Rain Gauges Show Moderate Flooding in Store for Buncombe County

Graphic Courtesy of GSP Office of the NWS

Flood Watches and Warnings have been issued for western North Carolina by the National Weather Service and many rivers and streams in the region are beginning to rise...

Earlier, the NEXRAD radar of Weather Underground captured a few signatures of tornadic vortexes above western North carolina and the upstate. Here is one of those images...

Graphic Courtesy of Weather Underground

Here are a few rain gauges located in or near Buncombe County:

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Sunday Matinée: Plan 9 from Outer Space

This is a bad movie, even by the standards of the Lifetime Movie Network...but still better than Wrestling.

The plot is preposterous (even for the 1950's, and the special effects are bad. Very, very bad.

Here is Wikipedia has to say:

Plan 9 from Outer Space (originally titled as Grave Robbers from Outer Space) is a 1959 science fiction/horror film written, and directed by Edward D. Wood, Jr. The film features Gregory Walcott, Mona McKinnon, Tor Johnson and Maila "Vampira" Nurmi. The film bills Béla Lugosi posthumously as a star, although footage of the actor was shot by Wood for another film just before Lugosi's death in 1956.
The plot of the film is focused on extraterrestrial beings who are seeking to stop humans from creating a doomsday weapon that would destroy the universe. In the course of doing so, the aliens implement "Plan 9", a scheme to resurrect Earth's dead as zombies to get the planet's attention, causing chaos.
For years, the film played on television in relative obscurity, until 1980, when author Michael Medved dubbed Plan 9 from Outer Space the "worst movie ever made". It has also earned Wood a posthumous Golden Turkey Award (an award of Medved's creation) as the worst director ever. Various critics since have concurred with this opinion.




Download a copy for yourself from the Internet Archive. (lefthand sidebar to choose your desired format)





Here is the Laugh Out Loud funny short from the Mystery Science Theater 3000 guys making fun of the movie...



If you know where I might get a copy of these guys panning Plan 9, please let me know in the comments.

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The Glenn Beck Show: The Revolutionary Holocaust Special

Graphic Courtesy of Rex Curry

Glenn Beck walks us through the murderous history of socialism. Note that many of the heroes of today's "Progressives" are profiled here:

**10.28am**

I note for the record that our Socialists and Progressives support another kind of wholesale Holocaust here in the USA, Abortion. Since 1973, Over 50 million babies have been slaughtered by these people. It seems to me that their philosophy is one of death. In my mind, socialism and progressivism is synonymous with death.

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Science Saturday Cosmos "One Voice in the Cosmic Fugue"

This is part of a series of video posts for Saturday Mornings called "Science Saturdays" and will generally be posted at 9am Eastern Time every week.

For the first series of posts, I must (of course) post Carl Sagan's Cosmos. It has become the yardstick by which all video science series are measured. I will be posting one episode per week.

This the second episode of Cosmos, "One Voice in the Cosmic Fugue", to see the 1st episode, "The Shores of the Cosmic Ocean", click here.



In this episode, Sagan tells the story of the Heike Crab to describe how artificial selection works and uses the Watchmaker analogy used by creationists (of which I am one) to describe Intelligent Design. He reviews where different steps in the evolution of life occur fit into the Cosmic Calender and an animated evolution from microbes to man is presented.

We are taken on a journey, by way of the Kew Gardens of London, into the cell nucleus. Then, we are introduced to the Urey-Miller Experiment and the common biochemistry of all life in earth.

Sagan then speculates about life in the clouds of Jupiter. This is my favorite part of the episode.

At the end, a ten year update is delivered.

.

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(VIDEOS) Dan Eichenbaum Video TownHall 01/22/2010

Here are the videos from last night's Video Town Hall held by Dr. Dan Eichenbaum, a candidate in the Republican party primary for the 11th Congressional District of North Carolina: (They experienced a few minor technical difficulties in the webcast, but you should overlook that. I had similar difficulties when I first started webcasting live events, and still do when I'm doing a live event from a remote location)

Watch live streaming video from trustinfreedom at livestream.com

Watch live streaming video from trustinfreedom at livestream.com

Watch live streaming video from trustinfreedom at livestream.com

You can visit Dan Eichenbaum's Campaign website to find out more about where he stands on the issues.

The other guy with Dr. Dan Eichenbaum is Matthew Hoagland, his Campaign Manager, who was the master of ceremonies at the WCU Young Americans for Liberty event I recorded back in December [view a recorded video of the event] or [view my stream of the event as it happened].

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Heavy Rain Forecast for WNC Mountains this Weekend

It looks like we're continuing the cycle of storms every 7 to 10 days with the approach of a rain-maker that is forecast to dump anywhere from 2 to 3 inches of rain in the mountains of western North Carolina over the next 48 hours.

