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A8 SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2010 A S HE V I L L E C I T I Z E N-TIMES CITIZEN -TIMES .CO MNEWS

Drinking water, plants andwells within four mileshave shown no coal ashcontamination.

The report says thereshould be no harm fromtouching ash and, even

though it contains arsenic,there should be no harm ifa child accidentally eats it.The report does say air-borne ash could be a prob-lem.

Despite the reports,some say more testingneeds to be done.

Mars Hill lawyer GaryDavis, who is representingpeople living around theKingston spill, said whiletheres been extensivemonitoring around thespill, he doesnt believemonitoring has been donein the right places or isseeking the right things.

There also needs to belong-term medical moni-toring to truly determinethe health effects from thespill, he said.

There are some short-term effects from beingexposed to any fine parti-cles, and coal ash is a badone from a number of per-spectives, Davis said, cit-

ing problems like asthmaassociated with inhalationofthe ash. The rest of it ispretty much long-term. Arsenic, one of the worstcomponents, takes expo-sure over a long period oftime.

Dam integrityDavis said the problem

in Tennessee stemmedfrom problems with thedam and the EPA proposedrule should provide a goodinspection program andspecifications for im-poundments. But hewasnt familiar enoughwith the Progress Energyimpoundment to say if itposes the same threat.

I would hope its beinginspected and maintainedmuch better than TVA,Davis said.

Dr. Rick Langley, anepi-demiologist with the N.C.Division of Public Health,said people who work atthe site are themost at riskfrom breathing in coal ashdust, and companies needto ensure it doesnt con-taminate groundwater.

I guess the biggestconcern is the structuralintegrity of those pondsand making sure they

dont collapse or flood outif there is a huge rain-storm, he said. But ifthey are intact and youdont live right beside it, itshouldnt be a risk to thegeneral public.

Bill Miller, professor ofenvironmental studies atUNC Asheville, believesthe EPA needs to decide ifcoal ash is hazardous, buthe fears if it is regulated ashazardous material with-

out properstudies, it couldcost the U.S. billions ofun-needed dollars in regulat-ing it.

As long as the pondsand the integrity of theponds are regularly in-

spected, they shouldntpose a problem, Millersaid. I think we need totake appropriate precau-tions, but Id be more wor-ried about issues like theeconomy and terrorism.

COAL: Ash in air an issueContinued from A7

Product: ASH_Broad PubDate: 09-12-2010 Zone: Main Edition: First Page: main_8 User: CSwaney Time: 09-11-2010 20:01 Color: CMYK