Toxic Waste and Human Health

1. Toxic Waste and Human Health Objectives: Become aware of some of the problems which have come from the technology that produces our high standard of living in the U.S. Learn about the effects of chemical toxins like heavy metals and dioxin in the lives of innocent people. Understand the important role of environmental biologists in monitoring pollution levels and attempting to solve problems created by toxic chemicals in our environment.

2. Late 1800s to early 1900s- Butte and Anaconda, MT- copper mining • Mines generate huge amounts of waste in the form of tailings (fine-grained, sand-like sediment rich in sulfides, heavy metals, and arsenic. When mixed with water, these tailings produce sulfuric acid. • During this time, these tailings were dumped into the nearest creek, usually Silver Bow Creek or Warm Springs Creek. Both of these creeks sit at the headwaters of the Clark Fork River Clark Fork River Background

3. Milltown • Timber mill built at Milltown at the confluence of the Blackfoot and Clark Fork River to provide lumber for the copper mines. • To power the mill and produce electricity, a dam was also built here. • 1908- Massive100-year flood struck the Clark Fork River • Flood picked up mining tailings and other wastes washing them down the Clark Fork River. • The majority of the tailings were deposited at the Milltown dam (8 million cubic yards of contaminated sediment). Clark Fork River Background

4. Milltown • 1981- arsenic was found in Milltown Groundwater- Arsenic levels were over 10 times greater than what the government allows in drinking water. • Fish- Dam blocked migratory routes for fish, particularly bull trout, from navigating from the Lower to Upper Clark Fork. Also, the reservoir behind the dam created prime habitat for non-native fish. • Fears that the dam would break and flood the lower Clark Fork River carrying sediments downstream. • Decided in 2007 that the dam needed to be removed. Clark Fork River Background

5. Superfund Law- Superfund is the name given to the environmental program established to address abandoned hazardous waste sites. This law was enacted in the wake of the discovery of toxic waste dumps such as Love Canal and Times Beach in the 1970s. It allows the EPA to clean up such sites and to compel responsible parties to perform cleanups or reimburse the government for EPA-lead cleanups • Starting in 2008, toxic sediment was removed from Milltown and unloaded in an area that already contained tailings in Opportunity (Near Anaconda) • 2008- Dam removed and restoration of this area has begun. Dam Removal and Restoration Project

6. Milltown Dam- 1 Example of how industry and consumption have altered the environment. • 1995- 20,000 registered companies that generate toxic waste in the U.S. alone. • Generated 279 million metric tons of toxic wastes • 1983- reported that between 631 and 657 million metric tons of toxic wastes were produced annually just by the chemical industry • Much of the hazardous wastes produced in this country ends up in landfills, with some being incinerated and some recycled. Toxic Waste and the Environment

7. A metric ton weighs approximately 2,200 pounds. Compute the number of pounds of hazardous waste that are produced each year in the U.S. • Divide that by 260 million, the approximate population of the US and enter the number in the space below. That is the approximate amount of toxic waste generated each year for each person in this country (the amount of toxic pollution produced annually to satisfy your material demands. 279,00,000 metric tons x 2,200 pounds 1 metric ton 6.138 x 10¹¹ pounds/year ÷ 260,000,000 Questions:

8. Explain what you would do if you were responsible for disposing for your share of that waste. • Where does most of the hazardous waste end up in this country? Landfills, with some being incinerated and some being recycled. • Why do most experts view that as a problem? Eventually, most of the landfills leak, and chemicals move towards the groundwater. Questions

9. When a routine water test in Milltown in 1981 discovered high levels of arsenic in many families’ household wells, those people were told they must stop using any water from their wells. Arsenic can poison and is also suspected to be a cause of cancer. The plume of arsenic had spread at least a half mile below the dam and some experts feared it may reach the Missoula aquifer. EPA officials declared the Milltown Dam area to be a superfund site, meaning federal funds could be used to help alleviate problems. The EPA began efforts to drill new community wells that would draw safe drinking water from a deeper aquifer. Those wells took over 3 years to complete. In the meantime many of the 140 Milltown residents had to haul all their water for home use. • What is the source of water in your home? • Do you think there should be laws in Montana that regulate activities that might threaten the aquifer that residents of Florence depend on? • Write a short paragraph to explain your answer. Questions

10. How much toxic sediment ended up behind the Milltown Dam? 8 million cubic yards • Where was that sediment produced? Copper mining in Butte and Anaconda • What activity produced the toxic materials? Copper Mining- toxic materials are a byproduct of the milling and concentration process. • How far did the material travel to reach Milltown, and how did it end up behind the dam? 120 miles from Butte to Milltown. 1908- massive flood picked up much of the tailings and washed them down the Clark Fork River depositing them behind the dam. • What was done in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s to dispose of the mine and smelter wastes? Waste dumped into nearest creek- Warm Springs Creek in Anaconda and Silver Bow Creek in Butte Questions

11. The EPA studied nearly a dozen different plans for solving the Milltown problem with a good deal of citizen input at public meetings. What did they finally conclude was the best plan for everybody concerned? Remove the toxic waste and the dam • What was done about the sediments? Carried to Opportunity where they were unloaded and spread out over the top of the 160 million cubic yards of tailings already there. They are hoping the sediments will serve as a cap, allowing vegetation to grow over the top of the Opportunity tailings. • How long did the daily shipment of sediments take place? 1 year Questions

12. Love Canal

13. “Field mice living near the Love Canal toxic waste site in Niagara Falls have reduced lifespans and show signs of chemical poisoning” • What happened? • Love Canal was once used as a waste dump by chemical plants. • After it was filled and covered with soil, a school was built on the site and surrounding land was sold as home sites. • 1978- chemicals began leaking from the soil- homes were evacuated. • Study- field mice living along the dump site fence had half the life expectancy of those in a control area about a mile away. Love Canal

14. What do the problems of Love Canal and Milltown have in common as far as the source of the problem and the people who were harmed? • People were unaware of toxic waste and unaware they were being poisoned • Source- Large corporations (mining and industrial waste) responsible for pollution. Toxic waste contaminated ground water • Briefly summarize the story of Love Canal Questions

15. According to the study described in the article, what appears to be the effect of the chemicals of Love Canal on field mice: • At the edge of the dump? ½ the life expectancy of those in a control area about a mile away • In the Emergency Declaration Area? Life expectancy midway between those at the edge of the dump and those at the control area • With what standard are those two groups of mice being compared? A control group- Mice living1 mile away • What term would scientists use to describe the role of that group of mice in the study? Control group Questions