Homestake Mill Site 'Public Health Hazard' - NAJA Alert
By Kathy Helms
Dine Bureau
WINDOW ROCK - The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry has concluded that the Homestake Mining Co. mill site in Milan is a public health hazard.
The agency has extended the public comment period on its findings through July 3 after a delay in the report’s delivery.
The federal public health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services evaluates the human health effects of exposure to hazardous substances.
The Homestake mill opened in 1958 and processed uranium for approximately 30 years. It closed in 1990, leaving behind two tailings piles which have contaminated the alluvial groundwater aquifer. The larger pile covers 200 acres and is about 100 feet high; the smaller pile covers 40 acres and is 25 feet high.
Groundwater monitoring data indicate that contamination from tailings seepage has affected the San Mateo alluvial aquifer and the Upper, Middle, and Lower Chinle aquifers.
The San Mateo is the primary aquifer of concern because it is the most contaminated and it recharges the Chinle aquifers, which subdivision residents have used as a source of drinking water.
Approximately 200 people live within a mile of the tailings piles. Five residential subdivisions - Felice Acres, Broadview Acres, Murray Acres, Valle Verde, and Pleasant Valley Estates - are located between a half-mile to 2 miles from the tailings piles, with the nearest residence and drinking water well about 3,000 feet away.
Residential wells in the subdivisions were sampled for radionuclides, chemicals, and metals beginning in the mid-1970s, though only a few were sampled consistently. Sample results indicated elevated concentrations of uranium, selenium, and molybdenum.
The state of New Mexico’s standard for uranium in groundwater was changed in June 2007 from 5,000 parts per billion to 30 ppb following a state Court of Appeals ruling. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s maximum contaminant level, or level considered safe for uranium in groundwater is 30 ppb and has been since 2000.
Linda Evers and her family, who live in Broadview Acres about a half-mile from the Homestake site, were included in the Homestake/Village of Milan water hookup in April 1985 which resulted from a consent decree between EPA and Homestake.
The company was required to provide an alternate water supply for well owners after contamination was found in wells down gradient from the site.
“Everybody around here is like, ‘Well, finally!’ That took long enough.? When you go from 5,000 parts per billion to 30 parts per billion, and before 2000 there was no drinking water standard for uranium, it’s like, ‘Wow, really’?” Evers said
Monday evening, regarding the Aency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry ‘s public health hazard designation. Homestake was placed on the EPA Superfund National Priorities List in September 1983 due to concerns about radon emissions from the tailings piles. Cleanup of the contaminated aquifers has been ongoing since 1977.
During sampling by EPA and the New Mexico Environment Department in September 2005, the agencies found that about two-thirds of the wells, or 22 out of 34, had uranium concentrations above the maximum contaminant level. The maximum uranium concentration detected was 849 ppb, as opposed to the 30 ppb standard.
Residents who accepted the 1985 offer for village of Milan water and used it as their sole source of water eliminated their exposure to the contaminated well water. If residents continued to use their well water, which some did, for drinking, showering, watering gardens and lawns, they were potentially exposed to the contaminants, the agency said.
The agency did not have any vegetable or soil sample results to determine what the contaminant levels were in the vegetables, and therefore doesn?t know what levels people may have been exposed to via this route.
The amount of uranium, selenium, and molybdenum ingested would depend upon how often they consumed vegetables, if they used contaminated well water to irrigate the vegetables, and if the vegetables were thoroughly cleaned prior to eating them.
Because no institutional controls have been established, residents have had the option of using the contaminated groundwater for irrigation purposes and to provide water for their livestock.
Adverse health effects in livestock would have been more likely to occur in the 1970s-1990s compared to what they are exposed to presently, because concentrations were much higher in the past, the agency said.
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry reviewed over 30 years of sampling results and found that ongoing remediation has helped in reducing the levels of contaminants. However, sampling results from the past three years indicate that uranium and selenium concentrations are above their respective drinking water standard and will most likely be above them upon completion of the remedial actions.
Lack of consistent monitoring over the years, the considerable concentration differences in wells within the same aquifer, the unknown usage of wells during the alternate water supply period, and anomalies with the sampling data are all factors that make past exposures an indeterminate health hazard, the agency said.
