better trail conditions today

Today was an overcast, slightly cool day, but the trails were certainly in better condition than they were yesterday. What a difference a day makes. Cooler days make me walk faster. A great day to take a walk in the forest.

About the song: Stairway to Heaven, written by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, is perhaps the greatest rock and roll song of all time. My two favorite songs ever are Stairway to Heaven and American Pie. Stairway to Heaven is almost 13 minutes long, and American Pie is about 17 minutes long, and I can listen to both of them over and over and over . . . The neatest thing is, so can my daughters. These songs bridge generations. They bridge time. That's what great songs do. I think I grew up in the best time in history for music. I grew up in the late sixties. Rock and roll ruled my generation and Stairway to Heaven was our anthem. I see kids today wearing Led Zeppelin t-shirts and it always makes me smile. I was there. I grew up with Page and Plant and the pioneers of rock and roll.
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Song 294: Stairway To Heaven
Artist: Led Zeppelin
Album: Led Zeppelin 4 [Zoso]
Year: 1971
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Theres a lady whos sure
All that glitters is gold
And shes buying a stairway to heaven.
When she gets there she knows
If the stores are all closed
With a word she can get what she came for.
Ooh, ooh, and shes buying a stairway to heaven.

Theres a sign on the wall
But she wants to be sure
cause you know sometimes words have two meanings.
In a tree by the brook
Theres a songbird who sings,
Sometimes all of our thoughts are misgiven.
Ooh, it makes me wonder,
Ooh, it makes me wonder.

Theres a feeling I get
When I look to the west,
And my spirit is crying for leaving.
In my thoughts I have seen
Rings of smoke through the trees,
And the voices of those who standing looking.
Ooh, it makes me wonder,
Ooh, it really makes me wonder.

And its whispered that soon
If we all call the tune
Then the piper will lead us to reason.
And a new day will dawn
For those who stand long
And the forests will echo with laughter.

If theres a bustle in your hedgerow
Dont be alarmed now,
Its just a spring clean for the may queen.
Yes, there are two paths you can go by
But in the long run
Theres still time to change the road youre on.
And it makes me wonder.

Your head is humming and it wont go
In case you dont know,
The pipers calling you to join him,
Dear lady, can you hear the wind blow,
And did you know
Your stairway lies on the whispering wind.

And as we wind on down the road
Our shadows taller than our soul.
There walks a lady we all know
Who shines white light and wants to show
How evrything still turns to gold.
And if you listen very hard
The tune will come to you at last.
When all are one and one is all
To be a rock and not to roll.

And shes buying a stairway to heaven.

underwater trail

On the white trail today at lunchtime, this picture shows you just how saturated the ground is in our area. We have had tons of rain in the past few weeks. Temperature at hike time today was around 50 with a 15-18 mph wind. It felt a bit cool in the open areas, but very comfortable in the forest, away from the wind. I enjoy hiking the trails in the parks around our city. It is a nice to be able to take a break from the rush of the day and enjoy the outdoors for just a little while. I try to hike these trails about three times a week, and sometimes on the weekend . . . when I can get in a little bit longer hike. During the week, I usually walk 2.5 to 3.5 miles during lunch. On the weekend, I like to hike 10-15 miles.

About the song: Southern Man, written by Neil Young, is one of those songs that make me stop what I'm doing and listen to the lyrics. Have you ever listened to the lyrics of this song? They appear to be about the days of slavery, but I think Mr. young was talking about current history. It was written in 1971, but it applies today as well. I think we've come a long way in the area of race relations, but we have a long way to go. The first thing the TI [Training Instructor] screamed at us as we got off the bus in the middle of the night at Lackland Air Force Base in the fall of 1972 was . . . "Look around you, I don't see but one color here . . . Green. We are all green. I don't see no black or white or red or yellow, all I see is green. You better get used to it, because you are green!" I think about that night often. And he was right. During my years in the Air Force, we were all on even ground. We all wore green. None of us had hair. We ate together, showered together, slept together, marched together, worked together . . . and it was great! One of the things I love about the company I work for is the fact that it is an international company, with people from all over the globe working side by side, helping to close the gap.
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Song 293: Southern Man
Artist: Crosby Stills Nash and Young
Album: 4 Way Street
Year: 1971
--------------------------------------------------

Southern man
better keep your head
Don't forget
what your good book said
Southern change
gonna come at last
Now your crosses
are burning fast
Southern man

I saw cotton
and I saw black
Tall white mansions
and little shacks.
Southern man
when will you
pay them back?
I heard screamin'
and bullwhips cracking
How long? How long?

Southern man
better keep your head
Don't forget
what your good book said
Southern change
gonna come at last
Now your crosses
are burning fast
Southern man

Lily Belle,
your hair is golden brown
I've seen your black man
comin' round
Swear by God
I'm gonna cut him down!
I heard screamin'
and bullwhips cracking
How long? How long?

press check

One of the pleasures of being a graphic designer is attending press checks. Newsletter design has been part of my job description with every position I have held as a graphic designer all these many years. I love newsletters. The layout. The photography and typography. Headlines. Copy fitting. And press checks. When all the pages have been designed and proofs have been approved, the final step before producing any printed piece is the press check. At a press check, the inks are in the press, the plates are on the rollers, and the press rolls out the first sheets of a job. Print production managers, pressmen, plant managers, customers, and graphic designers gather at the light box to look at these first sheets, checking for print quality, color consistency, paper integrity, tonality, and all the minute details of the job before the presses roll at full speed to produce the job.

