Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Fujifilm Fp-100c Polaroid 600

Shale Gas - Memory torque Larin







The animal symbol of Canada has a new title of nobility. Scientists and environmentalists still more insist that the beaver is an ally when it comes to mitigating the impacts of climate change, a balm for our natural rivers sick and a defender of our flora and fauna of our devastated. Engineers at the flat tail Soldiers cons natural pollution

As environmental engineer, the beaver is working full time: it increases groundwater increases the bio-diversity and even cleans pollutants. In Washington state, where the summers are hot and dry out the forest while causing water shortages, a pilot project had found that beaver dams storing 5 to 10 times more groundwater reserves that rivers without dams while slowing the runoff of snowmelt in the spring. In addition, instead of killing the landscape with a concrete dam, beavers improve the appearance of the premises. Recent studies show that when the beaver dams in addition to efforts to restore wetlands, the population of Frogs, toads and birds is thriving. Native flora returns. Dams create places where moose and other animals come to drink when rain is scarce. Dams slow the flow of rivers and rehabilitate the banks while preventing sediment and pollutants from flowing downstream. A study of a river in Russia had considered the impacts of pollutants from a cheese factory: After the water has passed through the dams of beavers, it was as clean as upstream of the plant. The 25 beaver ponds seemed to filter out pollutants and decomposed by a rich bacterial flora. Friends of Fish



Evidence is mounting that the presence of beavers improves fish stocks disappearing. Beaver ponds are deeper, which means they thaw earlier in spring and freezes later in the fall, giving more time for salmon fry more time to grow. The bark and branches that beavers take in water add nutrients and attract insects that eat fry. Deforestation and agriculture tend to leave the topsoil runoff into several rivers and streams, which can suffocate the life of a pond, but beaver dams prevent that. In the past, beaver dams were destroyed to allow the rivers flow freely, it was thought that beaver dams have prevented salmon up rivers to spawn. But the healthiest rivers are changing and moving constantly, what beaver dams, exactly. As Halley said Duncan, a researcher at the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, beavers live in 6 of the 10 largest salmon rivers of the country without problems. Even in cases where beaver dams impeded the movement of adult salmon, no research has demonstrated that it was enough to hurt people fish from the river in question, according to Dr. Halley.
Volunteers In some places, beavers works better than heavy machinery, and much cheaper. "It costs about $ 10,000 per hectare to replace a wetland, and with the beaver, it's free." Dr Hood said. "The only problem is that you do not control the work." But this has not prevented several counties to try to bring the beaver. In Denmark, the European beaver was introduced into an area planted with pine trees which the beavers were busy right now to build dams and restoring rivers. The dams have become a tourist attraction. In Scotland, the return of beavers after 400 years of absence has been more problematic, because salmon fishermen are concerned about and oppose the efforts of environmentalists believe the environmental benefits of beavers. In August, the first litters of beavers were born there. United States, Wyoming has offered to landowners beaver, an approach that is part of a restoration strategy, and similar projects are underway in Oregon. According to Steve Zack, a biologist with the Wildlife Conservation Society in Oregon said: "We humans like to invent solutions to solve our problems environmental, yet we have these beavers doing a great job. "

Our sacred cows

Canada's economy had its beginnings with the pelts of beaver, hunted almost to their extinction because of their beautiful fur but to meddle in their habitat inevitably cause problems. The board of the City of Oshawa has learned to his cost last year when she tried to get rid of a colony of beavers built a dugout to prevent flooding caused by heavy rains. Protests followed. The city council is now considering a solution that will cost $ 60,000 to tolerate the presence of beavers. The same debate takes place in Squamish, British Columbia: instead of trying to stop the Beavers by promising a $ 20 per beaver pelt, the province will instead financially compensate farmers who suffer damage because of the work of beavers . The animals in this corner of the country seem to be particularly stubborn: in this municipality, two employees working full time all summer to destroy dams to issues that most were rebuilt the following day.

