Carcinogens in Alabama's water to be discussed at Friday meeting

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:           Cindy Lowry – 205.322.6395, clowry@alabamarivers.org

                        David Ludder – 850.386.5671, dludder@leaflaw.org

CARCINOGENS IN AL WATER TO BE DISCUSSED FRIDAY:

Environmental Management Commission will revisit cancer risk allowed in AL waterways

On Friday, December 14^th the Environmental Management Commission (EMC) will discuss whether to strengthen the standards governing cancer risk level allowed in our state’s waterways.  The next step in this process, should the EMC decide to move forward, will be to initiate rule-making to begin the process of making this important change.

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in Alabama, killing about one in every five Alabamians who die each year. Each year, 24,000 Alabamians are diagnosed with cancer and the state ranks sixth highest in the country in cancer mortality rate.

The Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) issues permits allowing industries to discharge cancer-causing chemicals into our rivers and lakes at a level ten times less protective than almost any other state in the Southeast. 

After denying a citizen petition put forth by 18 organizations, including the Alabama Rivers Alliance, in June of 2007, the EMC commissioned a Cancer Risk Advisory Panel to study the issue further.  This group, consisting of representatives from various state agencies, businesses, public health officials, academia, and environmental organizations, met once and submitted comments to a list of 33 questions.  Rivers Alliance partners, Conservation Alabama and Mobile Baykeeper, participated in the panel.  Responses can be found on the ADEM website www.adem.state.al.us. 

“In spite of the time taken and information gathered, the basic tenets of this decision have not changed.  It is a matter of making the policy decision to be more protective of public health.  No one ever said these decisions were easy, but sooner or later, Alabama has to move beyond the mentality that protecting public health and the environment are detrimental to the economy.  Other states are balancing these important factors and there is no reason we can’t do the same,” stated Cindy Lowry, Alabama Rivers Alliance Executive Director.

The EMC meeting will be held at 11 am in the main hearing room at the ADEM office in Montgomery, Alabama.  Other important topics to be discussed are a proposed method for evaluating the ADEM Director and proposed rule-making for changing the standards for Acrolein and Phenol, another citizen petition that was previously denied.

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