As always, please check frequently with your local National Weather Service office for updated information. Mine is the Greenville-Spartanburg Office. The national page is here, and you can click on the map to get information about your local area.

Here is what the NOAA All Hazards Radio is forecasting...




If you have a Weather Radio that is equipped with SAME Technology[more info], you can receive severe weather alerts by entering your county code into the radio. For locals you can find your codes on these pages, [North Carolina], [South Carolina] and [Georgia]. Others check on this page.

I don't have a weather radio, but listen instead on a scanner on my local frequency of 162.525 Mhz. The 7 NOAA VHF Frequencies are:

162.400

162.425

162.450

162.475

162.500

162.525

162.550

Here is the official weather statement from the GSP Office of the National Weather Service...


FLOOD WATCH
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
407 AM EST SAT JAN 23 2010

...HEAVY RAIN ON SUNDAY...

.MOIST SOUTHERLY FLOW INTO THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF NORTHEAST
GEORGIA AND THE WESTERN CAROLINAS...COMBINED WITH THE APPROACH OF
A STRONG COLD FRONT...WILL CAUSE HEAVY RAIN TO DEVELOP LATE
SATURDAY NIGHT. THE RAIN WILL CONTINUE UNTIL THE COLD FRONT
CROSSES THE REGION ON SUNDAY EVENING. TWO TO THREE INCHES OF
RAINFALL ARE EXPECTED...WITH THE HIGHEST AMOUNTS NEAR THE BLUE
RIDGE AND ADJACENT FOOTHILLS.

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH
SUNDAY EVENING...

THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES FOR AREAS ON THE MAP BELOW:





* FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY EVENING

* TWO TO THREE INCHES OF RAINFALL ARE EXPECTED FROM LATE SATURDAY
NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY EVENING...WITH THE HIGHEST AMOUNTS NEAR THE
BLUE RIDGE AND ADJACENT FOOTHILLS. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS COULD
PRODUCE LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS.

* AS THE RAIN IS EXPECTED TO FALL HEAVILY AT TIMES SUNDAY
AFTERNOON...RAPID FLASH FLOODING ALONG STREAMS AND CREEKS MAY
DEVELOP. FLOODING OF LARGER RIVERS IS ALSO POSSIBLE LATER SUNDAY
OR SUNDAY NIGHT AS RUNOFF FROM THE HEAVY RAIN WORKS IT/S WAY
INTO THE RIVER SYSTEM.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A FLASH FLOOD WATCH MEANS THAT CONDITIONS MAY DEVELOP THAT LEAD
TO FLASH FLOODING. FLASH FLOODING IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION.

YOU SHOULD MONITOR LATER FORECASTS AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE ACTION
SHOULD FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS BE ISSUED.

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Views of Thursday's Huntsville Tornado

I've been busy with blogging political stuff and an event at church last night dealing with the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, and haven't had time to post about the tornado that went through Huntsville, Alabama on Thursday evening.

There were a lot of videos posted online, including several from mobile phones that provided views from different angles.

I'll lead off with a video of the breaking news alert from a local TV Station, and a couple of excerpts from websites and then go to the videos, with the video description as noted by the uploaders:

nhlarry — January 22, 2010 — WHNT's Dan Satterfield reports the January 21, 2010, tornado as it touches down near Five Points in Huntsville.

Around the 2:32 mark, you see transformers in the area starting to explode as the tornado touches the ground.

HUNTSVILLE, AL -- A tornado passed over east Huntsville at about 5:30 p.m., downing power lines and trees, toppling a home in Five Points and throwing a truck through a house on Oakwood Avenue.

Source: al.com

HUNTSVILLE, AL (WAFF) - A twister that damaged dozens of houses in northeast Huntsville packed winds of 115 miles an hour.

The National Weather Service classified the tornado as an EF-2.

Many storm victims spent this day working to repair their homes and businesses.

For some, it's work they've experienced before.

It has to do with a damaged house on Holmes Avenue and another storm that devastated Huntsville some 20 years ago.

A work crew hauls fallen debris and tree limbs from Emile Alt's home.

Alt and his wife left their home mere minutes before the storm hit their neighborhood to go to dinner.

"Two minutes later, my neighbor next door called and said 'You'd better get home, there's a crowd in front of your house and the front of the house is gone,'" Alt said.

Source: WAFF 48 News

And now, the videos...



printfac — January 21, 2010 — This is what happened on January 21st at around 6:00pm. Corner of Humes Avenue and Andrew Jackson Way. Pretty amazing scene.




wx4jrr — January 21, 2010 — Huntsville Tornado - 1/21/2010 - taken from my iPhone 3G using Cycorder. This thing literally formed RIGHT OVER MY HEAD. Only after I determined that it was moving away and was safe did I start recording it. I also apologize for the language... it was slightly unnerving situation for me.




clintwgraham — January 21, 2010 — This video was uploaded from an Android phone.