man against nature

The challenge, according to the researchers, is to find a balance with beavers: they can install them gaily improve the environment, to reproduce in reasonable numbers, without conflict with urban sprawl. "It's like two maniacs competed to control the same space." Dr Hood said that just completed the manuscript of his new book "The Beaver Manifesto: In Defence of Tenacity". She spent 19 years as a preservative for Parks Canada, and has witnessed conflicts between humans and beavers on its territory. For her, when the phone rang, she knew that it was often a problem that involved the beaver, one way or another. "We love nature, first it behaves correctly "said Dr Hood," and when she gets carried away and had his own way, we object. "Except that now would be a good time to let our impulse to want to control everything and leave the beavers do what they do best.





"The Beaver's new brand: eco-savior

Our bucktoothed icon Is Hard-working and monogamous, stable and steadfast Canuck In The Way. Beloved object? Not one drop When a tree is your cottage or floods your land With icts dam. These Days, however, The Beaver has a new brand: eco-savior. An increasingly vocal group of Scientists and conservationists Believe The dam-building roam Is an Overlooked tool to Mitigate climate change – a natural remedy for our sick rivers and ravaged wildlife. Fly away with that, bald eagle.

Engineers with tails

It's the beaver's avid dam-building that makes it a star with conservationists. In 2002, when University of Alberta biologist Glynnis Hood was in the middle of getting her PhD, the Prairies experienced the worst drought on record. She watched the wetland dry up “right before her eyes.” But where beaver dams existed, the pond water remained. Poring through 54 years of historic aerial photos, records of beaver populations and climate data, she discovered that the ponds with active beaver lodges had nine times more water during droughts than ponds without dams. In dry summers, the beavers kept water from trickling out and built channels to guide the water in; they had more impact than any rainfall or drought. Dr. Hood says this wasn't a surprise to some of the older farmers, who often kept well-placed beavers on their land. Yet she would go to conferences where engineers would give presentations on river flow (with beaver dams in their photos) and never mention the animal. In wetland and river restoration, which in the U.S. has cost billions of dollars, the very creature responsible for shaping the landscape was largely absent from the discussion.
Natural pollution-busters As an environmental engineer, the beaver is a full-service deal: raising the water table, increasing biodiversity, even cleaning up pollutants. In Washington State, where hot summers dry up forests and have caused severe water shortages, a pilot project found that beaver dams stored five to 10 times more groundwater reserves than rivers without dams, and slowed the spring runoff. And rather than casting the shadow of a concrete dam, they improve the view. Recent studies show that when beaver dams were added to wetland-restoration efforts, the population of frogs, toads and songbirds rebounded. Native foliage returned. The dams created waterholes for moose and other animals in times of low rainfall. They slowed down water flow in rivers and shored up banks, while preventing sediment and pollutants from being carried downstream. One study of a Russian river examined the impact of pollutants from a cheese factory: By the time, the water had passed through the dams, it was nearly as clean as before the factory. The 25 beaver ponds along the way appeared to be capturing the pollutants and breaking them down with bacteria.

Friends of the fish There is growing evidence that the presence of beavers improves endangered fish stocks. Beaver ponds are deeper, which means that they thaw earlier and freeze later, giving juvenile salmon more time to grow. The bark and branches that beavers drag into the water add nutrients and draw insects, which the young salmon eat. Deforestation and agriculture loosen the topsoil around many rivers and streams, which can suffocate life in a pond, but beaver dams prevent this from happening. In the past, beaver dams have been removed to create a single flowing river, or out of fears that the dams stopped the passage of adult salmon upstream. But the healthiest rivers are constantly changing and shifting – the very impact of beaver dams, which come and go. As Duncan Halley, a beaver researcher at the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, points out, beavers populate six of the 10 largest salmon rivers in the country, without issue. Even in cases where beaver dams have been found to impede adult salmon, Dr. Halley says, no research has suggested that it was enough to affect river-wide populations.