Today I attended the press check for the latest issue of the bi-monthly merchant newsletter I design and layout. When you work with great pressmen and great printers, the press check is easy and painless. Less experienced pressmen or aging equipment can turn a press check into a nightmare. Fortunately for me . . . and my company, we deal with the best printers and the best pressmen. Today's press check was easy and painless. I even enjoyed the smell of fresh ink as the presses rolled. Fresh soy-based ink.
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Song 292: Slippin Into Darkness
Artist: War
Album: All Day Music
Year: 1971
--------------------------------------------------

Slippin into darkness
Take my mind beyond the dreams
I was slippin into darkness
Take my mind beyond the dreams

Where I talk to my brother, oh, oh, oh
Who never said their name

Slippin into darkness
When I heard my mother say
I was slippin into darkness
When I heard my mother say
(Hey, whatd she say, whatd she say)

You been slippin into darkness, oh, oh, oh
Pretty soon youre gonna pay

oh, oh, oh, oh

red roses

My wife's Valentine roses are in full bloom today and they look very nice.

I must admit that the past ten posts have not been fun to blog. Talking about the world's most polluted places is not pleasant. I know there are polluted places all over the globe. There are contaminated areas all around us. Manufacturers and factories are more aware of the results of polluting today than they were 20 or 40 years ago. Most companies take precautions to curb pollutants and protect the environment and neighborhoods around them. Some areas of the world find themselves at about the same level of awareness and response that the United States was experiencing 50 years ago or more. Without scientific and technical advances, how can we expect the entire world to be contamination free. Emerging countries need and deserve the help of the rest of the world to keep pollution in check. We have to take care of the planet we live on. It's the only one we have. I hope it's not too late!

I grew up in a textile manufacturing region of North Carolina. The main industry in my hometown was a textile mill. My brothers worked there for years. One of my brothers worked there until retirement. He was exposed to chemical fumes, dyes and harmful liquids every day. There were very few safety measures in place, and very little concern for employees. As a result, my brother has suffered over the years. He has spent many hours in hospital beds, many hours in surgery, many days in treatment to try to repair the damage done. I love my brother immeasureably, and it hurts to know that he is still suffering from the carelessness of others.

I have a request. Please keep my brother and his family in your thoughts and prayers as they deal with the aftermath of contamination and pollution.

world's ten most polluted places: [01] sumgayit, azerbaijan

Sumgayit was an industrial center during the Soviet era. Photo and information credit: The Blacksmith Institute

Potentially Affected People: 275,000

Type of Pollutants: Organic chemicals, oil, heavy metals including mercury.

Source of Pollution: Petrochemical and Industrial Complexes

The Problem: Sumgayit was a major Soviet industrial center housing more than 40 factories manufacturing industrial and agricultural chemicals. These included synthetic rubber, chlorine, aluminium, detergents, and pesticides. While the factories remained fully operational, 70 to 120,000 tons of harmful emissions were released into the air annually. With the emphasis placed on maximum, low-cost production at the expense of environmental and occupational health and safety, industry has left the city heavily contaminated. Factory workers and residents of the city have been exposed to a combination of high-level occupational and environmental pollution problems for several decades.

Untreated sewage and mercury-contaminated sludge (from chlor-alkali industries) continue to be dumped haphazardly. A continuing lack of pollution controls, dated technologies and the improper disposal and treatment of accumulated industrial waste are just some of the issues that plague the city.

Health Impacts: Sumgayit had one of the highest morbidity rates during the Soviet Era and the legacy of illness and death persist. A study jointly conducted by the UNDP, WHO, Azerbaijan Republic Ministry of Health and the University of Alberta demonstrated that residents of Sumgayit experience intensely high levels of both cancer morbidity and mortality. Cancer rates in Sumgayit are 22-51% higher than average incidence rates in the rest of Azerbaijan. Mortality rates from cancer are 8% higher. Evidence suggests that lower reported cancer rates are flawed as a result of underreporting.

A high percentage of babies are born premature, stillborn, and with genetic defects like downs syndrome, anencephaly, spina bifida, hydrocephalus, bone disease, and mutations such as club feet, cleft palate, and additional digits.

Status of Clean-Up Activity: The government of Azerbaijan has obtained international support for the economic and environmental rehabilitation of the city from several United Nations organizations, including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Health Organization (WHO). The UNDP helped to create the Sumgayit Centre for Environmental Rehabilitation (SCER) to research and prioritize the environmental problems and propose programs to address them. A number of environmental epidemiology courses were held in Baku to strengthen the capacity of local experts.

In 2003, the World Bank launched a US $2.7 million project for the cleanup of a chlorine producing plant where 1,566 tons of mercury were spilled, including the construction of a secure landfill. Other international projects funded by UK and Japan have also been implemented.

Reports indicate that only 20% of Soviet Era polluting factories are still operating and there are ongoing debates about closure of the remaining number. However, even if all the polluting industries are dealt with, there remains a significant legacy clean-up challenge.
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Song 291: Sandman
Artist: America
Album: America
Year: 1971
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Aint it foggy outside
All the planes have been grounded
Aint the fire inside?
Lets all go stand around it
Funny, Ive been there
And youve been here
And we aint had no time to drink that beer

cause I understand youve been running from the man
That goes by the name of the sandman
He flies the sky like an eagle in the eye
Of a hurricane thats abandoned

Aint the years gone by fast
I suppose you have missed them
Oh, I almost forgot to ask
Did you hear of my enlistment?

Funny, Ive been there
And youve been here
And we aint had no time to drink that beer

cause I understand youve been running from the man
That goes by the name of the sandman
He flies the sky like an eagle in the eye
Of a hurricane thats abandoned

I understand youve been running from the man
That goes by the name of the sandman
He flies the sky like an eagle in the eye
Of a hurricane thats abandoned

I understand youve been running from the man
That goes by the name of the sandman
He flies the sky like an eagle in the eye
Of a hurricane thats abandoned

I understand youve been running from the man
That goes by the name of the sandman
He flies the sky like an eagle in the eye
Of a hurricane thats abandoned

world's ten most polluted places: [02] linfen, china

Information credit: The Blacksmith Institute.

Potentially Affected People: 3,000,000

Type of Pollutants: Fly-ash, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, PM-2.5, PM-10, sulfur dioxide, volatile organic compounds, arsenic, lead.

