occurred in United States. We searched for conclusive proof of deaths from this leak, but came out dry. Any official printed statement countering the preceding statement will be welcome.Founded in 1971, the SRIC group proven severe marketing credibility by pushing the "dire and grotesque" livestock and human health effects of that drip. But where was the particular destruction when it comes to human life and ecological disaster? We acquired the Executive Summary October 1982) (dated of an NMEID statement, entitled, "The Church Rock Uranium Mill Tailings Spill: A Health and Environmental Assessment." The writers of the survey concluded, "To review, the drip damaged the Puerco River pit environment for a brief period, however it had little or no impact on the health of local residents." This report was issued 3 years following the "largest individual release of liquid radioactive waste in the United States" (some 94 million gallons of acidified effluent and tailings slurry ).Some might suppose if the newspaper stories published in 1979 about this discharge have the noise and scent of substandard, yellow journalism. Others may possibly marvel if these tales were more suited just for the most laughable supermarket tabloids. If one were to believe that which was written then, the whole population of Gallup, New Mexico should have faded off the facial skin of the planet earth by now. Assisting to gas SRIC's present-day foreboding over uranium mining, the environmental team has been arguing that HRI's planned uranium ISL task, near the Church Rock border of the Navajo reservation, could trigger surface water contamination, probably with the same seriousness of the previous tailings pour. In a feeling they appear to be evoking negative memories of that drip. "He is excellent at utilising the media," sighed HRI's Craig Bartels. "It is a few people who are extremely vocal," explained Bartels as he described the SRIC's resistance to his company's ISL function, "especially Chris Shuey, who touts himself as a journalist."The U.S. Center for Disease Get a handle on (CDC) did not place much stock in the neighborhood media's sensationalism. The following was excerpted from their formal report on the uranium tailings spill:o "The U.S. Centers for Disease Get a grip on (CDC), in cooperation with the Church Rock community, found no documented human usage of pond water. Six Navajo individuals probably subjected to spill pollutants were selected by the CDC and examined at Los Alamos National Laboratory, where they were found to own levels of radioactive material commonly found in the human body." Recommendation: No further action required.o "No public, private or municipal wells producing water for domestic use or livestock watering were afflicted with the leak. Wells drawing water solely from sandstone or limestone aquifers may very well never be influenced by spill contaminants."o "Based on limited assessment done by the CDC, the additional radiation risk from usage of regional livestock is small. The risk is about the just like the elevated risk from cosmic radiation sustained by moving from sea level to 5000 feet in elevation."o "Computer modeling revealed inhalation as the most crucial route of radiation contact with man from the spill. Nevertheless, sample of airborne dust over the Puerco River in Gallup right after the discharge showed only background levels of radioactivity. More over, one year following a discharge, radioactivity ranges in Puerco River sediments were paid off significantly as a result of dilution with uncontaminated water sediments."The Church Rock event have been noted upon in the "Journal of Health Physics" (July 1984: Vol 47, No. 1) within an article titled, "The Assessment of Human Experience of Radionuclides from a Uranium Mill Tailings Release and Mine Dewatering Effluent." This document was authored by two personnel of the U.S. Center for Infection Control two staff members of the New Mexico Health and Environment Department and a staff person in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Two powerful conclusions were reached in this report:"A evaluation of state and federal regulations that pertain to the ingestion doses computed from the Church Rock information suggested that no exposure limitations were exceeded by the drip, or through chronic exposure to quarry dewatering effluent.""In light of the currently recognized cancer incidence and mortality risks connected with levels of radionuclides measured at Church Rock and Gallup, we consider that the exposed populations are too little for investigators to identify increases in cancer mortality with satisfactory levels of mathematical power. In fact, it could be misleading to establish a cancer) registry with the foreknowledge of low possibility of finding death increases."In spite of the clinical studies, Chris Shuey continued to promote the "Puerco River Education" project as late as 1986. A hand was lent by "the Gallup Independent" in promoting this stress, and headlined a story, "Drink no Puerco water." In a May 8th (1986) report, coming (quickly) from Albuquerque, where Chris Shuey rests, the writer wrote, "What little water there is in the Rio Puerco these days should not be eaten by man nor animal, based on the Southwest Research and Information Center of Albuquerque."Perhaps to strengthen his experience as a health expert, Mr. Shuey pursued a Masters degree in Public Health at the University of New Mexico, across the road from SRIC's headquarters. In his dissertation, Shuey penned a built-in review of the literature for "Biomarkers of Kidney Injury - Challenges for Uranium Exposure Studies" (presented on April 29, 2002). After delivering this report, Shuey surfaced with the unique declaration that uranium results in kidney cancers.On its internet site, the American Cancer Society lists smoking, obesity, and a sedentary life style as the primary risk facets which enhance one's chances in finding kidney cancer (renal cell carcinoma). Risk can be also increased by occupation exposure to certain chemicals. Scientific studies discovered they might include: asbestos, cadmium (a type of material), some herbicides, benzene, and organic solvents, especially trichloroethylene. There's no mention by the American Cancer Society of uranium coverage ultimately causing kidney cancer. Cadmium is another story, however.The problem with first reaching a conclusion and then researching the facts to verify your preconceived idea negates the scientific procedure. For instance, Shuey dances across the issue of cadmium throughout his survey, but fails to correlate home garbage burning with the risks of cadmium and dioxins when it comes to kidney-related issues and possible cancers. It appears Shuey may have didn't range from the greatest single source of as a possible reason behind renal toxicity: garbage burning, hazardous air emissions, which happened in New Mexico just before June 1, 2004. Currently, New Mexico remains one of the few states, that has did not ban the burning of automated equipment. Such trash burning supposedly releases large concentrations of cadmium into the air. As cadmium levels may be the danger factor leading to help cancer instead of the purported uranium?According to technological examiner Dalway Swaine (Trace Elements in Coal, Butterworths: 1990) may it be that anything as obvious, Cadmium is really a poisonous trace take into account coal. Coal combustion adds one tenth of the Cd to the environment, the same as volcanoes and is considered to be a small source of atmospheric cadmium. The situation mightn't be uranium at all, but different compounds. However, fund cadmium emissions to be reduced by raisers, aside from anti-coal mining fund raisers, mightn't cause sell-out star dishes in Santa Fe.It is apparently little surprise that SRIC seems to be less concerned with the public health than with their anti-nuclear plan. Broadly speaking, the general public a reaction to an environmentalist is really a warm and fuzzy feeling, "Wow, here's a person who truly cares about our future." SRIC has carefully caused the third-world-like Navajo Nation, which immediately brings out the sympathy from any liberal-minded person. Indeed, when StockInterview.com questioned Shuey, he was on the reservation in a gathering. His publicly exhibited concern for the Navajo is good. At once, one should also consider that if the absolute most frequent reason for death among Navajo adults is alcohol abuse (usually followed by driving), then why hasn't SRIC worked more directly to lessen that public health issue?Visit the outskirts of any reservation and you'll find loads of alcohol, alcohol and bottles. One littered halt near Crownpoint, New Mexico took on the temperament of a dump. Where are SRIC's whim cries for the abused Navajo? More Navajos have died consequently of auto accidents while drunk than from fifty years of uranium mining. But again, which may be of little concern to an environmentalist group. Navajo Land president Joe Shirley, Jr. May make greater use of Mr. Shuey by asking him, "Can you assist us out with the liquor issue, instead?"COPYRIGHT 2007 by StockInterview, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.