Will work for free

The beaver, in certain places, is better than a bulldozer, and far less expensive. “It's about $10,000 a hectare to replace wetlands, and you've got something to do it for free,” Dr. Hood says. “The problem is that you also have something you can't control as easily as a backhoe.” But this hasn't stopped several countries from trying to bring back the beaver. In Denmark, the European beaver was introduced in an area of planted pine forest where they got busy building dams and restoring the streams and rivers. (And making “beaver land” a popular tourist attraction.) In Scotland, the return of the beavers after 400 years has been more controversial, with salmon anglers, who fret over their stocks, pitted against conservationists, who believe in the rodents' environmental benefits. (In August, the first baby beavers were born.) In the United States, Wyoming offered beavers to landowners as a restoration strategy, and a similar plan is in the works in Oregon. “We humans like to engineer solutions to our environmental problems,” says Steve Zack, a biologist with Wildlife Conservation Society in Oregon. “But meanwhile we have these beavers who do a spectacular job.”

Our sacred cow

Canada may have been built largely on the (skinned) backs of beavers, hunted nearly to extinction for their fur, but messing with them today will inevitably lead to trouble. Oshawa city council discovered this the hard way last year when it tried to dispatch a beaver colony from a man-made pond built to stop stormwater flooding. Protests ensued (“Give a dam! Save our beavers!”). Taking the contrarian position, a city council candidate in the fall election posted signs that read: “Vote Dave Spackman. Kill the Beavers”; he came a distant second last, and the council is now considering a $60,000 solution so that the beavers can stay. A similar debate rages in Squamish, B.C. Prince Edward Island was forced last year to cull 150 highway-flooding beavers – with regrets. And in Saskatchewan, despite repeated calls for a beaver bounty (at $20 a head), the province chose instead to compensate farmers for property damage. “They're not your average beavers,” local reeve Wes Black laments. In his municipality, two men work every day, including weekends, all summer long to break up the problem dams – only to find many rebuilt the next morning.

Man v. nature

The challenge, the researcher says, is to find a balance with the beaver – to put them where they happily improve the environment, in healthy numbers, without clashing against urban sprawl. “It's as though two control freaks are competing for the same environment, and there's been this ongoing battle ever since,” says Dr. Hood, who has just completed the manuscript for a new book, The Beaver Manifesto: In Defence of Tenacity. She spent 19 years on the front lines as a warden for Parks Canada while humans and beavers tussled over land – when the phone rang, she says, you could usually count on a beaver being involved somehow. “We like nature as long as it's well behaved,” Dr. Hood says, “and once it starts getting the crayons and running loose, then we get worked up about it.” Except that now may be time for one control freak to step aside – and let a few well-placed beavers run loose with the crayons. "

Excerpts from article written by Erin Anderssen published in The Globe and Mail here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/the-beavers-new-brand-eco-saviour/article1913908/singlepage/#articlecontent






Monday, February 21, 2011

Phlem And Spit Taste Like Blood

Beaver, an ally




Photo: ian.umces.edu
George Turner, géologue, aimerait que l'usine de traitement des eaux usées des forages avec hydraulic fracturing in Pennsylvania is projected build near the Susquehanna River. Wyalusing is a little over an hour's drive north of Wilkes-Barre, but a treatment plant wastewater in the proposed municipality should worry all those who live along the Susquehanna River, according to a geologist Wyoming County. of Wyalusing Township Supervisors held a public hearing is to hear testimony on three permit applications for zoning plans for an asphalt plant, a plant for drilling mud and plant waste water treatment . The state geologist certified George Turner, Eaton County, participated the meeting and shared his concerns about the proximity of the 3 mills the Susquehanna River. authorities in Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority have also presented a project to build a processing plant wastewater hydraulic fracturing near its existing plant in Hanover Township. "If anyone does that imply that we could dump anything in the Susquehanna River, all those who live from the point of discharge to the Chesapeake Bay should be exaggerated." Turner said, adding that "I do not want to see on the banks of the Susquehanna River because if anything at all is spilled or leaking, we know exactly where it will go."

