Spring Break
A search for life-saving answers in Cameron, Mo.
Part V: The wheels have started turning
Alexia Lang and Kelley Kates
Issue date: 4/27/09 Section: News
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Over the past several months, Erin Brockovich's team of environmental scientists has been investigating the cause of a rash of brain tumors in the area of Cameron.
The lawsuit, filed on behalf of Bill Kemper of Cameron and Janet Lasher of Gallatin, maintains that Prime Tanning Corp. in St. Joseph offered farmers a waste byproduct containing hexavalent chromium (chromium VI) to use as fertilizer on their crops.
Since 1983, Prime Tanning has used chromium VI to remove hair from hides in the tanning process. The byproduct, or sludge, was then distributed to farmers in the counties of Andrew, Buchanan, Clinton and Dekalb for free.
The lawsuit alleges the company gave the sludge to farmers to avoid the expense of disposing of it in a hazardous waste site.
Also named in the lawsuit is National Beef Leathers LLC, who bought Prime Beef Corp. in March 2009. National Beef currently uses the same tanning process and distributes the fertilizer.
Brian Madden, an attorney from Wagstaff Cartmell, is working with Brockovich's team, the Girardi and Keese Law Firm in Los Angeles and the Cameron-based Griffin, Dietrich and Elliot Law Firm.
"Our investigation has included reviewing hundreds of documents, taking soil samples, taking samples of the sludge and doing all of the groundwork that led up to the filing of today's lawsuit on Earth Day, no less," Madden said.
Environmental investigator, Bob Bowcock, who was contacted in late November 2008 to investigate the case, helped describe the gravity of the situation to residents.
"It is likely over 25 years the community has been loaded with millions and millions of pounds of chromium VI," Bowcock said.
He warned that when the chromium VI is applied to the farms in the wind rows and then dry disked, chromium VI particles become airborne and can be inhaled.
"They can go into different pores of your body, your eyes, your arms, your skin. They will form dermatitis on your skin, they may burn your nasal cavity and they do cause cancer."
According to Bowcock and doctors with whom he has conferred, chromium VI can cause most cancers and is carcinogenic at extremely low levels.
Bowcock said groundwater samples have not been taken.
"But science tells us, and our experience with this chemical tells us, it is down in the groundwater table. It likes water, it rains a lot in Missouri, it goes down into that shallow groundwater aquifer."
Dr. Raymond Coveney, of UMKC's Geosciences Department, teaches that groundwater has a residency of 1,000 years and is difficult to eradicate once it becomes polluted.
Although believed to be present in the groundwater, Bowcock said there is no evidence the chemical has contaminated the drinking water supply.
Yet, he said the drinking water in Cameron comes from surface water reservoirs and the surface water reservoirs may have been impacted.
Bowcock said another concern regarding the water supply is that if chromium III, the non-toxic mineral form, enters a water supply, chlorine used as a disinfectant can cause chromium III to become chromium VI.
The law firms will be working with the water department to ensure proper testing is done.
The chromium compound was also found at the Rockwool Industries site and at the old city landfill.
Although the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) previously told U-News they were unsure if the chromium found was chromium III or chromium VI, the Citizen Observer, Cameron's newspaper, reported the EPA said chromium VI didn't appear in any of their sample testing.
What's next
After listening to the prognosis and hearing a few words of encouragement from Brockovich, residents wanted to know what could be done to eradicate the situation.
"We want the land application material that is still out there in wind rows picked up now, and we want the state to order Prime Tannery to not allow another truck off that property with that sludge material in it," Bowcock said. "That's the best protection we can offer today."
The law firms will begin a full investigation, talking to residents and running many types of tests including dust tests, soil tests, air monitoring and groundwater monitoring.
Brockovich advised the residents to stick together and to cooperate with the researchers.
"This is not the time to be arguing with neighbors," Brockovich said. "This is the time to brace yourself as a community, to be proactive as a community, to communicate with each other as a community and protect each other."