Source of Pollution: Automobile and industrial emissions

The Problem: Shanxi Province is at the heart of China's enormous and expanding coal industry, providing about two thirds of the nation's energy. Within this highly polluted region, Linfen has been identified as one of its most polluted cities with residents claiming that they literally choke on coal dust in the evenings. In terms of air quality, the World Bank has stated that 16 out of 20 of the world's worst polluted cities are in China while the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) has branded Linfen as having the worst air quality in the country. Levels of SO2 and other particulates are many times higher than limits set by the World Health Organization.

Rapid development and unequivocal faith in industry has led to the development of hundreds of unregulated coal mines, steel factories and refineries which have not only polluted indiscriminately but have also diverted agricultural water sources. Water is so tightly rationed that even the provincial capital receives water for only a few hours each day.

Health Impacts: The high levels of pollution are taking a serious toll on the health of Linfen's inhabitants. Local clinics are seeing growing cases of bronchitis, pneumonia, and lung cancer. The children of Shanxi Province also have high rates of lead poisoning. A growing number of local deaths in recent years have been linked to these overwhelming pollution levels.

Arsenicosis, a disease caused by drinking elevated concentrations of arsenic found in water is at epidemic levels in the area. Chronic exposure to this toxic chemical results in skin lesions, peripheral vascular disease, hypertension, blackfoot disease, and high cancer incidence rates. A study of Shanxi's well water published in Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology found the rate of unsafe well water in the province to be at an alarming 52%.

Status of Clean-Up Activity: By the end of this year, the city of Linfen plans to shut down 160 of 196 of its iron foundries and 57 of 153 of its coal producing plants. Small, highly polluting plants will be replaced with larger, cleaner, more regulated facilities. Emissions will be cut further by shifting from coal to gas for central heating. Last year, Linfen's residents gained 15 more days of clean, breathable air as a result of newly implemented initiatives. In addition to air quality improvement, the local government also hopes to prevent serious coal mine accidents, which at this point are the cause of more than 10 deaths annually.
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Song 290: Roundabout
Artist: Yes
Album: Fragile
Year: 1971
--------------------------------------------------

Ill be the round about
The words will make you out n out
You change the day your way
Call it morning driving thru the sound and
In and out the valley

The muses dance and sing
They make the children really ring
I spend the day your way
Call it morning driving thru the sound and
In and out the valley

Chorus
In and around the lake
Mountains come out of the sky and they
Stand there
One mile over well be there and well see
You
Ten true summers well be there and
Laughing too
Twenty four before my love youll see Ill be
There with you

I will remember you
Your silhouette will charge the view
Of distance atmosphere
Call it morning driving thru the sound and
Even in the valley

Chorus

Along the drifting cloud the eagle searching
Down on the land
Catching the swirling wind the sailor sees
The rim of the land
The eagles dancing wings create as weather
Spins out of hand
Go closer hold the land feel partly no more
Than grains of sand
We stand to lose all time a thousand answers
By in our hand
Next to your deeper fears we stand
Surrounded by a million years

Ill be the roundabout
The words will make you out n out
Ill be the roundabout
The words will make you out n out

Chorus

Ill be the roundabout
The words will make you out n out
I spend the day your way
Call it morning driving thru the sound and
In and out the valley

world's ten most polluted places: [03] tianying, china

Information credit: The Blacksmith Institute

Potentially Affected People: 140,000

Type of Pollutants: Lead and other heavy metals

Source of Pollution: Mining and processing

The Problem: Tianying in Anhui province is one of the largest lead production bases in China, with an output accounting for half of the country's total production. Low-level technologies, illegal operation and the lack of any serious pollution control measures in the firms have caused several severe lead poisoning cases in the region. It is also believed that there are numerous small scale recycling plants in the area, which are notorious for polluting. As a result of these indiscriminate practices, lead processing firms in Tianying have been pressured by local residents and officials to shut down their operations.

The average lead concentrations in air and soils were (respectively) 8.5 times and 10 times national health standards. Eighty-five per cent of air samples collected had lead concentrations higher than the national standards. Local crops and wheat at farmers' homes were also contaminated by lead dust, with some levels 24 times higher than national standards.

Health Impacts: Residents, particularly children, are reported to suffer from lead poisoning and its related effects: lead encephalopathy, lower IQs, short attention spans, learning disabilities, hyperactivity, impaired physical growth, hearing and visual problems, stomach aches, irritation of the colon, kidney malfunction, anemia and brain damage. Pregnant women have reported numerous cases of premature births and smaller/underdeveloped infants.

Status of Clean-Up Activity: In June of 2000 SEPA (State Administration of Environmental Protection) designated this area as one of the eight worst polluted sites in China. The local administration ordered that all lead processing firms be shut down until they addressed their environmental impacts. The government has demanded that all lead processing firms move their operations to a specified industrial zone and improve their treatment facilities. New lead smelters in China will have to be large scale, modern and with adequate pollution controls. It is not known how effectively these orders are being implemented.
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Song 289: Rock and Roll
Artist: Led Zeppelin
Album: IV [zoso]
Year: 1971
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Its been a long time since I rock and rolled,
Its been a long time since I did the stroll.
Ooh, let me get it back, let me get it back,
Let me get it back, baby, where I come from.
Its been a long time, been a long time,
Been a long lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely time.
Yes it has.
Its been a long time since the book of love,
I cant count the tears of a life with no love.
Carry me back, carry me back,
Carry me back, baby, where I come from.
Its been a long time, been a long time,
Been a long lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely time.
Seems so long since we walked in the moonlight,
Making vows that just cant work right.
Open your arms, opens your arms,
Open your arms, baby, let my love come running in.
Its been a long time, been a long time,
Been a long lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely time.

world's ten most polluted places: [04] sukinda, india

Women workers are exposed to water contaminated with hexavalent chromium. Photo and information credit: The Blacksmith Institute.

