A Georgia health organization has concluded that contaminants from three major pipelines that traverse Madison County pose no threat to the health of Madison County residents.
Meanwhile, the leader of the pipeline watchdog group that called for the health study says the report is flawed.
Citizens Organized for Pipeline Safety (C.O.P.S.) requested that the Georgia Division of Public Health investigate Transcontinental Gas Pipeline, which has a booster station in Comer. C.O.P.S. members believe cancer incidents around the Transco booster station are elevated. They also contend that toxic lubricants that contained polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), which were used by Transco until the early 1970s, as well as toxic heavy metal mercury and arsenic, are in the soil and water around the plant and pose a threat to residents.
State report: Madison Co. pipelines don’t pose health risk
Elevated arsenic levels have been detected in some areas around the station.
“GDPH (Georgia Department of Public Health) believes that the sporadically-observed elevated levels of arsenic are not indicative of a groundwater plume and, at this time, do not pose a risk to nearby surface water or residential drinking water sources,” the report states. “GDPH will evaluate additional groundwater data as it becomes available, and conduct public health protection measures, if needed.”
The recently released GDPH report states that soil contamination at Transco has been contained on company’s property, that sediment contamination is limited to on-site drainage ways and a creek on Transco property, that there is no off-site groundwater contamination and that emissions to air from the facility are not at levels that pose a health hazard to nearby residents.
Residents of the Transco area have attended COPS meetings in recent years, with several speaking of breast cancer cases in the area.
The health report breaks down cancer cases by zip code between 2003-2007 in Madison County, with a majority of the cases found in the most heavily populated areas in the southern end of the county.
According to the GDPH report, C.O.P.S. members provided GDPH a list and map of reported diagnosed cancer cases near the facility. Information provided for 54 people included first and last names, street name, approximate distance from Transco, and deaths.
The GDPH report states that 10 individuals reside approximately less than one mile from the booster station; seven individuals reside approximately one mile; three individuals reside approximately between one and two miles; and eight individuals reside approximately two miles from the station.
GDPH staff compared the information provided by C.O.P.S. with vital records to verity reported deaths. The health officials concluded that cancer deaths were not elevated in the Transco area. Elevated miscarriages around the facility were also a concern. But the health report states that their investigation showed “the lowest percentage of fetal deaths in Madison County occurred in the census track where Transco is located.”
The Williams Transco booster station in Comer is one of three pipeline stations in Madison County. The Transco line pumps natural gas up the eastern seaboard. Meanwhile, two petroleum lines — Colonial Pipeline (off Hwy. 29) and Plantation Pipeline (off Hwy. 106) — also have booster stations in the county. Booster stations help push the fuel through the lines.
According to the federal government, Transco can emit up to 6,000 tons of pollutants from its engine and turbine stacks into the air each year. Formaldehyde emissions from the plant have been reported at approximately 185 tons annually.
The report stated that the emission level does not pose a hazard to surrounding residents.
“Based on the results, GDPH concludes that exposure to the predicted formaldehyde levels in air for the closest residential areas to Transco are not expected to cause harmful health effects,” the report stated.
Jill McElheney, leader of C.O.P.S., says she presented the detailed data from the GDPH report on acceptable formaldehyde levels to an epidemiologist who concluded that the levels deemed “acceptable” in the report are too high.
McElheney has planned a final C.O.P.S. meeting at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, June 23, at the county senior center to discuss the report. The meeting is open to the public. C.O.P.S. formed in 2006 to address concerns about spills from the Colonial Pipeline Booster Station. Members then expanded their discussions to the other two pipelines in the county.
“At the final COPS meeting this month, light will be shed onto new revelations and false information revealed in these reports,” said McElheney in a letter to C.O.P.S. members. “I will also provide you with resources on pipeline health and safety so you can continue to be vigilant about your environmental health.”
McElheney said she doesn’t trust the conclusions in the GDPH report.
“I am concerned about what is being reported as fact to the community by government agencies...and then these giant leaps of faith that a scientific document can make to brush off emerging problems in Madison County,” said McElheney. “… GA public health owes the Comer residents an apology for pretending to be a protector and defender of their health when in actuality they sold the residents’ lives out for 30 pieces of silver.”
The health report also addressed health concerns around the Colonial Pipeline and Plantation Pipeline booster stations.
Colonial Pipeline reported leaks at its booster station in the late 1960s and 1970s. Then, in 1994 petroleum odors were noticed in the booster station water supply. Roughly 30 residential wells around the station tested positive for petroleum contamination. And Colonial Pipeline purchased properties from at least 20 homeowners with contaminated wells. Several years ago, Colonial provided close to $1 million for the county to install a water line from Madico Park to the affected area south of Danielsville. The report stated that “there is no exposure pathway to carcinogenic compounds in groundwater contaminated by operations at Colonial” and that “no additional public health actions are recommended at this time.”
The GDPH also investigated the Plantation Pipeline booster station, where in 2003, approximately 33,000 of gasoline spilled from the site.
