The Brockovich Report

The wise ones of the world know a lot about secrets.

Einstein said, "Know where to find the information and how to use it - That's the secret of success." And how right he was, more so now than in his own time. Because we live in the information age, an age when information is a commodity, easily found, sometimes bought and sold, and rarely kept secret. It's hard to believe in this day and time that there are secrets that can be kept. It is inevitable that secrets are found out, especially big ones. This all reminds me of a conference I once attended, where the speaker said "Look for the garbage." It's all there, in the garbage, and if you look long enough and hard enough, you'll find the secrets. Racine said, "There are no secrets that time does not reveal." and I believe that is true. I've seen it time and again, and now at this time, we are seeing it unfolding before our eyes in Portsmouth, where some deadly secrets have come to light.

The Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant is a former Department of Energy Nuclear facility currently involved in a case about to go to trial. The government had been keeping a secret. For many decades, the Portsmouth facility released radioactive and nonradioactive chemicals into the air, water and soil. Nonradioactive materials include chromium, fluorides, trichloroethylene (TCE), nitric acid, chlorine and asbestos.

These are some pretty harmful secrets to be keeping.

How can these things harm us? Let me count the ways:

Breathing in chromium in a compound like chromic acid or chromium trioxide, can cause irritation to the nose, such as runny nose, sneezing, itching, nosebleeds, ulcers, and holes in the nasal septum. Long-term exposure to chromium has been associated with lung cancer.

Intake of fluorine compounds over an extended period of time can cause yellowing of teeth, hypothyroidism, brittle bones, and has a corrosive effect on the mucous membrane which lines the gut.

Trichloroethylene causes fever, tremors, sinus tachycardia and loss of consciousness.

Nitric acid causes a burning sensation on the skin, serious skin burns, pain, yellow discoloration, cough, labored breathing. If consumed, it causes abdominal pain, internal burning sensation and shock. Of course all of this is just short term exposure. Who knows what it does over time?

Inhaling chlorine causes breathing difficulty, throat swelling, and pulmonary edema. That's not all. Chlorine intake can cause severe pain in the throat, severe pain or burning in the nose, eyes, ears, lips, or tongue, loss of vision, burns, necrosis in the skin and underlying tissues.

And as far as the asbestos--it causes mesothelioma, which is fatal.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention the radioactive pollution: uranium and technetium. Uranium intake damages the kidneys which try to filter it out. 50 to 150 mg causes death. Technetium exposure causes nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain. And of course, it has a radioactive half life of 212000 years.

So, let's get back to the residents of Piketon Ohio who have been exposed to all of this. No one disclosed the exposure to the residents. Yesterday, on Sept 4, Judge Walter Rice was scheduled to set a date for a jury trial.

I feel I have a personal stake in this particular fight. I've met some of the residents involved; they came to one of my speeches.

I address the last of this blog directly to you, residents of Piketon Ohio. I will we watching the news to follow the events of the upcoming trial, and I hope and pray that all goes well for you. You never waivered in your convictions.

Winning takes a fight. Though there are no pleasures in a fight, it will nevertheless be a pleasure to see you win. Stay strong. and know you are already winners!

Erin