Landfills waste in the river are regulated by the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System and the Department of Environmental Protection of the state that impose standards on the concentrations of pollutants may be discharged. Turner said he suspects that companies that want to increase their profits dump their treated wastewater into the river and streams could generate wastewater with pollutant levels just below the maximum concentrations tolerated rather than treating them to best standards of purity, which could be more expensive.

Mr. Turner said that the soles of his feet still bear the scars after stepping on broken glass and aluminum cans along the banks of the Susquehanna when he was still a kid in the 1950s and 1960s, when the banks were still used as a dump. The river has come a long way since that time, he said. Last year, he has been diving in a section of the river and saw that 2 pieces of waste at the bottom.

"We've come a long long way," he said, and I do not want anyone to make us back! "


Photo: shaleshock.org

"fracking Geologist Warns of Water Treatment Plant Planned
Keep Away From The Susquehanna River, URGE George Turner.


Wyalusing may be more than an hour’s drive north of Wilkes-Barre, but a natural-gas-drilling wastewater treatment plant proposed in the municipality should concern anyone who lives near the Susquehanna River, a Wyoming County geologist said Saturday (February 12 2011).

The Wyalusing Township Supervisors on Thursday (February 10 2011) held a public hearing to hear testimony on a zoning variance permit application filed by three companies planning to build an asphalt plant, a drilling mud plant and a wastewater treatment plant. State-certified professional geologist George Turner, of Eaton Township, attended the meeting and said he has concerns about the proximity of the three proposed plants to the Susquehanna River.
The hydraulic fracturing, or “frack” water treatment facility proposed by Ground/Water Treatment & Technology would be a closed-loop facility, in which treated water would be returned to gas drillers for reuse. Turner called the closed-loop system “exactly the way it should be done,” but said he still has concerns the plant might apply for a federal discharge permit to return treated water in the future. For that reason, the plant shouldn’t be built anywhere near the river, he said. The Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority has also proposed building a frack water treatment facility next to its existing Hanover Township plant.

“If anybody even hints at the possibility of discharging anything into the Susquehanna River, everybody from the point of discharge all the way down to the Chesapeake Bay ought to be upset,” Turner said, adding that “I don’t want to see anything on the borders of the Susquehanna River because if anything leaks out or spills out we know right where it’s going.”

Waste discharges into the river are regulated by the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System and the state Department of Environmental Protection, which impose guidelines on the concentrations of pollutants which may be discharged. Turner said he suspects profit-minded companies discharging treated water into the river and streams would produce water with pollutant levels just under those maximum concentrations rather than treating it to the highest purity standards, which would be more expensive.

Turner said the soles of his feet still bear scars from stepping on broken glass and aluminum cans as he walked the banks of the Susquehanna as a child in the 1950s and 60s, when the river bank was still a dump. The river has come a long way since then, he said. Last year he went scuba diving along a mile stretch of the river and saw only two pieces of debris on the river bottom.

“We’ve come a long way,” he said, “and I don’t want anyone allowed to make us move backward.”"

Excerpts from article written by MATT HUGHES for The Times Leader published here:
http://www.timesleader.com/news/Geologist_warns_of_fracking_water_02-13-2011.html






Sunday, February 20, 2011

Can I See Kutumb Episodes Online?

Shale Gas - (another) geologist warns




Photo: Zhang Jun
Months after the BP wells had been sealed, the health effects of the disaster of Deepwater Horizon Oil in the Gulf of Mexico could just start Forthcoming. Residents bordering the Gulf Coast have complained of mysterious symptoms, and some of their blood specimens show traces of chemicals linked to oil. Here is a free translation of the story of Jeff Young for Living on Earth seeking the answers hard to find, the frustration mounts in coastal communities. Gellerman: Living on Earth here, I'm Bruce Gellerman. It took over 6 months since BP has finally sealed his disastrous wells in the Gulf of Mexico. But now, reports are starting to talk to go about diseases and symptoms problems experienced by some residents along the Gulf Coast. Their blood contains high concentrations of chemicals found in oil and dispersants to clean the filth spread. Many who suffer from these symptoms say clear answers and proper treatment are difficult to obtain, and the frustration increases vis-à-vis government agencies and medical community. Jeff Young's Living on Earth presents the first part of our special report: "Toxic Tide - Discovering The Health Effects Of The Deepwater Disaster" - The Toxic Tide: discover the health effects of the disaster Deepwater. Witness # 1: "I worked for 60 days as first responder for BP. I'm sick today, nobody wants to take care of me. " Witness # 2:" The issue is still there: people fall ill and die. "