I'll be trying to bring you more coverage like this when the spring storm season starts in a few weeks...although, in the southernmost states, it never seems to stop.

**6.42am**

Here are a couple of interesting blog posts about the event:

Huntsville Tornado: Approximate Path

Huntsville Tornado: see a map of the damage

01/21/2010 Severe Event recap

Tornado Hits Huntsville, Alabama

Preliminary Storm Survey

.

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2012 Presidential Poll: Huckabee and Romney over Obama Palin and Petraeus trailing Obama

Mike Huckabee has a 45-44 advantage over Obama, aided largely by a 44-38 lead with independents. There continues to be no evidence of any negative fallout for Huckabee after murders of police officers committed by an ex-Arkansas inmate whose sentence he had commuted. His 35/29 favorability breakdown is actually slightly better than it was in November before that incident.

Mitt Romney does the next best, trailing Obama 44-42. His favorability is 36/32, and he's the most popular Republican among independents (41/32). Romney actually matches Huckabee with GOP voters this month and gets over 50%, ending a trend in his numbers that had seemed to spell difficulty for snagging a Republican nomination.

Sarah Palin trails Obama 49-41 largely because she loses 14% of the Republican vote to him, making her the only one of the GOP candidates we tested who Obama could get double digit crossover support against. At the same time Palin continues to be the most well liked potential GOP candidate within her party- at 71% favorability. Her problem appears to be that the Republicans who don't care for her will go so far as to vote for Obama instead of her.

Source: Public Policy Polling
PDF of Poll: Download

Commentary

I'll be posting polls from the other polling groups when I see them, in order to track the potential candidates vs Obama (or his successor) over time...

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Slime Mold teaches Japanese Scientists how to build Wireless Networks

Hey! I couldn't pass up the opportunity to use that as a headline.

Slime mold may be a pain in the home, but it turns out it can teach us how to build more effective wireless networks.

Researchers at Hokkaido University in Japan have just published the results of a study into how the mold spread. The testing was based on the idea that nature would find the most efficient way to design a network. Previous studies suggested the slime could find the quickest route through a maze.

To put the idea to a further test, the researchers used a wet surface with oat flakes placed in positions which corresponded to cities in Japan. They then placed the mold, Physarum polycephalum, in the position representing Tokyo. They also used light, which inhibits the growth of the mold, to simulate the effects of natural barriers to Japan’s railway network such as mountains.

Source: Geeks Are Sexy (go read the whole thing and see the cool graphic)

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The New York Times wishes for the "good old days" of an anti-semitic Germany

A NYT op-ed complains about the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel's, support for Israel. The article dares to compare the real ethnic cleansing operations the Chinese have been able to complete almost in its entirety, to Israel's self defensive measures inside Gaza, after enduring over eight thousand rocket attacks from the Hamas run strip.

Source: The Tundra Tabloids (they've linked to the New York Times, so I don't have to)

Commentary

You can always count on the New York Times and the Left (and Lefty Libertarians like Ron Paul) to always come down on the side of anyone who is against Israel or a freer America.

I'm glad that bloggers like the Tundra Tabloids keep pointing me to these stories.

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Conservatives: Beware of McCain Regression Syndrome (He wants to hijack GOP, Tea Party)

By Michelle Malkin

Friday, January 22, 2010

Pay attention: In the afterglow of the Massachusetts Miracle, there are flickers of peril for the right. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but like Paul Revere’s midnight message, consider this warning “a cry of defiance, and not of fear.” Conservatives have worked hard to rebuild after Big Government Republican John McCain’s defeat. But McCain isn’t going gently into that good night.

Red Flag No. One: A reader from Arizona informed me the day after the Bay State Bombshell that he had received a robo-call from Massachusetts GOP Sen.-elect Scott Brown. “He basically wanted me to vote for John McCain in November,” the reader said in his description of the automated campaign call supporting the four-term Sen. McCain’s re-election bid. “No wonder [Brown] said he hadn't had any sleep. … He was busy recording phone messages!”

Red Flag No. Two: Also in the wake of the Massachusetts special election, the nation’s most popular conservative political figure Sarah Palin announced she would be campaigning for her former running mate in Arizona in March. Palin told Facebook followers that she’s going to “ride the tide with commonsense candidates” and help “heroes and statesmen” like McCain.

Facing mounting conservative opposition in his home state and polls showing him virtually tied with possible GOP challenger and former Rep. J.D. Hayworth, McCain welcomed the boost: "Sarah energized our nation and remains a leading voice in the Republican Party."