“Private water supply wells located within one-half mile of the site were sampled and on two occasions, contaminants were detected and residents were notified,” the report stated. “Follow up sampling did not detect contaminants in any wells.”
The GDPH noted that monitoring of private wells around the spill continues.
“There are no public health recommendations at this time,” the report stated.
“GDPH (Georgia Department of Public Health) believes that the sporadically-observed elevated levels of arsenic are not indicative of a groundwater plume and, at this time, do not pose a risk to nearby surface water or residential drinking water sources,” the report states. “GDPH will evaluate additional groundwater data as it becomes available, and conduct public health protection measures, if needed.”
The recently released GDPH report states that soil contamination at Transco has been contained on company’s property, that sediment contamination is limited to on-site drainage ways and a creek on Transco property, that there is no off-site groundwater contamination and that emissions to air from the facility are not at levels that pose a health hazard to nearby residents.
Residents of the Transco area have attended COPS meetings in recent years, with several speaking of breast cancer cases in the area.
The health report breaks down cancer cases by zip code between 2003-2007 in Madison County, with a majority of the cases found in the most heavily populated areas in the southern end of the county.
According to the GDPH report, C.O.P.S. members provided GDPH a list and map of reported diagnosed cancer cases near the facility. Information provided for 54 people included first and last names, street name, approximate distance from Transco, and deaths.
The GDPH report states that 10 individuals reside approximately less than one mile from the booster station; seven individuals reside approximately one mile; three individuals reside approximately between one and two miles; and eight individuals reside approximately two miles from the station.
GDPH staff compared the information provided by C.O.P.S. with vital records to verity reported deaths. The health officials concluded that cancer deaths were not elevated in the Transco area. Elevated miscarriages around the facility were also a concern. But the health report states that their investigation showed “the lowest percentage of fetal deaths in Madison County occurred in the census track where Transco is located.”
The Williams Transco booster station in Comer is one of three pipeline stations in Madison County. The Transco line pumps natural gas up the eastern seaboard. Meanwhile, two petroleum lines — Colonial Pipeline (off Hwy. 29) and Plantation Pipeline (off Hwy. 106) — also have booster stations in the county. Booster stations help push the fuel through the lines.
According to the federal government, Transco can emit up to 6,000 tons of pollutants from its engine and turbine stacks into the air each year. Formaldehyde emissions from the plant have been reported at approximately 185 tons annually.
The report stated that the emission level does not pose a hazard to surrounding residents.
“Based on the results, GDPH concludes that exposure to the predicted formaldehyde levels in air for the closest residential areas to Transco are not expected to cause harmful health effects,” the report stated.
Jill McElheney, leader of C.O.P.S., says she presented the detailed data from the GDPH report on acceptable formaldehyde levels to an epidemiologist who concluded that the levels deemed “acceptable” in the report are too high.
McElheney has planned a final C.O.P.S. meeting at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, June 23, at the county senior center to discuss the report. The meeting is open to the public. C.O.P.S. formed in 2006 to address concerns about spills from the Colonial Pipeline Booster Station. Members then expanded their discussions to the other two pipelines in the county.
“At the final COPS meeting this month, light will be shed onto new revelations and false information revealed in these reports,” said McElheney in a letter to C.O.P.S. members. “I will also provide you with resources on pipeline health and safety so you can continue to be vigilant about your environmental health.”
McElheney said she doesn’t trust the conclusions in the GDPH report.
“I am concerned about what is being reported as fact to the community by government agencies...and then these giant leaps of faith that a scientific document can make to brush off emerging problems in Madison County,” said McElheney. “… GA public health owes the Comer residents an apology for pretending to be a protector and defender of their health when in actuality they sold the residents’ lives out for 30 pieces of silver.”
The health report also addressed health concerns around the Colonial Pipeline and Plantation Pipeline booster stations.
Colonial Pipeline reported leaks at its booster station in the late 1960s and 1970s. Then, in 1994 petroleum odors were noticed in the booster station water supply. Roughly 30 residential wells around the station tested positive for petroleum contamination. And Colonial Pipeline purchased properties from at least 20 homeowners with contaminated wells. Several years ago, Colonial provided close to $1 million for the county to install a water line from Madico Park to the affected area south of Danielsville. The report stated that “there is no exposure pathway to carcinogenic compounds in groundwater contaminated by operations at Colonial” and that “no additional public health actions are recommended at this time.”
The GDPH also investigated the Plantation Pipeline booster station, where in 2003, approximately 33,000 of gasoline spilled from the site.
“Private water supply wells located within one-half mile of the site were sampled and on two occasions, contaminants were detected and residents were notified,” the report stated. “Follow up sampling did not detect contaminants in any wells.”
The GDPH noted that monitoring of private wells around the spill continues.
“There are no public health recommendations at this time,” the report stated.
These arrogant companies should be required to have impartial parties test all wells regularly in all areas across the country that they impact. I would definitely include all nuclear power plants in this catagory in addition to all the other testing that should be done around those monsters.
Also has anyone seen people taking equipment across these pipe lines that they should not have done ?
Mr. Mitchum should have included their contact information in the article. I wonder why he didn't.
Sorry for my error.