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Tri-Valley CAREs September, 1997 | |||||||
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Citizen's Watch... | |||||||
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Funding Snag Drops State Health Agency From LLNL Review | |||||||
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A California state health research team will end its scientific participation on October 1 in an investigation of LLNL health effects on the community unless last-minute funding is committed from its partner federal health agency.
"The California Department of Health Services (CDHS) has established an on-going relationship with the community," said Pat Sutton, health researcher and member of a community advisory board, or "site team" for the investigation. "And over the years it has also developed a technical understanding of the Livermore Lab, that by its nature cannot be duplicated by a federal agency 3000 miles away."
CDHS began the public health assessment of LLNL last fall with the Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry (ATSDR), the federal agency mandated by Congress to conduct public health assessments (PHAs) at Superfund sites. It was the first state-federal public health partnership at a DOE site. But DOE has not yet acted on a request from ATSDR for FY 1998 funds to continue the work.
"Without any guarantees of funding, I cannot commit staff time to continuing our scientific research on the public health assessment," said Marilyn Underwood, lead researcher in the CDHS team. Less than $10,000 a month would keep CDHS involved until DOE-Oakland decided how much it will allocate to the PHA.
ATSDR plans to continue the work from its Atlanta headquarters, anticipating DOE will eventually come through with enough money for their staff. The budget bottleneck has occurred because DOE, which funds ATSDR's health research at DOE sites, |
transferred fiscal responsibility for the project from its Washington, DC headquarters to the Oakland Operations regional office without providing the necessary funds. Other DOE sites around the country, such as Hanford, Washington, are similarly affected.
However, difficulty in obtaining timely and adequate funds from DOE is nothing new to ATSDR. Over the last three years DOE headquarters has cut public health funding by sixty percent nationwide, said ATSDR official Joe Hughart, undermining the agency's ability to meet public health goals set by Congress in 1989. "We're past muscle and we're into bone," Hughart said of the DOE cuts. "We'll be amputating limbs next."
Nevertheless, ATSDR lead researcher on the project Brenda Edmonds said ATSDR is committed to continuing the PHA and is optimistic about its progress. She noted that a major hurdle in acquiring voluminous data from the laboratory was recently resolved, allowing the technical aspects of the project to "flow more smoothly."
Underwood said that if CDHS were able to continue its work with ATSDR, "we would be able to complement Edmonds' work in Atlanta by doing things that she wouldn't be able to do from there." As an example, she explained that at another site, CDHS assisted ATSDR by verifying whether drinking wells were still in use. Her agency also has greater familiarity with local and state information resources.
"The residents of Livermore have waited long enough for answers about the effects of the Laboratory's activities |
on their environment," said Livermore city council candidate Michael Ferrucci, another site team member. "We should urge our Mayor to lobby for the continued involvement of the CDHS in this very important public health assessment."
He and other site team community representatives intend to urge ATSDR and DOE to make a commitment to keep CDHS on the project as well.
At the last public meeting of the site team, last July, public interest in the health assessment drew a standing room only crowd in the medium-sized meeting room.
"If the appropriate agencies were aware of the high level of community interest in the assessment, they might reconsider cutting out CDHS involvement," Ferrucci said.
Send ATSDR and DOE a message public health matters.
To register your concern, write to
the following people. Ask them to make a commitment NOW to
fund continued California Department
of Health Services participation.
David Satcher, M.D.
Director, Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention Administrator, Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease
Registry Atlanta, GA 30333
Dr. Tara O'Toole
Assistant Secretary of Energy -
Environment Safety and Health
Department of Energy
1000 Independence Ave., SW
Washington, DC 20585 | |||||
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Tri-Valley CAREs u 5720 East Avenue #116 u Livermore, CA 94550 u (510) 443-7148 (510) 449-6603 | |||||||
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Toxic Continued from page 4 |
Working For a Global Family Reunion | |||||||||
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it, thereby forming one massive, heretofore undocumented dump under much of the Lab's eastern quadrant.
Evidence we have come across in state files, including a note about a radioactive cow buried whole somewhere on the grounds, considered along with anecdotal reports we get from "old-timers" at the Lab of plutonium and other radioactive wastes buried in lard cans, suggests there may be more dangerous surprises still in the ground.