Because exposure is still possible in some of the private wells, ATSDR has categorized the Homestake site as a public health hazard.
ATT: NAJA Members
NAJA Members, this Friday, June 13th is the deadline for early registration for UNITY Journalists of Color. If you have already registered disregard this message. When you register enter naja as the membership number and you shouldn't have any problems.
The hotels assigned to NAJA are the Hyatt Regency Chicago and the Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers.Go to http://www.2008unity.org/ to register online.
THE TOP 5 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULDN’T MISS UNITY ‘08!
-5. Keeping up with the times means keeping your job. Three day-long multimedia training sessions on Wednesday, July 23 and other multimedia sessions throughout the rest of the convention will be in high demand. Seats are limited, stay tuned for instructions on how to sign up.
-4. Learn how to do more with less and impress your boss. Pick up tips at the “Investigative Reporting with Shrinking Budgets” session on Friday morning and then stop by “Multimedia Story Telling on the Cheap” on Saturday.
-3. Join in fighting media consolidation. We know it has cost jobs, decimated the ranks of media owners of color, and done a real number on the amount and sometimes the quality of local news that can be covered. Former NAHJ president Juan Gonzalez and others will discuss what Congress is doing about it and how UNITY and journalists can stay involved.
-2. It’s simply the best networking around. The 400-booth UNITY Media Showcase and Career Expo and the plethora of receptions, sessions, and other ways to meet thousands of executives and colleagues are a must to stay employed and develop your career in these challenging times.
-1. The presidential candidates will be there. Well, they’ve been invited. And since they came to UNITY 2004 in Washington, D.C., there is a strong possibility they will accept the invitation to answer questions WE want to ask – questions they don’t usually get on the campaign trail. The presidential forums, set for the evening of July 24 will be aired on CNN.
For the fourth time in history, the Native American Journalists Association, National Association of Hispanic Journalists, the National Association of Black Journalists, and the Asian American Journalists Association will combine their annual conventions to put on the industry’s largest, which is expected to draw 10,000 to Chicago July 23-27, 2008.
UNITY ’08 will feature about 100 workshops including sessions on multimedia training, discussions about immigration, tips on how to become a better storyteller, specialized sessions for journalists working in Spanish-language media and much, much more.
Act now and save hundreds of dollars. The pre-registration deadline is June 13, 2008.
To register, visit:
http://www.2008unity.org/registration.cfm.
For more information, go to:
http://www.nahj.org/Events/2008/convention/Chicago.shtml
If you have already registered for UNITY ’08 and want to see the full schedule, session descriptions, dates and times, go to the Attendee Service Center at:
https://www.2008unity.org/registration_update.cfm
Jeff Harjo, Executive Director NAJA
405 325-1649 (office)
405 436-3744 (cell)
jharjo@ou.edu
Don't miss the world's largest gathering of journalists of color at theUNITY '08 Convention in Chicago, Illinois, July 23-27, 2008! Visit
http://www.2008unity.org/ to register today!
TO SUBMIT an ARTICLE, OPINION PIECE, COMMENTS to the Native Unity Digest, e-mail bobbieo@digitaldune.net.
NATIVE UNITY - A place for Native American Peoples to solidify their tribes to make a positive impact on the cultural, social, economic and political fabric of American society and a place for non-Natives to better understand the ways of the American Indian.
'MAKING THE WORLD SAFE FOR HYPOCRISY' By Joe Perez
http://www.mtwsfh.blogspot.com
NATIVE ISSUES BLOG
Professor Robert J. Miller
http://lawlib.lclark.edu/blog/native_america/
AIROS NATIVE NETWORK plays music, news and other great programs from Indian Country - www.airos.org
FOR ANNIE'S NATIVE CELEBRITY NEWS - go to www.nativecelebs.com
CATCH COLORADAN PETER JONES AT:
http://indigenousissuestoday.blogspot.com
SUPPORTING NATIVE AMERICAN/FIRST PEOPLE - ARTISTS, FILM MAKERS, ENTERTAINERS, ETC. http://www.krystynmedia.blogspot.com.
