Studies Never Cease And Real Help Never Begins
Remember the controversy a few years ago over the expense of bathroom fixtures and aircraft bolts for the military? It appears that this same type of government waste is happening in Shoshone County.
For the past decade, the Agency for Toxic Substance Disease Registry of Atlanta has been spending millions of dollars doing studies on blood lead levels of children, former mine workers and residents of the Bunker Hill Superfund site.
The ATSDR should have access to blood lead testing results going back to 1974.
In addition to testing, however, people should receive treatment for lead-related health problems. Because of that, the People’s Action Coalition has been asking since 1990 for funding for the establishment of a community lead health project.
In the past year alone, 21 children were found with elevated lead levels.
Parents living in the Superfund site go on record repeatedly saying that even one child found with an elevated level is unacceptable, given the fact that the smelter has been closed since 1981.
In the past several years, numerous affected community members have sent letters, held public meetings, made pleas with the news media, sent petitions and cooperated with the ATSDR in the hope that it would do something beyond studying lead-poisoned residents.
The latest debacle occurred in December when we picked up our newspaper and found that the ATSDR is commencing with still another study, costing taxpayers $160,000 to determine if people of Bunker Hill want to be medically monitored. The public has stated clearly, beginning in August 1997, that we did not want to be studied any more.
Careful examination of this new study, the Bunker Hill Medical Monitoring Program, reveals that only people of certain ages between the years 1974 to 1981 with very high lead levels would be considered for medical monitoring.
Could this be why Tri-Cities residents ran the ATSDR out of their community when they wanted to do medical monitoring there?
The recent news articles state that once a person cooperates by calling a toll-free number, referrals to doctors will be made at your own expense.
Dr. John Rosen is a pediatrician specializing in lead poisoned health intervention for 25 years in New York City who has come by invitation several times to the Silver Valley. He said that, “Based upon meetings with local physicians and local hospitals in the area, it is clearly evident that no health professional is competent to carry out medical monitoring.”
Members of the Silver Valley People’s Action Coalition and the community lead health project feel that 80 pages of titles of studies is enough for the people of Bunker Hill.
Members of these two groups have been working with national political leaders and agencies to gain support for the development of the community lead health project which is designed to specifically address diagnosis and treatment. They also have invited local legislators to meet with them in order to educate and gain their support.
The concept of a lead center originated when the community was polled more than 10 years ago. It is hoped that more groundwork will be accomplished this year when Idaho Department of Health and Welfare representatives will be invited to the Superfund site with the expectation to work with the community in finding the necessary funding for proper diagnosis and treatment.
People of Idaho and the Pacific Northwest, please do not be fooled into contacting a phone number and believing that you will receive any positive help. Instead, put your time and energy into the development of the community lead health project. It means a better future for our area.