New Initiative:  ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PROJECT 

          This year marks the beginning of a new initiative that needs your support!  The goal of the Environmental Health Project is to reduce the risk of breast, lung, liver, cervical, ureter/kidney, and other cancers by eliminating potential routes of exposure to environmental toxins in and around Badger Army Ammunition Plant. 

          During active production years, facilities like Badger’s Old Acid Area were used for production of nitric acid from ammonia.  During this process, poisonous nitrogen oxides were released from rooftop vents.  These gases had a red color and were irritating, and during temperature inversions, the Old Acid Area was enveloped in a brown haze.  Open burning of waste propellants dispersed metal-contaminated ash to the surrounding environment. 

          Contamination occurred in areas like the Propellant Burning Grounds, located on the west side of the plant near Highway 12.  It has been estimated that as much as 500 gallons per week of dinitrotoluene, benzene, diphenylamine and other cancer-causing chemicals used in the manufacture of propellants were dumped in a series of waste pits at the Propellant Burning Grounds.   These waste pits are the principle source of a three-mile long plume of contaminated groundwater that has moved offsite and has reached the Wisconsin River, polluting private drinking water wells in its path.

          In recent weeks, elevated levels of the explosive dinitrotoluene have been detected in groundwater at the boundary of the Badger plant.  Levels as high as 200 times the safe standard were reported in groundwater.  Nearby farm families rely this groundwater for their drinking water. 

          In 1990, in response to community concerns about these exposures, the Wisconsin Division of Health conducted a health survey.  The study concluded that communities near the Badger plant have a significantly higher incidence of cancer deaths; the incidence of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and kidney/ureter cancer deaths are 50% higher than the balance of the State. 

          In response to these startling findings, the Environmental Health Project was established to:

  • Promote healthy lifestyles by providing prompt and comprehensive information about monitoring programs, the fate and transport of environmental toxins, and the remedy selection process.

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  • Reduce lung, breast, liver, and kidney cancer risks by eliminating exposure to environmental toxins in drinking water, surface water, fugitive dust, and soils.

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  • Ensure environmental cleanup methods do not place nearby communities at additional or unnecessary risk by empowering community members in decisions that may affect environmental quality in and around Badger Army Ammunition Plant. 

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  • Improve public health by raising awareness of recent studies, particularly those that suggest women exposed to environmental pollutants may be more likely to develop breast, cervical, and uterine cancers.

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  • Encourage appropriate and comprehensive health care and surveillance for adults and children exposed to military toxins through public education, community outreach, and media campaigns. 
          Our project recognizes the additional risks to women.  According to research presented at a recent conference of National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, women may be more vulnerable to environmental toxins than men. 

          Preliminary information collected as part of a nationwide study suggests that women exposed to environmental pollutants may be more likely to have diabetes, kidney problems, liver problems and urinary tract disorders, and are also more likely to develop breast, cervical and uterine cancers. 

          Your support will help ensure: 

  • Safe and comprehensive cleanup of carcinogenic substances in the environment is accomplished.

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  • Potential routes of exposure, through direct contact, ingestion, inhalation, or through the food chain, are eliminated.

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  • Appropriate and comprehensive health surveillance is provided for exposed individuals and families.

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  • Improved awareness of human health risks associated with exposure to carcinogens in the environment will promote informed choices, community activism, and healthier lifestyles.
          Since 1990, CSWAB has served as a watchdog for human health and environment.  Our work has blocked hazardous waste incineration, dumping of industrial wastewater into the Wisconsin River, and conversion of Badger for heavy chemical industry.   We need your help to continue this important work. 

          Please send your donation today and help ensure a safe and healthy future for the rural families living in the shadow of the Badger Army Ammunition Plant. 

          For more information: info@cswab.org

(As always, your donation to CSWAB is tax-deductible)

Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger
E12629 Weigand’s Bay South
Merrimac, WI  53561
(608) 643-3124 phone
(608) 643-0005 fax
info@cswab.org
www.cswab.org
 

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