Witness # 3:" I saw Small children with sores all over their bodies. We are very, very sick. And there are good opportunities now that I will not see my grandchildren. "

Young: Some had worked to clean oil, others lived in or visited places where oil had washed up on shore . All have complained of mysterious symptoms that have arisen after the spill.

Robin Young was one of those who spoke. She manages vacation properties for rent in Orange Beach, Alabama where she has lived for 10 years.

When the spill began, Young helped organize a citizens group called "Guardians of the Gulf." In Deut the group was not involved in health issues. Later, people, including Young, began to fall sick.

R. Young: "Headaches, nausea, and are all things unusual for me. I've always been very, very good shape. Then I started to cough, I coughed mucosal very disgusting. "

J. Young," Young said that the symptoms began after spending a day near the water in June, and is still recovering. She has heard that other people in his community and elsewhere on the Gulf Coast have similar problems.

R. Young: "We have too many people who are ill with symptoms very strange that they had never experienced before in their lives. So he goes about things, and everywhere along the coast and here appears to be primarily in areas where oil continues to wash up on shore.

J. Young: "A number of people contacted Young tried to seek treatment in the neighboring state, Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, with Dr. Rodney Soto. Dr. Soto said he met many cases of respiratory problems and severe skin irritation.

Soto: "The multiple lesions all over their body and bruises. I tell you, people suffer a lot. The stress level is very high. So we see only the tip of the iceberg: we'll see much more and I do not think the medical community is well prepared to handle this crisis.

J. Young: "Dr. Soto said that the symptoms, histories of patients and in some cases, blood samples indicate that these diseases are probably due to exposure to chemicals from the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. But on the coasts of Alabama, there are a lot of skepticism. Kinnon Tony is the Mayor of Orange Beach.

Kinnon: "I do not doubt that people are sick. But I would tell them that if they want to say outright that it is the tide of oil that made them sick, they will have to prove it. "

Young:" Mr. Kinnon said the city hired an independent engineering firm to take samples air, water and soil. And he said that doctors did not place an unusual number of reported health problems that could be linked to oil. He says he wants to protect people's health and their jobs. "

Kinnon:" We live from tourism. And I do not know if you remember that old scene from Jaws when the mayor is standing on the beach and shouted: "Come to the beach, there are no sharks in the water!", And any of a sudden there's blood everywhere in the water! "

Young:" You do not want to be that guy! "

Kinnon:" Exactly! So, you know, I want people know that when I say that we are healthy, the water and our beaches are clean, because we've done our homework. "

Young:" The health departments in Alabama, Florida , Louisiana and Mississippi have initiated surveillance systems with emergency rooms and health clinics. There is very little in these data to argue that there are a number of diseases associated with the spill. But Dr. Rodney Soto said that cases of exposure to chemicals may be missed if physicians are not trained to detect, because the symptoms mimic other diseases. "

Soto:" The diagnoses in their records indicate colds, flu, weakness, immune system problems, what they will diagnose. Then, government agencies do discens nothing because there are no reports or documentation in the files.

Young: "Dr. Soto doubt that many people who have no health insurance are trying to self-medicate with drugs that do not require a prescription. Worse," said Dr. Soto Some doctors do not want to do anything deliberately. "

Soto: "And unfortunately, I hear a lot of my patients that their doctors back home. For some reason, they do not want to interfere in the connection between oil and disease. For legal reasons, or is it BP, who knows why they do this? Someone just told me that the doctor had told them: "We do not want to see patients who may have symptoms of the oil spill, period."