Dine Bureau
WINDOW ROCK - The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry has concluded that the Homestake Mining Co. mill site in Milan is a public health hazard.
The agency has extended the public comment period on its findings through July 3 after a delay in the report’s delivery.
The federal public health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services evaluates the human health effects of exposure to hazardous substances.
The Homestake mill opened in 1958 and processed uranium for approximately 30 years. It closed in 1990, leaving behind two tailings piles which have contaminated the alluvial groundwater aquifer. The larger pile covers 200 acres and is about 100 feet high; the smaller pile covers 40 acres and is 25 feet high.
Groundwater monitoring data indicate that contamination from tailings seepage has affected the San Mateo alluvial aquifer and the Upper, Middle, and Lower Chinle aquifers.
The San Mateo is the primary aquifer of concern because it is the most contaminated and it recharges the Chinle aquifers, which subdivision residents have used as a source of drinking water.
Approximately 200 people live within a mile of the tailings piles. Five residential subdivisions - Felice Acres, Broadview Acres, Murray Acres, Valle Verde, and Pleasant Valley Estates - are located between a half-mile to 2 miles from the tailings piles, with the nearest residence and drinking water well about 3,000 feet away.
Residential wells in the subdivisions were sampled for radionuclides, chemicals, and metals beginning in the mid-1970s, though only a few were sampled consistently. Sample results indicated elevated concentrations of uranium, selenium, and molybdenum.
The state of New Mexico’s standard for uranium in groundwater was changed in June 2007 from 5,000 parts per billion to 30 ppb following a state Court of Appeals ruling. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s maximum contaminant level, or level considered safe for uranium in groundwater is 30 ppb and has been since 2000.
Linda Evers and her family, who live in Broadview Acres about a half-mile from the Homestake site, were included in the Homestake/Village of Milan water hookup in April 1985 which resulted from a consent decree between EPA and Homestake.
The company was required to provide an alternate water supply for well owners after contamination was found in wells down gradient from the site.
“Everybody around here is like, ‘Well, finally!’ That took long enough.? When you go from 5,000 parts per billion to 30 parts per billion, and before 2000 there was no drinking water standard for uranium, it’s like, ‘Wow, really’?” Evers said
Monday evening, regarding the Aency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry ‘s public health hazard designation. Homestake was placed on the EPA Superfund National Priorities List in September 1983 due to concerns about radon emissions from the tailings piles. Cleanup of the contaminated aquifers has been ongoing since 1977.
During sampling by EPA and the New Mexico Environment Department in September 2005, the agencies found that about two-thirds of the wells, or 22 out of 34, had uranium concentrations above the maximum contaminant level. The maximum uranium concentration detected was 849 ppb, as opposed to the 30 ppb standard.
Residents who accepted the 1985 offer for village of Milan water and used it as their sole source of water eliminated their exposure to the contaminated well water. If residents continued to use their well water, which some did, for drinking, showering, watering gardens and lawns, they were potentially exposed to the contaminants, the agency said.
The agency did not have any vegetable or soil sample results to determine what the contaminant levels were in the vegetables, and therefore doesn?t know what levels people may have been exposed to via this route.
The amount of uranium, selenium, and molybdenum ingested would depend upon how often they consumed vegetables, if they used contaminated well water to irrigate the vegetables, and if the vegetables were thoroughly cleaned prior to eating them.
Because no institutional controls have been established, residents have had the option of using the contaminated groundwater for irrigation purposes and to provide water for their livestock.
Adverse health effects in livestock would have been more likely to occur in the 1970s-1990s compared to what they are exposed to presently, because concentrations were much higher in the past, the agency said.
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry reviewed over 30 years of sampling results and found that ongoing remediation has helped in reducing the levels of contaminants. However, sampling results from the past three years indicate that uranium and selenium concentrations are above their respective drinking water standard and will most likely be above them upon completion of the remedial actions.
Lack of consistent monitoring over the years, the considerable concentration differences in wells within the same aquifer, the unknown usage of wells during the alternate water supply period, and anomalies with the sampling data are all factors that make past exposures an indeterminate health hazard, the agency said.