Excavation reportedly has been halted for the present, although some NIF construction is apparently continuing.
No further NIF excavation should be allowed until the area has undergone a careful "source investigation" for other buried pollutants. Such a study is conducted very carefully so as to not expose workers or spread contamination. A backhoe is not a proper tool for doing a source investigation.
Too, the monies needed to remedy the contamination between $100,000 and $500,000 estimated so far should not come out of the Lab's already eviscerated Superfund cleanup budget. Says DTSC's Robert Feather, some assurance has been given to that effect. |
by June Stark Casey. This is the ninth in a series of vignettes on how and why folks became involved in Tri-Valley CAREs, and what the group means to them.
On Mother's Day of 1986, I learned I was a victim of the 1949 secret, deliberate radiation experiment conducted at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington state. Over 8,000 curies of radioactive iodine 131 and 20,000 curies of xenon were released with many other radioactive isotopes still classified. I have suffered adverse health effects including permanent hair loss, severe hypothyroidism, a miscarriage, stillbirth, painful degenerative spine and, this past August, two breast surgeries, including a partial mastectomy for cancer.
Over the past eleven years, I have appeared in documentaries, been interviewed for two books and presented testimony before Congress, at rallies and in a panel convened by DOE Secretary Hazel O'Leary on Declassification Priorities, to which I was invited by Tri-Valley CAREs. As I recall, I first became involved in the group when invited to speak at a local rally on Hiroshima Day in 1989, and soon thereafter I presented testimony at a Livermore Lab Hearingthe speech in which I raised eyebrows using 50 synonyms for "lies."
In my crusade as a full-time activist working daily for the creation of a nuclear-free planet, I have served on a number of Boards of Directors. I feel especially privileged to serve on our Tri-Valley CAREs Board, as this internationally acclaimed organization is respected for its professionalismincluding its ability to attract moral scientists who can conduct independent studies and sift through documents to ferret out information the people surrounding Livermore Lab have a right to know. I respect that Tri-Valley CAREs members believe the "guinea pig/sacrificial lamb" mentality does not represent a truly democratic society.
As we approach the new millennium, may we embrace the monumental moral challenges facing us with unrestrained joy, unbounded enthusiasm and unflagging optimism. May this miracle called Earth awaken the divinity within each of us and empower us to protect our one big familyour brothers in Bosnia, our sisters in Soweto, our nieces in Nigeria, our nephews in Nicaragua and our cousins in Cuba and Chernobyl. May we work for a global family reunion where squabbles and quarrels are no longer answered by the vicious cycle of violence, but are replaced with affectionate embraces and peaceful conflict resolution. With mutual support, we can achieve a paradigm breakthrougha peaceful, nuclear-free planet where equality reigns supreme! | |||||||||
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Board, but not Bored
Tri-Valley CAREs holds annual elections to its Board of Directors. Congratulations to the following folks who have generously agreed to serve in this capacity:
u June Casey, Oakland
u Karen Hogan, Mill Valley
u Marylia Kelley, Livermore
u Don King, Livermore
u Fran Macy, Berkeley
u Janis Kate Turner, Livermore | ||||||||||
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Next Meeting...
Tri-Valley CAREs meets Thursday, September 25, at 7:30 PM at the Livermore Library, corner of So. Livermore & Pacific. Agenda Includes:
· Events! Events! Come and get the latest on the Livermore Lab hazardous waste workshop, Abolition 2000 Northern California quarterly gathering, Military Production Network meeting and CCAT Statewide Conference. Help plan upcoming events, such as the national "Day Without the Pentagon" on October 24.
· Issues! Issues! Info updates and discussion on stopping "subcritical" nuclear tests and NIF; how so-called "stockpile stewardship" enables continued weapons design work; nuclear waste and health effects in our community; and how we can help abolish nukes.
· Success! Success! Tri-Valley CAREs' new Board; upcoming award; political progress (slow, but discernible), and more. Join Us! | ||||||||||
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2.............................................Tri-Valley CAREs Citizen's Watch | ||||||||||
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Cassini demonstration at 4 PM on October 3, gathering at Martin Luther King Plaza in downtown Stockton. Call (209) 467-4455 for details.