Young: "Some patients of Dr. Soto are analyzing their blood samples for traces of volatile organic compounds that could indicate exposure to oil. Robin Young has analyzed his blood.

R. Young:" They found of ethylbenzene, isooctane, 2-butyrol, 3-butyrol; levels of hexane were very high, so that the lab has made a big H on the side. It was scary, it was depressing. After I'm sorry. "

J. Young:" The Young Group has paid for more blood tests. The group Louisiana Environmental Action Network asked Wilma Subra, a bio-chemist and recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship evaluate the results. The blood specimens were collected from workers cleaning the spill, fishermen of crabs, a diver who swam in polluted water, and at least 2 children who live near the coast. All these people had complained health problems. Subra compared the concentrations of volatile organic compounds with samples from a national database of VOCs in blood compiled by the National Center for Health Statistics.

Subra: "There are 5 to 10 times more than found in a population typical. We must remember that these chemicals are associated with raw chemical oil dispersants and BP applied to disperse the water of oil in the Gulf of Mexico. "

Young: "Benzene is a carcinogen and is associated with immune system problems and several diseases. Ethylbenzene may cause dizziness and cause kidney damage. Xylene may cause headaches, skin irritations and respiratory problems. But

blood samples alone can not prove that there is a link between diseases and oil. It is a small number of people: only a few dozen. Many of the chemicals break down quickly and are difficult to trace. Another way to be exposed to these chemicals is possible: benzene can come from gas stations, breathing in paint, vehicle emissions or even cigarette smoke. Subra but insists that his data are valid and wants the authorities medical use of their data for further studies and instigate treatment.

Subra: "I think this is proof that the chemicals in their environment is found in their blood. We talked to federal agencies to try to get them interested in the issue. They really want answers.

Young: "Serious answers take time. There is very little in the scientific literature on long-term effects of oil spill on health. In March, the Department National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences plans to recruit workers who have picked up the oil spill in the Gulf for a study long-term health. The chief investigator is Dale Sandler, chief of the NIEHS épidermiologue. She hopes to follow some 55,000 people for at least 5 years. "

Sandler:" This will be the largest study of individuals exposed to a disaster of oil that was ever made. We moved heaven and earth for that to happen quickly. "

Young:" The study of Sandler receives funding in part by BP. The study is a few months behind its original schedule. But researchers are facing another problem which could prove more difficult. Involve thousands of participants and to accept the results requires a lot of credibility and trust. After the disaster of Hurricane Katrina and BP, trust does not come easily for the residents of the Gulf of Mexico. Here is what does the Mayor of Orange Beach, Tony Kinnon:

Kinnon: "Frankly, few people trust government agencies. They think it is unhealthy cronyism between BP and the government, and I tend to agree with them. "

J. Young: "And even if Robin Young asks the government to help their community, the application is made with great suspicion."

R. Young: "I do not talk like a conspiracy theorist, but I'm starting to feel like. Because it is difficult to believe that this is happening in the U.S. and nobody wants to help. "

J. Young:" Those who hope to denounce openly the true impact of the oil spill from BP will also find a how to overcome mistrust. For "Living on Earth", I'm Jeff Young. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Toxic Tide: Discovering The Health Effects Of The Deepwater Disaster

Months after BP's well capped WAS, The Health Effects Of The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill May just be starting to surface. Residents Across the Gulf Coast report mysterious ailments, and some blood samples show traces of chemicals related to the oil. But as Living on Earth’s Jeff Young reports, firm answers are hard to come by and frustration is growing in coastal communities.

GELLERMAN: It's Living on Earth, I'm Bruce Gellerman. It's been more than six months since BP finally capped its runaway oil well in the Gulf of Mexico. But now come reports of a wave of illnesses and puzzling symptoms from some residents along the Gulf Coast. Their blood contains high levels of chemicals found in oil and the dispersants that were used to clean up the mess.

