State Health Department Finalizes Health Assessment of Kingston Coal Ash Release Site
“Protecting the health, safety and welfare of the local residents was the only focus as the department worked in conjunction with ATSDR to ensure the assessment was comprehensive. Staff took seriously our role in reviewing and analyzing collected data to determine any possible health implications associated with coal ash exposure, “said Bonnie Bashor, director of the Environmental Epidemiology Program. “We feel confident that we have investigated as thoroughly as possible and stand by our conclusions.”
The full public health assessment includes a summary, discussion, conclusions, recommendations and a public health action plan. Environmental data from the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC), TVA and others are presented in the report. ATSDR provided the report to three independent reviewers for scientific peer review.
“Protecting people’s health from chemical exposure is the top priority for ATSDR. Our scientists have reviewed and support the scientific conclusions and recommendations made by the Tennessee Department of Health in its public health assessment. Tennessee public health professionals have worked diligently to ensure that their findings are based on sound scientific principles and the most current environmental data,” said Trent LeCoultre, an environmental health scientist with ATSDR’s state cooperative agreement program.
The Department of Health’s public health assessment is in no way related to medical evaluations completed and reported on last month by Oak Ridge Associated Universities and Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
TDEC serves as the state’s lead agency to contain the immediate threat to human health and the environment related to the release. TDH continues to play a critical role in working with TDEC and assessing and ensuring ongoing public health protection. TDH operates the state lab that analyzes all the samples collected by TDEC, and continues to consult to determine whether adverse health effects are likely based on the data.
On December 22, 2008, there was a failure at a coal ash disposal area at the TVA Kingston Fossil Plant in Roane County, Tenn. More than 5.4 million cubic yards of coal ash spilled from an on-site holding pond to cover more than 300 acres of surrounding land and water.
On May 11, the United States Environmental Protection Agency signed an enforceable agreement with TVA to oversee the removal of coal ash at the TVA Kingston Plant. The state of Tennessee supported this action and continues to work in partnership with EPA to ensure the cleanup in Roane County is thorough and protective of public health and the environment.
On June 14, TDEC issued a commissioner’s order against TVA assessing $11.5 million in penalties in response to the coal ash release. The penalties address violations of the Tennessee Water Quality Control Act and the Tennessee Solid Waste Disposal Act.The order assessing penalties follows an emergency order issued immediately after the ash spill on January 12, 2009, which outlines the state’s requirements for cleanup at the site.
For more information on the involvement of TDH in protecting residents’ health in the aftermath of the Kingston coal ash spill, visit the Web at http://health.state.tn.us/coalashspill.htm. For more information on the Environmental Epidemiology Program, visit the website at http://health.state.tn.us/environmental/index.htm.