Potentially Affected People: 2,600,000

Type of Pollutants: Hexavalent chromium and other metals

Source of Pollution: Chromite mines and processing

The Problem: Sukinda Valley, in the State of Orissa, contains 97% of India's chromite ore deposits and one of the largest open cast chromite ore mines in the world. Twelve mines continue to operate without any environmental management plans and over 30 million tons of waste rock are spread over the surrounding areas and the Brahmani riverbanks. Untreated water is discharged by the mines into the river. This area is also flood-prone, resulting in further contamination of the waterways. Approximately 70% of the surface water and 60% of the drinking water contains hexavalent chromium at more than double national and international standards and levels of over 20 times the standard have been recorded. The Brahmani River is the only water source for the residents and treatment facilities are extremely limited. The State Pollution Control Board has conceded that the water quality at various locations suffers from very high levels of contamination. The air and soils are also heavily impacted.

Health Impacts: Chromite mine workers are constantly exposed to contaminated dust and water. Gastrointestinal bleeding, tuberculosis and asthma are common ailments. Infertility, birth defects, and stillbirths and have also resulted. The Orissa Voluntary Health Association (OVHA), funded by the Norwegian government, reports acute health problems in the area. OVHA reported that 84.75% of deaths in the mining areas and 86.42% of deaths in the nearby industrial villages occurred due to chromite-mine related diseases. The survey report determined that villages less than one kilometre from the sites were the worst affected, with 24.47% of the inhabitants found to be suffering from pollution-induced diseases.

Status of Clean-Up Activity: Sukinda is a classic example of pollution where the wastes are spread over a large area and residents are affected by the chromium through multiple pathways. The pollution problem from the chromite mines is well known and the mining industry has taken some steps to reduce the levels of contamination by installing treatment plants. However, according to state audits from Orissa, these fail to meet agency regulations. The Orissa government has said, "It is unique, it is gigantic and it is beyond the means and purview of the [Orissa Pollution Control] Board to solve the problem."

Various organizations have carried out studies proving the debilitating health impacts of the toxic pollution. However, remediation actions remain piecemeal with no decisive plans to provide for effective health monitoring and abatement programs.
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Song 288: Put Your Hand In The Hand
Artist: Joan Baez
Album: Blessed Are . . .
Year: 1971
------------------------------------------------

Put your hand in the hand of the man
Who stilled the water
Put your hand in the hand of the man
Who calmed the sea
Take a look at yourself
And you can look at others differently
Put your hand in the hand of the man
From Galilee

My momma taught me how to pray
Before I reached the age of seven
When I'm down on my knees
That's when I'm closest to heaven
Daddy lived his life, two kids and a wife
Well you do what you must do
But he showed me enough of what it takes
To get me through.

Put your hand in the hand of the man
Who stilled the water
Put your hand in the hand of the man
Who calmed the sea
Take a look at yourself
And you can look at others differently
Put your hand in the hand of the man
From Galilee

Put your hand in the hand of the man
Who stilled the water
Put your hand in the hand of the man
Who calmed the sea
Take a look at yourself
And you can look at others differently
Put your hand in the hand of the man
From Galilee

Put your hand in the hand of the man
Who stilled the water
Put your hand in the hand of the man
Who calmed the sea
Take a look at yourself
And you can look at others differently
Put your hand in the hand of the man
From Galilee
Put your hand in the hand of the man from Galilee
Put your hand in the hand of the man from Galilee

world's ten most polluted places: [05] vapi, india

The waste products discharged contain heavy metals, cyanides, pesticides, complex aromatic compounds (such as polychlorinated biphenyls or PCBs), and other toxics. Photo and information credit: The Blacksmith Institute

Potentially Affected People: 71,000

Type of Pollutants: Chemicals and heavy metals

Source of Pollution: Industrial estates

The Problem: The town of Vapi marks the southern end of India's "Golden Corridor", a 400 km belt of industrial estates in the state of Gujarat which includes Nandesari, Ankleshwar, and Vapi. There are over 50 industrial estates in the region including more than 1,000 individual industries that extend over more than a thousand acres. Many of these are chemical manufacturing estates producing petrochemicals, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, textiles, dyes, fertilizers, leather products, paint, and chlor-alkali.

The waste products discharged contain heavy metals, cyanides, pesticides, complex aromatic compounds (such as polychlorinated biphenyls or PCBs), and other toxics. Vapi and the Ankleshwar area were declared "critically polluted" by the Central Pollution Control Board of India (CPCB) in 1994. This followed a survey that revealed that there was no system in place to dispose of industrial waste at these estates. Down to Earth, an environmental magazine based in India, conducted an analysis on the groundwater and found exceedingly high levels of mercury, lead and zinc. Mercury in Vapi's groundwater is reported to be 96 times higher than WHO health standards. Effluents drain directly into the Damanganga and Kolak Rivers; water downstream of the Kolak is now unable to support much biological life. Active dumping is also reported in at least one industrial site. Air pollution results from emissions due to the improper handling of chemicals by industries.

Local produce has been found to contain up to 60 times more heavy metals (copper, chromium, cadmium, zinc, nickel, lead, iron) than non-contaminated produce in control groups. Heavy metal analyses have revealed that both the effluents and sediments collected were contaminated with cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, mercury, nickel and zinc. Sediment samples were found to contain 17 organohalogen compounds, including chlorobenzenes and PCBs as well as a range of other organic compounds including benzene derivatives and pesticides.

Health Impacts: Many residents have no choice but to drink contaminated well water as other clean water sources are more than a mile away. The Indian Medical Association reported that most of the drinking water supplies are contaminated, because of the absence of a proper system for disposing industrial effluents. This has resulted in very high incidences of respiratory diseases, chemical dermatitis, carcinoma, skin, lung and throat cancers. Women in the area report exceedingly high incidences of spontaneous abortions, bleeding during pregnancy, abnormal fetuses, and infertility. Children's ailments include respiratory and skin diseases and retarded growth.