Many who are suffering say firm answers and adequate treatment are hard to come by, and there's a growing sense of frustration with government agencies and the medical community. Living on Earth's Jeff Young has the first part of our special report: "Toxic Tide - Discovering the Health Effects of the Deepwater Disaster".

[HEARING: OIL SPILL COMMISSIONER DON BOESCH Okay, questions and comments from the floor...]

YOUNG: When the National Oil Spill Commission presented its final report in New Orleans, commissioners expected to get an earful from rig workers and fishermen worried about their jobs. Instead they heard speaker after speaker worried about something else: their health.

SPEAKER 1: I worked 60 days on the frontline for BP out here. I'm sick today, nobody wants to take care of me.

SPEAKER 2: The issue is ongoing; people are getting sick and dying.

SPEAKER 3: I have seen small children with lesions all over their body. We are very, very ill. And there's a very good chance now that I won't get to see my grandbabies.

YOUNG: Some had worked cleaning up the oil, others lived in or had visited places where oil washed ashore. All complained of mysterious ailments that arose after the spill.

Robin Young was one of those who spoke out. She manages vacation rental properties in Orange Beach, Alabama, where she has lived for 10 years.

When the spill started, Young helped form a citizen group called Guardians of the Gulf. At first, the group was not focused on health issues. Then, people, including Young, started getting sick.

R YOUNG: Headaches, I would get nauseous - and these are all things that I don't normally experience at all, I've always been very, very, very healthy. Then the coughing - I coughed up so much nasty looking mess.

J YOUNG: Young says symptoms started after she spent a day near the water in June and she still hasn't fully recovered. She heard from others in her community and across the Gulf coast with similar problems.

R YOUNG: We have way too many people that are sick with very odd symptoms that they have never experienced before in their life. So there's something going on! And it's all the way up and down the coast and it seems to be in the predominant areas where the oil continues to come onshore.

J YOUNG: A number of people Young contacted sought treatment just across the state line in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, with Dr. Rodney Soto. Dr. Soto says he's seeing a lot of upper respiratory symptoms and severe rashes.

SOTO: Multiple lesions all over their bodies and bruising. I tell you, people are suffering a great degree. The stress level is through the roof. So we are barely scratching the surface in regards to what else we are going to see and I don't think the medical community is well prepared to handle this.

J YOUNG: Dr. Soto says the symptoms, patient histories and, in some cases, blood samples indicate these illnesses are likely due to chemical exposure from the spill. But back on the Alabama coast, there's skepticism about that. Tony Kinnon is mayor of Orange Beach.

KINNON: I would not doubt that these people are ill. But I would say for them to adamantly say the oil spill made them ill - they're gonna have to present evidence.

YOUNG: Kinnon says the city contracted an independent engineering firm to sample air water and soil. And he says local physicians have not reported any unusual number of health issues that might be oil-related. He says he wants to protect people's health and people's jobs.

KINNON: We're a tourism industry. And I don't know if you can remember that old scene in the movie Jaws where the mayor is standing on the beach saying "Come on to the beach, there's no shark in the water!" and, heh, you look in the water and there's blood everywhere!

YOUNG: You don't want to be that guy!

KINNON: That's exactly right. So you know, I want people to know that when I say we are healthy, the water and our beaches are fine - it's because we did our homework.

YOUNG: State health departments in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi set up surveillance systems with emergency rooms and health clinics. There is little in that data to suggest a large number of spill-related illness. But Dr. Rodney Soto says chemical exposure cases can fall through the cracks if physicians are not trained to detect them because the symptoms mimic other illnesses.

SOTO: The diagnoses in their records are gonna be cold, flu, weakness, immune problem, whatever they want to call it. And so the government agencies are not gonna pick up on anything because there is no report or no documentation in the records.

YOUNG: Dr. Soto suspects many people who lack health insurance are trying to treat their own symptoms with over-the-counter medicines. And worse, Dr Soto says, some physicians might be willfully turning a blind eye.

