Clinton County Environmental Culprits

Feeling sick? Maybe it's a throbbing headache, or an uncomfortable stomachache. Maybe you're just feeling downright irritable. If you think it's just something in the air, you may be more accurate than you think.

Pollutants aren't just found in huge factories in New Jersey and Detroit, they can also be lingering right in our own back yards. Some practices in Clinton County produce harmful toxins that can make people and their children feel sick. Lead, which has been a pollutant for ages, still remains in the area due to the high number of older houses. Tire burning also has the potential to produce harmful affects.

Lead: A Familiar Enemy

Clinton County rates poorly on the index of counties in the United States because their housing units possess a high risk of lead hazards, between the eightieth and ninetieth percentile, according to scorecard.org.

In 2001, the Clinton County Health Department reported 21 active lead cases in the area. This means five percent of houses in Clinton County have a high risk of lead hazards.

Lead based paint used in homes built prior to 1978 maintains to be the leader of lead poisoning in the United States. In 1978, the Consumer Products Safety Commission ordered that all manufactures of residential paint exceeding .06 percent of lead content be banned.

Clinton County has high ratings of lead poisoning partly because of the high number of houses built before the 1950's. The dangers of lead paint occur when paint is chipping or lose and a large amount is ingested. This occurs most frequently when older houses are being renovated, but contact can occur as easily as a window being opened and closed.

Children may be more apt to receive lead poisoning because they tend to put their hands in their mouths. Parents should make sure their child's hands are washed frequently.

Low levels of lead exposure to children may result in learning or behavioral problems, while higher levels are associated with anemia, changes in kidney function, and variations in the nervous system.

In adults, lead poisoning can cause complications with reproductive organs and high blood pressure.

Tire Burning: The Controversial Culprit

The International Paper Company's mill in Ticonderoga, New York is hoping to implement a two-week test run of incinerating tires to fuel its burners, which is projected to save them $1.4 million annually. Wind is a carrier of pollutants. This is undoubtedly a controversial method of both energy and waste disposal and has both New Yorkers and Vermonters in a bind. Tire burning raises environmental and health concerns to residents around the area, but at the same time, it rids stockpiles of tires sitting as waste.

Clinton County has been the home of an estimated 1,500 burnt tires according to the State Department of Environmental Conservation. Sites of tire burning can potentially cause fires and an excess of mosquito breeding. The dense black smoke can cause significant air pollution and when tires melt, the oily substance produced can find its way into waterways or seep underground. Experts say tire burning releases emissions of heavy metals such as lead and mercury, which can cause lung damage.

A tire stock pile in New York

According to Jim Terry, co-owner of Terry-Haggerty Tire Company in Albany, New York, a stock pile of 11 million tires in Waterford, New York is waiting to be disposed of. In the past, tires have been buried, but they can end up resurfacing. However, new technologies have been developed in recent years. The first includes burning and re-burning pieces of tires into a catalytic converter, which has a honeycomb-like structure that can heat so intensely the emissions of rubber byproducts are reduced. Another innovative technique includes freezing the tires under extremely low temperatures and then dropping them from a ten-foot height. This causes the material to shatter into even smaller pieces. Terry also explains a process that involves grinding truck tires into a powder that's is used as artificial grass on university fields.

Most sources of energy, including coal and wood, are also under environmental scrutiny. "When done in a controlled environment under intense heat, tire burning can actually burn cleaner and more efficiently because there are no sulfur emissions," says Terry.

To ensure proper management of tire waste, New York State Legislation has passed the Waste Tire Management and Recycling Act of 2003. This act includes provisions such as an additional charge of $2.50 per new tire sold to contribute to a management and recycling fund. $2.25 of that charge goes to research and development, says Terry.

What's your views on tire burning?

Who's Polluting:

According to scorecard.org, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals is the top polluter in Clinton County (2002). It’s reported that this Rouses Point establishment put 31,215 pounds of pollution into the earth, while also releasing unhealthy carcinogens into the air. Griffith Oil Co, Inc. in Plattsburgh is also responsible for creating 500 pounds of pollution in the same year.

Recognizable Signs of Lead Poisoning According to the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation:

-Fatigue
-Lethargy
-Loss of appetite
-Hyperirritability
-Abdominal pain/cramps
-Muscle aches/pain