Status of Clean-Up Activity: In the late 1990s, Vapi Industries Association incorporated the Vapi Waste and Management Company to set up and operate a common effluent treatment plant to collect and purify effluents from the major plants. However, the operation of the plant has been determined to be unsatisfactory by the Supreme Court Monitoring Committee. The efforts to improve the local river and water quality are hampered by the haphazard dumping of sludge from the treatment plant and the widespread dumping of various industrial and hazardous wastes in the general area. There has been considerable NGO activity and efforts by environmental authorities effective cleanup at the various sites remains limited.

Several treatment, storage and disposal facilities (TSDFs) are now coming into operation in the area and can deal with some of the ongoing wastes but in the absence of a comprehensive and committed clean-up effort, the problems in Vapi will remain.
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Song 287: Planet Queen
Artist: T Rex
Album: Electric Warrior
Year: 1971
--------------------------------------------------

Planet Queen
Perchance to dream
She used my head
Like an exploder
The Planet Queen

The worlds the same
I am to blame
She used my head
Like a revolver
The world's the same

Well it's all right
Love is what you want
Flying saucer take me away
Give me your daughter

Dragon head
Machine of lead
Cadillac King
Dancer in the midnight
Dragon head

Planet Queen
Perchance to dream
She used my head
Like a revolver
The world's the same

world's ten most polluted places: [06] la oroya, peru

Peru's Clean Air Act cites La Oroya in a list of Peruvian towns suffering from critical levels of air pollution. Photo and information credit: The Blacksmith Institute

Potentially Affected People: 35,000

Type of Pollutants: Lead, copper, zinc, and sulfur dioxide.

Source of Pollution: Heavy metal mining and processing

The Problem: Since 1922, adults and children in La Oroya, Peru - a mining town in the Peruvian Andes and the site of a poly-metallic smelter - have been exposed to the toxic emissions and wastes from the plant. Peru's Clean Air Act cites La Oroya in a list of Peruvian towns suffering from critical levels of air pollution, but action to clean up and curtail this pollution has been delayed for area's 35,000 inhabitants. The plant has been largely responsible for the dangerously high lead levels found in children's blood.

Health Impacts: Ninety-nine percent of children living in and around La Oroya have blood lead levels that exceed acceptable limits, according to studies carried out by the Director General of Environmental Health in Peru in 1999. Lead poisoning is known to be particularly harmful to the mental development of children. A survey conducted by the Peruvian Ministry of Health in 1999 revealed blood lead levels among local children to be dangerously high, averaging 33.6 µg/dL for children between the ages of 6 months to ten years, triple the WHO limit of 10 µg/dL. Neurologists at local hospitals state that even newborn children have high blood lead levels, inherited while still in the womb. Absurdly large rates of premature deaths are linked to noxious gasses from the smelter. Lung-related ailments are commonplace.

Sulfur dioxide concentrations also exceed the World Health Organization guidelines by a factor of ten. The vegetation in the surrounding area has been destroyed by acid rain due to high sulfur dioxide emissions. To date, the extent of soil contamination has not been studied and no plan for clean up has been prepared.

Numerous studies have been carried out to assess the levels and sources of lead and other metals still being deposited in La Oroya. Limited testing has revealed lead, arsenic and cadmium soil contamination throughout the town.

Status of Clean-Up Activity: An environmental management plan has been developed for the processing plant. However, a four-year extension to the plant's environmental management plan was granted in 2004. Some sampling and testing has been done in the local communities and the areas outside the plant to determine the levels of pollutants.

The government's national environmental council approved a Contingency Plan for States of Alert (CONAM) on August 10th of 2007. Its purpose will be to limit the exposure of the affected population by issuing red alerts to stay inside in response to highly toxic air quality and weather conditions that exacerbate pollution levels.
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Song 286: People, Let's Stop The War
Artist: Grand Funk Railroad
Album: E Pluribus Funk
Year: 1971
--------------------------------------------------

Ooo, Ooo, Ooo, Ooo-Ooo, Ooo, Ooo, Ooo

Hey all you people, for goodness sake,
Let's get together, what does it take,
To make you understand the value of a man?
I'm talkin' about your son and neighbor, yes I am. Oh ...

CHORUS
People let's stop the war.
People let's stop the war.
People let's stop the war.
People let's stop the war.

If we had a president, that did just what he said,
The country would be just alright, and no one would be dead,
From fighting in a war, that causes big men to get rich.
There's money in them war machines, now ain't this a bitch? Oh ...

CHORUS

I been excited, ain't nobody ready.
They don't know what to get ready for.
Let's get ready and stop the war.

Ooo ... excited, ain't nobody ready.
They don't know what to get ready for.
Let's get ready and stop the war.

I been excited, ain't nobody ready.
They don't know what to get ready for.
Let's get ready and stop the war.

Ooo ... excited, ain't nobody ready.
They don't know what to get ready for.
Let's get ready and stop the war.

Ooo, Ooo, Ooo, Ooo-Ooo, Ooo, Ooo, Ooo

world's ten most polluted places: [07] dzerzhinsk, russia

The Guinness Book of World Records has named Dzerzhinsk the most chemically polluted city in the world. Photo and information credit: The Blacksmith Institute.

Potentially Affected People: 300,000

Type of Pollutants: Chemicals and toxic byproducts, including Sarin, VX gas, etc. Also lead, phenols.

Source of Pollution: Cold War-era chemical weapons manufacturing

The Problem: Until the end of the Cold War, Dzerzhinsk was among Russia's principal production sites of chemical weapons. Today, Dzerzhinsk is still a significant center of Russian chemical manufacturing. The city was also home to a leaded gasoline factory that produced TEL, a potent toxin. However, little attention was paid to the impacts of all this production. According to figures from Dzerzhinsk's environmental agency almost 300,000 tons of chemical waste were improperly disposed between 1930 and 1998. In this waste, around 190 identified chemicals have been released into the groundwater. In places, the chemicals have turned the water into a white sludge containing dioxins and high levels of phenol - an industrial chemical that can lead to acute poisoning and death. These levels are reportedly 17 million times the safe limit. The Guinness Book of World Records has named Dzerzhinsk the most chemically polluted city in the world.