Because exposure is still possible in some of the private wells, ATSDR has categorized the Homestake site as a public health hazard.
ATT: NAJA Members
NAJA Members, this Friday, June 13th is the deadline for early registration for UNITY Journalists of Color. If you have already registered disregard this message. When you register enter naja as the membership number and you shouldn't have any problems.
The hotels assigned to NAJA are the Hyatt Regency Chicago and the Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers.Go to http://www.2008unity.org/ to register online.
THE TOP 5 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULDN’T MISS UNITY ‘08!
-5. Keeping up with the times means keeping your job. Three day-long multimedia training sessions on Wednesday, July 23 and other multimedia sessions throughout the rest of the convention will be in high demand. Seats are limited, stay tuned for instructions on how to sign up.
-4. Learn how to do more with less and impress your boss. Pick up tips at the “Investigative Reporting with Shrinking Budgets” session on Friday morning and then stop by “Multimedia Story Telling on the Cheap” on Saturday.
-3. Join in fighting media consolidation. We know it has cost jobs, decimated the ranks of media owners of color, and done a real number on the amount and sometimes the quality of local news that can be covered. Former NAHJ president Juan Gonzalez and others will discuss what Congress is doing about it and how UNITY and journalists can stay involved.
-2. It’s simply the best networking around. The 400-booth UNITY Media Showcase and Career Expo and the plethora of receptions, sessions, and other ways to meet thousands of executives and colleagues are a must to stay employed and develop your career in these challenging times.
-1. The presidential candidates will be there. Well, they’ve been invited. And since they came to UNITY 2004 in Washington, D.C., there is a strong possibility they will accept the invitation to answer questions WE want to ask – questions they don’t usually get on the campaign trail. The presidential forums, set for the evening of July 24 will be aired on CNN.
For the fourth time in history, the Native American Journalists Association, National Association of Hispanic Journalists, the National Association of Black Journalists, and the Asian American Journalists Association will combine their annual conventions to put on the industry’s largest, which is expected to draw 10,000 to Chicago July 23-27, 2008.
UNITY ’08 will feature about 100 workshops including sessions on multimedia training, discussions about immigration, tips on how to become a better storyteller, specialized sessions for journalists working in Spanish-language media and much, much more.
Act now and save hundreds of dollars. The pre-registration deadline is June 13, 2008.
To register, visit:
http://www.2008unity.org/registration.cfm.
For more information, go to:
http://www.nahj.org/Events/2008/convention/Chicago.shtml
If you have already registered for UNITY ’08 and want to see the full schedule, session descriptions, dates and times, go to the Attendee Service Center at:
https://www.2008unity.org/registration_update.cfm
Jeff Harjo, Executive Director NAJA
405 325-1649 (office)
405 436-3744 (cell)
jharjo@ou.edu
Don't miss the world's largest gathering of journalists of color at theUNITY '08 Convention in Chicago, Illinois, July 23-27, 2008! Visit
http://www.2008unity.org/ to register today!
TO SUBMIT an ARTICLE, OPINION PIECE, COMMENTS to the Native Unity Digest, e-mail bobbieo@digitaldune.net.
NATIVE UNITY - A place for Native American Peoples to solidify their tribes to make a positive impact on the cultural, social, economic and political fabric of American society and a place for non-Natives to better understand the ways of the American Indian.
'MAKING THE WORLD SAFE FOR HYPOCRISY' By Joe Perez
http://www.mtwsfh.blogspot.com
NATIVE ISSUES BLOG
Professor Robert J. Miller
http://lawlib.lclark.edu/blog/native_america/
AIROS NATIVE NETWORK plays music, news and other great programs from Indian Country - www.airos.org
FOR ANNIE'S NATIVE CELEBRITY NEWS - go to www.nativecelebs.com
CATCH COLORADAN PETER JONES AT:
http://indigenousissuestoday.blogspot.com
SUPPORTING NATIVE AMERICAN/FIRST PEOPLE - ARTISTS, FILM MAKERS, ENTERTAINERS, ETC. http://www.krystynmedia.blogspot.com.
posted by Bobbie Hart O'Neill @ 7:10 PM
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