When it comes to clean up, experts don't expect it to be an easy process.
Bowcock said it could take more than 100 years to remove the toxins from the environment.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is hazardous waste material and it needs to go to a hazardous waste landfill," he said. "And it needs to be properly managed and manifest. And they need to own it for the rest of their lives if they want to be in this business of buying it, using and discharging it. It's that simple."
One concerned resident said she had her well water tested but she was not sure if they tested for chromium VI.
"I hate that whole concept," Bowcock said. "You get a phone call back, 'Don't worry, everything is going to be OK.' What does that mean? Did they test for chrome VI is what her question was. I sincerely doubt it."
He said traditionally, regulatory agencies nation-wide do a chemical inventory and only test for chemicals they think might be present.
He added they will help residents get their water sources tested.
The EPA, however, said they are not ready to start investigating this issue.
"EPA Region Seven is developing a plan for sampling soil on the farms in the four-county area," Chris Lancaster, Public Relations specialist, said. "Secondly, we will sample in wells. And we have asked the plaintiff's law firm for information so we can investigate."
He said they will be waiting to receive the data from the law firms before moving forward.
Lancaster said more time to research chromium VI is needed.
"We are not sure if we have a precedent with chromium VI [in soil]," he said. "We are checking into it."
However, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry lists chromium as being in at least 1,127 of the EPA's 1,669 National Priorities List (NPL) sites.
In June of 1986, the EPA placed the Portland Cement site in Salt Lake City, Utah on the Superfund.
Bowcock was also involved in the case where arsenic, lead and chromium, which have all been found in the Cameron area, contaminated the soil, air and groundwater.
To clean up the site, a natural water filtration system was set up and 825,000 cubic yards of cement kiln dust and contaminated soil were removed.
Once again in 1995, the site of the Boomsnub Metal Plating facility in Washington was declared a Superfund. The contaminated soil was trucked out and a water treatment system was set in place.
Lancaster did say the EPA will re-open the investigation at the Rockwool Industries site where they will begin taking more soil samples on Monday.
Despite the fact chromium VI can become airborne, Lancaster said the EPA is not currently planning on testing the air.
"Our goal is to get the soil samples and go from there," he said.
Other considerations
While chromium VI is toxic on its own, one toxicologist says some factors are being overlooked in the Cameron case.
Marcus Iszard, expert toxicologist and associate professor of Pharmacology at UMKC, said he is concerned about the synergistic, or compounded, effect of the multiple chemicals found in Cameron.
"We are looking at all three (chromium, lead and arsenic) at low level concentrations and you are going to expose them over 20 years time," Iszard said. "And that's what makes this horrifying and you don't think this has any health implications. Come on, give me a break."
Lead and chromium VI combine to make lead chromate, a known carcinogen linked to many types of health issues.
"How many people have to develop tumors before someone finally blows the whistle?" Iszard asked.
He said something needs to be done quickly.
"It does not take a canon to kill a bunch of people, it just takes a little poison," he said. "Give UMKC the resources, and we would be happy to take the lead so we can finally get some answers for those folks."
Hope for the hurting
A group of Cameron residents wants to let the suffering know they are not alone.
As the mother of a young girl diagnosed with multiple brain tumors, Cyndee Gardner knows first-hand the pain of knowing a loved one is sick.
She teamed up with other residents to form the Help Us Give Support (HUGS) tumor support group.
Gardner said the group is open to anyone whether it be a tumor patient, a patient's friend or relative or simply a resident concerned about the situation.
"If we can help you in any way, we will," Gardner said.
HUGS meets at 7 p.m. the first Thursday of every month at the First Baptist Church in Cameron.
alang@unews.com and kkates@unews.com
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
caution
posted 10/27/09 @ 6:44 PM CST
Go Bob Bowcock and Bless your family for the time you have to take away from them. Your wife must be very special and knows you are doing for the good of our states. (Continued…)
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