Angiosarcoma Lawyer & Attorney : Burke & Eisner Law Firm : Vinyl Chloride

The bill, AB 2505 and sponsored by Californians Against Waste, is currently in the Senate Appropriations Committee where it is expected to be opened in August.  The purpose of the bill is to phase out the use of toxic, non-recyclable PVC in packaging, to encourage recycling and to prevent human exposure to the toxins present in the PVC at all steps in its manufacture, use and disposal.

It's production involves chlorine gas and vinyl chloride, a carcinogen.  In the home PVC packaging can shed  and release particles into the air  where they are inhaled.  Among the toxins are lead and cadmium which can cause brain damage and phalates which mimic human hormones causing abnormal growth.  Even when disposed the toxins can leach into the surrounding ground and spread from there into ground water.

Among those supporting passage of this bill are City of Oakland, Greenpeace, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Environment California and Advocates for Environmental Human Rights.

Of course there is opposition to the passage of the bill and the list of opponents is not surprising.  Among them are MGM Plastics, Inc., PVC Tech Corp, Chemistry Industry Council of California, American Chemistry Council, California Grocers Association and California Manufacturers and Technology Association.

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According to a plan put forth by environmental and military officials, it will take another twelve years to finish cleaning up the contamination of ground water near the former Myrtle Beach Air Force Base.  This extended time-line  for cleaning out the cancer-causing contamination was criticized by area residents because there is a faster, though more expensive, way of completing the clean-up. Among the contaminants are trichloroethylene and vinyl chloride which has been linked to causing angiosarcoma.

The proposed plan would cost $723,000 and take  twelve years; the alternative plan could be done in seven years but at a cost of $1,100,000.   As one local resident, Cheyenne Rheingold, put it,  "If this is about human health, why not do it in seven years instead of waiting longer?"

Officials say that the longer cleanup is minimal in its health risk because the ground water is not used for consumption and people are not exposed to the contamination.  Maxine Rheingold is afraid that officials don't really realize how dangerous this contamination is to human health.

"There is a health risk, and nobody knows what that risk is until years later," she said.

The military's proposed cleanup plan involves extracting some of the contaminated groundwater from the site while letting the rest of contamination break down over time. State and federal environmental regulators will study the military's plan and accept comments from the public through Aug. 28. A final plan will be adopted at some point after that review.

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Three military bases in the United States are caught in the middle of a battle between the Department of Defense and the Environmental Protection Agency about toxic waste cleanup.  The EPA is concerned that the chemical waste found at the three bases - Tyndall AFB in Florida, McGuire AFB in New Jersey and Fort Meade in Maryland - pose a substantial threat to the environment and nearby residents.  The Pentagon has refused to follow the law and abide by the EPA's cleanup orders.

Senators from all three states have demanded that the Pentagon answer as to why it is refusing to do the clean-ups.   In addition, Senators Menendez, Lautenberg and Nelson have asked the Government Accounting Office to investigate the Pentagon's non-compliance.

Tyndall AFB was added to the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) in 1997 when toxins were found in Fred Bayou.  DDT, arsenic, chlordane,,vinyl chloride, chromium , barium and trichloroethylene (TCE) have been found in the soil and groundwater at the base.

McGuire AFB was put on the list in1999 after finding PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), pesticides, jet fuel and TCE, a carcinogen noted for seeping into ground water.

Fort Meade was added in 1998 after finding solvents, PCBs, heavy metals, waste oils and fuels.

Senator Menendez said: “People who happen to live near a military base must be given the peace of mind that the ground they walk on and the water they drink is free of toxic, cancer-causing chemicals. It seems that the Department of Defense is trying to avoid its cleanup responsibilities or is more interested in winning a Washington turf battle than the health of our citizens, and that is simply outrageous. We need an official investigation as well as direct answers from the Secretary of Defense to better explain exactly why residents of New Jersey and elsewhere are being put at risk.”

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