SOTO: And, unfortunately, I'm hearing a lot from patients that their doctors are turning them away. They, for whatever reason, don't want to get involved with dealing with this connection of oil to illness. Whether it's litigation, or whether it's BP, who knows what their motivations are. Somebody specifically told me the doctor said "We don't want to see any patients who potentially have symptoms of oil spill, period."

YOUNG: Some of Dr. Soto's patients are having their blood samples analyzed for traces of volatile organic compounds that might indicate oil exposure. Robin Young had her blood tested.

RYOUNG: They found that I had ethylbenzene, isooctane, 2-butyrol, 3-butyrol, the hexane levels were over the top – so the lab even put a big H by it. It was scary; it was depressing. And then I got mad.

J YOUNG: Young's group paid for more blood sampling. The Louisiana Environmental Action network asked biochemist and MacArthur grant winner Wilma Subra to analyze the results. The blood samples came from cleanup workers, crabbers, a diver who'd been in oiled water, and at least two children who live on the coast. All had reported recent health problems. Subra compared the levels of volatile organic compounds in those samples to a national database of VOC's in blood compiled by the National Center for Health Statistics.

SUBRA: They're as much as 5 to 10 times what you'd find in the normal population. And again, these are chemicals that relate back to chemicals in the BP crude and the dispersants.

YOUNG: Benzene is a carcinogen and is linked to immune system problems and a host of illnesses. Ethylbenzene can cause dizziness and kidney damage. Xylene can cause headaches, rashes and respiratory problems.

But this blood sampling alone does not prove a connection between the illnesses and the oil. It's a small number of people - just a few dozen. Many of the chemicals rapidly break down and are hard to track. And other routes of exposure might be to blame. Benzene can come from pumping gasoline, breathing paint fumes, vehicle exhaust, or cigarette smoke. But Subra defends her findings and wants health officials to use her data to guide further study and treatment.

SUBRA: I think it's demonstrating that the chemicals they are being exposed to are showing up in their blood. We've briefed the federal agencies on it, tried to get them interested - they are evaluating the results. And I think there's a lot of frustration in the community members across the coastal areas. They are really requesting answers.

YOUNG: Solid answers will take time. There's little in the scientific literature on long term health effects of oil spills. In March the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences plans to start enrolling Gulf spill cleanup workers in a long-term health study. The principal investigator is Dale Sandler, chief of epidemiology at NIEHS. She hopes to track some 55,000 subjects for at least five years.

SANDLER: This will be by far the largest study of individuals exposed during an oil spill disaster that's ever been conducted. So we have been moving heaven and earth to make this go quickly.

YOUNG: Sandler's study has funding, thanks in part to BP. The study is a few months behind its original schedule. But researchers face another hurdle that may prove more difficult. Signing up tens of thousands of participants and getting people to accept results depends on credibility and trust. After the BP spill and Hurricane Katrina, trust is in low supply on the Gulf Coast. Here's how Orange Beach Mayor Tony Kinnon sums up the attitude.

KINNON: The bottom line is very few people trust governmental agencies. They think there's this incestuous relationship between BP and the government, and I tend to agree with them.

J YOUNG: And even as Robin Young asks the government to help her community, the plea comes with a note of deep suspicion.

RYOUNG: I hate to sound like a conspiracy theorist - that's what I'm starting to feel like. Because it's hard to believe that something like this is going on in the United States and no one's helping.

J YOUNG: Those hoping to find the Gulf spill's real impact will also have to find a way to bridge a gulf of mistrust. For Living on Earth, I'm Jeff Young.

GELLERMAN: Our special report: "Toxic Tide - Discovering the Health Effects of the Deepwater Disaster" continues next week with Jeff's report on a key scientific finding in the Gulf's air and water.

KALTOFEN: And that's where we found something very interesting. It was not the crude oil that was responsible for most of the volatile compounds we're seeing, but it was actually the dispersant.

GELLERMAN: That's next week on Living on Earth.

Link:
http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.htm?programID=11-P13-00006&segmentID=3