Wednesday, October 1
Cancer Industry Tour of S.F. Noon, 555 Market St., S.F. (510) 548-9286 or (415) 512-9025
This is the fourth annual "Cancer Industry Tour" in San Francisco. Join activists for a walking tour of some of the polluters who cause cancer in our communities, including Bechtel, which manages the Nevada Test Site. Sponsored by the Toxic Links Coalition.
Thursday, October 9
Public Hearing Livermore Lab permit application for Treatment, Storage and Disposal of hazardous & radioactive wastes 7 PM, Livermore High School
This is the FORMAL PUBLIC HEARING on Livermore Lab's application for a hazardous & radioactive waste Treatment, Storage and Disposal permit. Come and make your concerns a part of the public record. See the 9/23 Public Meeting listing on this page for more information on the proposed permit. Speak out!
October 10 - 13
Healing Global Wounds Nevada Test Site (408) 338-0147 for details
Join Western Shoshone spiritual leader Corbin Harney and others in prayer, ceremony, workshops and action to heal and protect the Earth, and to celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day and the Unplug America Day.
Wednesday, October 15
Tri-Valley CAREs' mailing party 7 PM, Stephanie's house 8301 Mulberry Pl., Dublin (510) 829-6939 for directions
We need volunteers to get the next Citizen's Watch ready to mail. | ||||||||
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Citizen's Alerts , |
Thursday, September 25
Tri-Valley CAREs meets 7:30 PM, Livermore Library 1000 So. Livermore Ave. (510) 443-7148 for details
Meet new friends, see old friends. Come to our September meeting. Join with other caring folks to safeguard our communities against toxic and radioactive threats and move our country - and LLNL - toward the elimination of nuclear weapons.
Sunday, September 28
Tri-Valley CAREs' booth Livermore "Red Flower Day" Volunteers needed (510) 443-7148 for details, sign-ups
Antique and classic cars will highlight this downtown Livermore event. We plan to have our very own, festive boothcomplete with an environmental button-making machine, a new batch of Tri-Valley CAREs T-shirts and lots of literature. Help get our vision of peace, justice and a healthy environment out into the community. Please sign up now for a 2-hour time slot.
Sunday, September 28
Stop Cassini Protest March 1 PM, Justin Herman Plaza, SF (510) 527-4055 or (510) 849-3020
The Cassini space probe, now scheduled for a mid-October launch, will carry a payload of 72.3 pounds of plutonium 238. This plutonium will be used to produce electricity for instruments on the probe - not for propulsion. Physicist Michio Kaku calculates that by redesigning the probe and knocking about 10% off its weight, NASA could utilize solar technologies for electricity. Analysts are concerned about the effects of an accident - on the launch pad, during Earth orbit and, particularly, while the probe does a "slingshot fly-by" of Earth to gather speed before going to Saturn.
The Stockton-based Peace and Justice Network is also hosting a | |||||||
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September 20 - 21
CA Communities Against Toxics 1997 Statewide Conference Cal. State L.A., King Hall (805) 256-0968 for details
The CCAT "Statewide Conference for Health and Environmental Justice" is open to all groups and activists working in communities across the state on a wide range of pollution issues. This year's event will include a loving remembrance of our friend and colleague, Stormy Williams.
Tuesday, September 23
Public Meeting Livermore Lab permit application for Treatment, Storage and Disposal of hazardous and radioactive wastes 7 PM, Livermore High School (510) 443-7148 for details
This public workshop held by the CA Dept. of Toxic Substances Control precedes a formal public hearing on the Lab's permit application, coming on October 9. If you are concerned about the impacts of LLNL on the environment, this is an opportunity to obtain more information.
LLNL produces a wide variety of hazardous and mixed (chemical and radioactive combined) wastes covered by the permit. LLNL typically generates more than 300,000 gallons per year of liquid hazardous and mixed wastes and 500,000 pounds of solid hazardous and mixed wastes. Also, LLNL generates large amounts of radioactive waste that will NOT be regulated under the permit (DOE "regulates" its own rad wastes). The draft permit, as currently written, would allow the Lab to store over 800,000 gallons of hazardous and mixed wastes, as well as allow waste treatment facilities on site. We aim to get the Lab to reduce its wastes, and to ensure that the state takes a comprehensive look at the hazards posed by LLNL and acts to the full extent of its authority to protect the community. Join us. | ||||||||
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Tri-Valley CAREs Citizen's Watch.............................................3 | ||||||||
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Oops: NIF Backhoe Hits Toxic Wastes | |||||||||||
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"HOLOG"
DOE says: Holog is a real blast. It's a totally rad experience for our weapons designers, and it's coming soon.