Because a number of industries are no longer in operation, the local groundwater has risen, along with the water level in the canal. This rise in the water level threatens to release massive amounts of arsenic, mercury, lead and dioxins into the Oka river basin, a source of drinking water for the nearby city of Nizhny Novgorod. Drinking water supplies in Nizhny Novgorod City and adjoining villages such as Gavrilovka and Pyra are heavily laced with contamination.

Health Impacts: A quarter of the city's 300,000 residents are still employed in factories that produce toxic chemicals. According to a 2003 BBC report it is the young who are most vulnerable. In the local cemetery, there are a shocking number of graves of people below the age of 40. In 2003, the death rate was reported to exceed the birth rate by 260%. The city's annual death rate, 17 per 1,000, is higher than Russia's national average of 14 per 1,000. In the city of 300,000, that translates to about 900 extra deaths annually. The average life expectancy is reported to be 42 years for men and 47 for women.

Status of Clean-Up Activity: A number of isolated efforts have been undertaken to deal with individual plants and sources of contamination but there has been no concerted effort to deal with the huge problems in a systematic way. A local NGO (DRONT), supported by Blacksmith and in cooperation with the Nizhniy Novgorod municipal government, has brought together a steering committee to work on the design of a large-scale remediation and pollution mitigation plan for the entire affected area. Following support for a baseline study in 2004, Blacksmith Institute, in cooperation with the local government, funded the installation of water treatment systems in two villages where drinking water supplies were heavily contaminated - in Pyra and Gavirolvka. However, these are very small-scale initiatives relative to the efforts needed to remediate this devastatingly polluted area.

Local officials assert that no ecological disaster is present. However, it is likely that their tests only monitored pollution levels in the atmosphere and perhaps in surface waters and not the extent of legacy contamination. The health of local residents is still threatened by legacy pollution issues.
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Song 285: Peace Train
Artist: Cat Stevens
Album: Teaser and the Firecat
Year: 1971
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Now I've been happy lately,
thinking about the good things to come
And I believe it could be,
something good has begun

Oh I've been smiling lately,
dreaming about the world as one
And I believe it could be,
some day it's going to come

Cause out on the edge of darkness,
there rides a peace train
Oh peace train take this country,
come take me home again

Now I've been smiling lately,
thinking about the good things to come
And I believe it could be,
something good has begun

Oh peace train sounding louder
Glide on the peace train
Come on now peace train
Yes, peace train holy roller

Everyone jump upon the peace train
Come on now peace train

Get your bags together,
go bring your good friends too
Cause it's getting nearer,
it soon will be with you

Now come and join the living,
it's not so far from you
And it's getting nearer,
soon it will all be true

Now I've been crying lately,
thinking about the world as it is
Why must we go on hating,
why can't we live in bliss

Cause out on the edge of darkness,
there rides a peace train
Oh peace train take this country,
come take me home again

world's ten most polluted places: [08] norilsk, russia

The city of Norilsk has been accused of being one of the most polluted places in Russia, where the snow is black, the air tastes of sulfur and the life expectancy for factory workers is 10 years below the Russian average. Photo and information credit: The Blacksmith Institute.

Potentially Affected People: 134,000

Type of Pollutants: Air pollution - particulates, sulfur dioxide, heavy metals (nickel, copper, cobalt, lead, selenium), phenols, hydrogen sulfide.

Source of Pollution: Major nickel and related metals mining and processing

The Problem:

An industrial city founded in 1935 as a slave labor camp, the Siberian city of Norilsk, Russia is the northernmost major city of Russia and the second largest city (after Murmansk) above the Arctic Circle. Mining and smelting operations began in the 1930s and this city now contains the world's largest heavy metals smelting complex, where nearly 500 tons each of copper and nickel oxides and two million tons of sulphur dioxide are released annually into the air. The city has been accused of being one of the most polluted places in Russia, where the snow is black, the air tastes of sulfur and the life expectancy for factory workers is 10 years below the Russian average. A 1999 study found elevated copper and nickel concentrations in soils in as much as a 60 km radius of the city.

Norilsk Nickel, the firm responsible for the pollution, is one of Russia's leading producers of non-ferrous and platinum-group metals. It controls one-third of the world's nickel deposits and accounts for a substantial portion of the country's total production of nickel, cobalt, platinum, and palladium. It also ranks first among Russian industrial enterprises in terms of air pollution. The plants were constructed during the Soviet era, a period of non-existent environmental standards or controls.

Health Impacts: The local population is severely affected by the air quality where air samples exceed the maximum allowable concentrations for both copper and nickel. Children suffer from numerous respiratory diseases. Investigations evaluating the presence of ear, nose and throat diseases among schoolchildren revealed that children living near the copper plant were twice as likely to become ill than those living in further districts. Similarly, children living near the nickel plant were shown to become ill at a rate 1.5 times higher than children from further districts. Mortality from respiratory diseases is considerably higher than the average in Russia, accounting for 15.8% of all deaths among children. Premature births and late-term pregnancy complications are also frequent. Sulfur dioxide emissions contribute to chronic diseases of the lungs, respiratory tracts, and digestive systems - and can result in lung cancer.

Status of Clean-Up Activity: According to company reports, Norilsk Nickel has worked consistently to reduce emissions of major air pollutants. In 2006, the company reported investment of more than US $5m to maintain and overhaul its dust and gas recovery and removal systems. It asserts a commitment of nearly US $1.4m for its air pollution prevention plan. However, official statistics state that emissions remain extremely high.

Norilsk Nickel stated their intention to move the nickel plant inside the city to a plant just outside. They also aspire to reduce the volume of sulphur dioxide emissions to 400 thousand tons by 2015 (which would result in normal atmospheric air) but admit that goal deadline is an extremely ambitious one.

