Charles Shiflett Column September 25, 2005

Bartow County Is A Nasty Place

I've never considered myself to be a staunch environmentalist. Radical groups like the Sierra Club tend
to get off track by devoting resources to liberal causes like legalized abortion. However, the headline in
the Tribune several days ago did catch my attention… “Group Study: Bowen Belches Too Much
Mercury.” I wasn't really surprised by the article, but it spurred me into doing a little research; the
results of which might shock you.

My interest in mercury exposure initially developed last fall when a doctor recommended I have a
heavy metals test performed. For several years I've battled recurring bouts of bronchitis and laryngitis,
and countless other medical tests had revealed no apparent cause.

Exposure to heavy metals can cause problems with immune system function and the doctor felt it was
worth checking out. The results shocked my doctor and me. They revealed that the mercury levels in
my body were highly elevated, and my levels of arsenic and cadmium were even higher.

Of course the doctor grilled me about possible sources of exposure to these metals, but we couldn't
readily come up with an answer. I was treated with a medication late last year that helps remove these
metals and I've had no more bouts with bronchitis or laryngitis… that is until a few weeks ago.

This summer I've really begun to question the safety of living in Bartow County. I cut my grass in late
July and though I wore a dust mask, later that night I quickly developed another bout of severe
bronchitis. As I watched the 11:00 PM Atlanta news, I learned that we had been under a Code Orange
Smog Alert that day.

A couple of days later we headed to Myrtle Beach for vacation and my bronchitis disappeared except
for the one day we spent time further inland, away from the clean ocean breezes. Upon returning home
to Bartow County, the bronchitis flared back up with a vengeance and I'm still battling it.

So in addition to worrying about further exposure to mercury and other heavy metals, I now have to
concern myself with avoiding air pollution. It might be time for you to start worrying too. The pollution
statistics for Bartow County aren't pretty.

A lot of folks in this area suffer from asthma, chronic bronchitis, and other breathing disorders. Plus
Northwest Georgia is known as a hotbed for cancer. I personally feel there's a connection between
these problems and the air, ground, and water pollution we are continually exposed to… and a lot of
doctors and scientists agree.

The Tribune article cited a study that stated only thirty other counties in the entire nation have higher
mercury emissions than Bartow County. My research revealed that coal-fired power plants like Bowen
emit over 30% of the nation's environmentally released mercury. Other major sources are cement
plants, pulp & paper mills, and chlorine plants.

The Environmental Protection Agency has Bartow County ranked as a non-attainment area for both
fine particulate matter and ground level ozone. Diesel exhaust is the primary source for fine
particulates and despite clean air efforts, the quickening growth we are experiencing can only
exacerbate this problem.

Scorecard.org, a pollution statistics website, paints a very bleak picture for Bartow County. In
numerous categories Bartow ranks as one of the dirtiest counties in the nation… showing up as a
worst ten percent county many times. This includes the category of cancer risk from environmental
pollutants.

The Scorecard site shows the top cancer-causing agent released in Bartow County is arsenic. Bartow
is ranked as the 38th worst county in the nation for release of arsenic and is the worst in Georgia. The
top non-cancer risk for Bartow County is mercury. Do those ring a bell from my test?

Bartow County is ranked as the 22nd worst county in the nation for overall release of toxic chemicals
into the environment, with an annual release of 22,482,899 pounds in the latest Scorecard report.
Some of the primary chemicals released here are hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, hydrofluoric acid,
and a number of various toxic metal compounds.

According to Scorecard, Georgia Power's Plant Bowen is the 18th worst pollution generator in the
nation.

Many of Bartow's largest employers show up on the list of major polluters. I'm pro-business and we
can't expect industry to fund the purchase of needed massive pollution reducing equipment overnight,
but we can no longer sidestep the issue.

Of course Bartow County is not alone. Almost the entire Golden Triangle area, Chattanooga to
Birmingham to Atlanta and back, is not a friendly place if you want to avoid toxic substances and
pollution.

I enjoy vacationing at the ocean and feel a lot better while there, but I'm not a water guy. My ideal
dream home would be situated on a large tract of land on top of a mountain up in the Smokies. Maybe
that fresh mountain air would be the cure. Not so fast… according to the EPA, some of the most
polluted air in the southeast is in the mountain counties of eastern Tennessee and western North
Carolina.

I don't buy into all the hype about global warming, and most meteorologists and scientists believe
global warming has nothing to do with increased hurricane activity. The earth is just going through
natural cycles. But I do realize that we have a serious pollution problem, and maybe that makes me
an environmentalist after all.