Critics say: Holog is an underground nuclear test. It's contrary to the spirit of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, impedes its global acceptance and complicates its verification.
"HOLOG"
It's the latest advance for nuclear war, designed at Livermore
Holog will involve two simultaneous blasts, each using about 50 grams of plutonium and high explosives. It will not produce a sustained nuclear chain reaction, hence the term "subcritical." Holog's purpose is to measure ejecta, the molten shards of plutonium that spew out in a nuclear explosion. Its likely "shot date" at the Nevada Test Site will be in late September.
To Protest
1) Call Clinton today at (202) 456-1111.
2) Call Tri-Valley CAREs later this month. We will publicize the "shot date" as soon as DOE announces it.
3) Vigil at Livermore Lab beginning at 4 PM the evening before the test.
4) Demonstrate at Bechtel in SF, 50 Beale St. NOON the day of the test. (Bechtel manages the test site for DOE.) | |||||||||||
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Crews excavating the Oakland Coliseum-sized hole for the National Ignition Facility discovered potentially deadly buried "treasure" at Livermore Lab; carcinogenic PCBs, chromium, toxic mercury and molybdenum.
According to the Lab's initial report, a backhoe operator unearthed three solid capacitors leaking polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs. There might be one more still in the ground, said the Lab.
The contamination, however, is much more serious and widespread than originally reported.
As of the morning of September 11, the Lab had found 112 of what officials there described as pulsed power capacitors, each bigger than a microwave oven, about two feet by two feet, and each containing around two pounds of PCB-laden oils. By the day's end the estimated number of capacitors stood at 118, according to the state Dept. of Toxic Substances Control.
Capacitors are routinely used to store energy in fusion and other programs at the Lab. These capacitors were dumped between 1966 and 1970. The Lab is now looking for disposal records, but so far has come up empty.
As we prepare to go to press, the Lab has dug a trench 200 feet long, 15 feet wide and 15 feet deep in an effort to get at the capacitors. The soil in the area is |
wet with the oily PCBs, and the Lab has shipped some capacitors and 22 truckloads of contaminated soil to a hazardous waste facility in Utah, says EPA.
Adjacent to the leaking capacitors, Livermore Lab has discovered additional, severe soil contamination, including levels of chromium measured at 120,000 to 200,000 parts per billion (ppb), and mercury at 240 ppb. The molybdenum find includes concentrations to 400 ppb. Here, the Lab has also dug up collapsed waste drums marked as radioactive and containing about an inch of concrete in their bottoms, according to DOE. So far, no radioactivity has been measured in the vicinity.
Officials speculate that the drums may have been prepared but not used for the radioactive wastes that Livermore dumped off the Farallon Islands, along the Northern California coast, during the 1960s. About 20 drums have been located so far. The trenching at this spot covers 60 feet by 15 feet by 15 feet.
In the 1980s, during another construction project in the same general area, Livermore Lab uncovered an unregulated, old landfill containing both toxic and radioactive wastes. Without further investigation, it remains unclear whether that 1980s find was a separate, though still major, toxic burial ground or whether this new site is connected to | ||||||||||
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Continued on page 2 | |||||||||||
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Non Profit Organization US Postage Paid Permit #214 Livermore, CA | |||||||||||
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Tri-Valley CAREs Citizens Against a Radioactive Environment 5720 East Ave., #116, Livermore, CA 94550 Phone: (510) 443-7148 or (510) 449-6603 Fax: (510) 443-0177 Email: marylia@igc.apc.org
RETURN POSTAGE GUARANTEED | |||||||||||
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Edited by Marylia Kelley & Sally Light. Marylia Kelley, Stephanie Ericson, & June Casey, contributors. | |||||||||||