The reports on children's health confirmed much higher rates of respiratory, digestive and nervous illnesses and more abortions and premature births than other cities in the region. Incidences of cancer (especially lung) have increased. Some estimates state that air pollution is responsible for 37% of children's morbidity rates and 21.6% of adult morbidity.
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Song 284: Old Fashioned Love Song
Artist: Three Dog Night
Album: Harmony
Year: 1971
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Just an old fashioned love song
Playing on the radio
And wrapped around the music
is the sound of someone promising they'll never go.
You'll swear you've heard it before
As it slowly rambles on and on.
No need in bringing em back
Cause they've never really gone.
Just an old fashioned love song
Coming down in three part harmony.
Just an old fashioned love song
One I'm sure they wrote for you and me,
To weave our dreams upon and
Listen to each evening when the light are low.
To underscore our love affair
With tenderness and feeling
That we've come to know.
You'll swear you've heard it before
As it slowly rambles on and on.
No need in bringing em back
Cause they've never really gone.
Just an old fashioned love song
Coming down in three part harmony.
Just an old fashioned love song
One I'm sure they wrote for you and me

world's ten most polluted places: [09] chernobyl, ukraine

Photo and information credit: The Blacksmith Institute.

Potentially Affected People: Initially 5.5 million.

Type of Pollutants: Radioactive dust including uranium, plutonium, cesium-137, strontium, and other metals

Source of Pollution: Meltdown of reactor core in 1986

The Problem: The world's worst nuclear disaster took place on April 26, 1986 when testing in the Chernobyl power plant, 62 miles north of Kiev, triggered a fiery meltdown of the reactor's core. Thirty people were killed in the accident, 135,000 were evacuated, and one hundred times more radiation was released than by the atom bombs dropped over Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Twenty years later, the 19-mile exclusion zone around the plant remains uninhabitable.

Although an enormous amount of radiation was released during the disaster, most of the radioactivity has remained trapped within the plant itself. Some estimate that more than 100 tons of uranium and other radioactive products, such as plutonium, could be released if there is another accident. Chernobyl is also thought to contain some 2,000 tons of combustible materials. Leaks in the structure lead experts to fear that rainwater and fuel dust have formed a toxic liquid that may be contaminating the groundwater.

Health Impacts: From 1992 to 2002 in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine more than 4000 cases of thyroid cancer were diagnosed among children and adolescents, those under 14 years were most severely affected. Most of these cases have been attributed to elevated concentrations of radioiodine found in milk. More than five million people currently inhabit the affected areas of Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine, which have all been classified as 'contaminated' with radionuclides credited to the Chernobyl accident. Skin lesions, respiratory ailments, infertility and birth defects were the norm for years following the accident.

Status of Clean-Up Activity: Within several months of the accident, the reactor was enclosed in a concrete casing designed to absorb radiation and contain the remaining fuel. However, the sarcophagus was meant to be a temporary solution and designed to last only 20 or 30 years. A program to further secure the site is underway.

Researchers have carried out studies on health impacts, remediation effects, and the socioeconomic status of the region surrounding Chernobyl. Plans exist for the 19-mile exclusion zone to be recovered for restricted industrial uses. However, an appropriate environmental impact assessment needs to be finished before that can happen and an integrated radioactive waste management program needs to be put in place before further development. Estimates for remediation projects have been projected at hundreds of billions of dollars. To date, the costs of the cleanup have placed significant financial burdens on Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia.

Given its resounding infamy and despite the subsequent progress that has been made at this site, Chernobyl is included in the Top Ten list due to its residual environmental impact as well as its potential to further affect an extensive region and population.
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Song 283: No One To Depend On
Artist: Santana
Album: 3
Year: 1971
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Aint got nobody that I can depend on
Aint got nobody that I can depend on

Aint got nobody that I can depend on

Aint got no one tengo anadie
That I know of no tengo anadie
That I can depend on no tengo anadie
Aint got no one

Got nobody
That I can depend on no tengo anadie
Aint got nobody that I can depend on
No tengo anadie.

recap of the week

What an incredible week this has been. I apologize for not blogging every day. I feel like something is missing when I don't get a chance to post every day, but just let me tell you a little bit about the week.

It all started last weekend, if I can remember that far back. There's an awful virus going through our part of the country. It's almost like the flu, but also like a really bad cold. Weakness, coughing, congestion, achy joints, sore throat, loss of appetite, but no fever. Go figure. With all that going on you would think there would be fever. Anyway, I had this energy-draining shut-down virus last weekend and the first of this week. (r)ouge had it the week before, and my wife has it this week. Lucky for (t)onks that she has been on campus and away from all this most of the time.

In the midst of all this, severe weather came screaming through here on Tuesday. Over seventy tornadoes touched down on Tuesday. Eight people within 25 miles of our home lost their lives. Millions of dollars in damage. Hours of stress and uncertainty. During the crucial time (t)onks had been evacuated to the basement of her dorm. Cell phones do not operate in the basement of that building, so we were out of contact with her for a while . . . very stressful. Over the course of the night, she spent several hours cramped up in the dorm basement, but she was safe. My wife had been following the weather and waiting for a break in the storms and wind so she could get home from work. She works only about seven minutes from home so at the first opportunity, she rushed home. Our foster dogs [the ones that belong to our friends whose house burned several weeks ago] were moved from the garage to the house [in a temporary doggie-apartment conversion of our office] so my wife could pull her car into the garage, away from the potentially damaging hail predicted to arrive soon. (r)ouge was hanging out with her friends after school [because she doesn't like to be home alone during bad weather and she knew mom was at work] when they happened to look out of the window of the fast-food restaurant and stopped in mid-conversation. The sky was black. The wind blowing. And then the wind and rain stopped abruptly. Everything was still. (r)ouge knew this was a bad sign. At that moment, my wife called her . . . (r)ouge immediately left the restaurant and rushed home.

As my colleagues and I were in a conference room on the tenth floor of a glass building, the weather captured our attention and we gathered at the glass wall to watch the changing sky. What had been gray rain clouds moments ago were now rolling, churning, black and purple clouds boiling up from the south. Lightning was striking the ground as far as we could see. Word filtered throughout the floor that we should not attempt to leave the building. Tornadoes were being spotted in our vacinity and it would be very dangerous to attempt to leave. To avoid the possibility of being trapped in an elevator, should the power go out, we evacuated to the basement via ten flights of stairs. One of my fellow workers and I made our way into the security office where a live weather report was being broadcast. The view we were seeing was a huge funnel cloud being captured on video from atop a hotel building less than a quarter of a mile from where we were standing. That was the widest tornado I had seen in a long time. Just before that tornado came into our view, it had touched down a few miles south of us, demolishing a mall, killing one person and trapping 14 in one of the big-box stores. It passed by my workplace and touched down again a few miles north of us. Within minutes, the weather calmed and I took that as an opportunity to rush home to my family. My 25-minute commute seemed like hours. I made it home safely, and we spent the rest of the night [until midnight] monitoring the weather until we were confident that the danger had passed. (t)onks and (r)ouge text-messaged each other all evening until midnight.

Wait, it doesn't end there. Thursday evening we received a call from my wife's parents. "We need you" was their plea. My father-in-law was having major trouble breathing and needed us to take him to the emergency room. (t)onks was working and had left her cell phone at home accidentally. I stayed home so one of us would be there when (r)ouge arrived home after work. My wife picked her parents up, drove them to the hospital, and stayed with them in the ER until 5:30 th next morning. Doctors were able to help him and my father-in-law is doing fine at home now.

world’s ten most polluted places: [10] kabwe, zambia

Young men look for metal at the site of an abandoned lead mine in Kabwe, Zambia. Lead poisoning of children in the area is endemic. Photo and information credit: Blacksmith Institute

I believe that major pollution in the world affects more than just the area where it originates. It affects each one of us, just as greenhouse gases and global warming affect each of us. At this point in human history I find it hard to understand why there are still areas spewing heavy metals and toxic gases into the air we breathe, the precious water we drink, and the ground on which we walk. This is number of a series of posts, counting down to the number one most polluted place on earth.

World’s Worst Polluted Place Number 10: Kabwe, Zambia

Potentially Affected People: 255,000

Pollutants: Lead, cadmium

Source: Lead mining and processing

The Problem: Kabwe, Zambia, is located about 150 kilometers north of the nation's capital, Lusaka, and is one of six towns in close proximity to the Copperbelt, once Zambia's thriving industrial base. In 1902, rich deposits of zinc and lead were discovered there. Mining and smelting began soon after and ran almost continuously until 1994 without addressing the potential dangers of lead contamination. The mine and smelter are no longer operating but have left a city poisoned by debilitating concentrations of lead dust in the soil and by metals in the water. In one study, the dispersal in soils of lead, cadmium, copper, and zinc extended over a 20 km radius at levels much higher than those recommended by the World Health Organization.

A small waterway runs from the mine to the center of town and has been used to carry waste from the once active smelter. There are no safeguards or restrictions on use of the waterway and local children use it for bathing. In addition to contaminated water, dry, dusty, lead-laced soils near workers’ homes are a significant source of contamination for the locals. Most workers and residents are exposed to toxic levels of lead through inhaling dust in these areas.

Health Impacts: On average, children's blood lead levels in Kabwe are 5 to 10 times the permissible EPA maximum and in many cases are close to those regarded as potentially fatal. Children who play in the soil and young men who scavenge the mines for scraps of metal are most susceptible to lead produced by the mine and smelter.

Status of Clean-Up Activity: After decades of widespread contamination, the clean-up strategy for Kabwe is complex and implementation is in its primary stages. Information and educational services on lead poisoning has been brought into the local communities. Measures include simple, concrete advice to avoid poisoning, such as prohibiting children from playing in the dirt and rinsing dust from plates and food. However some areas of Kabwe require drastic remediation and entire neighborhoods may need to relocate.

Check back tomorrow for number 9 on the list.
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Song 282: Never Been To Spain
Artist: Three Dog Night
Album: Harmony
Year: 1971
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Well I never been to Spain
But I kinda like the music
Say the ladies are insane there
And they sure know how to use it
They don't abuse it
Never gonna lose it
I can't refuse it

Well I never been to England
But I kinda like the Beatles
Well, I headed for Las Vegas
Only made it out to Needles
Can you feel it
must be real it *** line that was changed
It Feels so good
Oh, feels so good

Well I never been to Heaven
But I been to Oklahoma
Well they tell me I was born there
But I really don't remember
In Oklahoma, not Arizona
What does it matter
What does it matter

Whoa, I never been to Spain
But I kinda like the music
Say the ladies are insane there
And they sure know how to use it
They don't abuse it
Never gonna lose it
I can't refuse it

Well I never been to Heaven
But I been to Oklahoma
Well they tell me I was born there
But I really don't remember
In Oklahoma, not Arizona
What does it matter
What does it matter

cinnamon swirl

It's Friday morning. Cold outside. Busy weekend coming up. The perfect morning for indulgence. I stopped on the way in and enjoyed the steamy, hot goodness of a super cinnamon swirl. Mmmmmm. Good. And then as I got on the elevator to begin the grind, one of my work friends boarded the elevator car wearing a Reagan button. We had one of the most engaging political conversations I have had this entire political season. If the country could just leave it to my friend and I, we could choose the best and wisest president, vice president and cabinet EVER! Well now that's over. Back to the real world. Three huge projects on the slate for today. I better get with it.
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Song 281: Mother Nature's Wine
Artist: Sugarloaf
Album: Spaceship Earth
Year: 1971
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I can't locate the lyrics for Mother Nature's Wine. If you have them or have a source, please leave a comment.