Savor the irony: After a career spent bashing the right flank of the party, McCain is now clinging to its coattails to save his incumbent hide.

And pay attention to the hidden, more troubling irony: While he runs to the right to protect his seat, McCain’s political machine is working across the country to install liberal and establishment Republicans to secure his legacy.

Source: KTKZ 1380-AM

Commentary

Everyone from Freedom Works to the Ron Paul types have tried to hijack BOTH the GOP and the Tea Party.

We must do whatever we can do make sure John McCain loses his primary this year. I support Chris Simcox. Check him out.

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NC General Assembly Legislative Study Commission on Urban Growth and Infrastructure Issues January 21, 2010

This commission is working on ideas and making plans that will change the cities of North Carolina beyond recognition, and hopes to make cities 'sustainable', 'walkable' and full of 'affordable housing' according to 'comprehensive land use planning' they'd like to see very community in the state adopt.

Here is the audio of that meeting: (click on the second item, the first one is the North Carolina Study Commission on Aging that took place earlier in the day)

Here is some background info on the speakers since the commission failed to make supporting documents of their presentations available:

Speakers

Dee Freeman [bio]
Secretary, N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources [web]

He spoke generally about the need for sustainable communities and gave an overview about what the presentations would be about during the meeting.

Shelley Poticha [bio] [WhoRunsGov]

Senior Advisor for Sustainable Housing and Communities at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Poticha wants to make 'go green' the mantra of urban developers across the country. This longtime advocate of sustainable cities has led some of the most influential smart-growth organizations in the country, including the Congress for a New Urbanism and Transportation for America, which lobbies Congress to increase funding for public transportation.

Now, she'll push for change within the Obama administration as a senior HUD adviser for sustainable housing and communities. In that position, she'll decide how to best use the office's $150 million budget to increase the use of public transportation, mixed-use development, and pedestrian-friendly streets.

As part of her presentation, she read a list of six livability principles:

1. Provide more transportation choices.
   Develop safe, reliable and economical transportation choices to decrease household transportation costs, reduce our nation's dependence on foreign oil, improve air quality, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote public health.



2. Promote equitable, affordable housing.
   Expand location- and energy-efficient housing choices for people of all ages, incomes, races and ethnicities to increase mobility and lower the combined cost of housing and transportation.



3. Enhance economic competitiveness.
   Improve economic competitiveness through reliable and timely access to employment centers, educational opportunities, services and other basic needs by workers as well as expanded business access to markets.



4. Support existing communities.
   Target federal funding toward existing communities - through such strategies as transit-oriented, mixed-use development and land recycling - to increase community revitalization, improve the efficiency of public works investments, and safeguard rural landscapes.



5. Coordinate policies and leverage investment.
   Align federal policies and funding to remove barriers to collaboration, leverage funding and increase the accountability and effectiveness of all levels of government to plan for future growth, including making smart energy choices such as locally generated renewable energy.



6. Value communities and neighborhoods.
   Enhance the unique characteristics of all communities by investing in healthy, safe and walkable neighborhoods - rural, urban or suburban.

Jim Westmoreland

NCDOT Deputy Secretary for Transit [link]

Jim Westmoreland is the Deputy Secretary for Transit for the North Carolina Department of Transportation and is responsible for the department’s five multimodal divisions: Aviation, Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation, Ferry, Public Transportation and Rail. He also serves as the central point of contact for transportation initiatives involving the Global TransPark, North Carolina Railroad and the Ports Authority.

He spoke about

ideas for partnering for sustainable livable communities in NC in some detail, and listed legions of people and groups that were partnering with the NCDOT to achieve sustainable communities.

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Soldier in Silhouette

Just thought I'd post a little promotional in for my photoblog...

This is the Confederate Memorial in Rankin Square in downtown Franklin, NC, and the photo is part of my 365 Photos Project. You can view the other photos here.

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Supreme Court Rules for Freedom of Speech in Citizens United

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that corporations may spend as freely as they like to support or oppose candidates for president and Congress, easing decades-old limits on business efforts to influence federal campaigns.

By a 5-4 vote, the court overturned a 20-year-old ruling that said companies can be prohibited from using money from their general treasuries to produce and run their own campaign ads. The decision, which almost certainly will also allow labor unions to participate more freely in campaigns, threatens similar limits imposed by 24 states.

It leaves in place a prohibition on direct contributions to candidates from corporations and unions.

Critics of the stricter limits have argued that they amount to an unconstitutional restraint of free speech, and the court majority agreed.

Source: Washington Post

And this from Jonathan Adler:

The Court held 5–4 that restrictions on independent corporate expenditures in political campaigns are unconstitutional, overruling Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce and parts of McConnell v. FEC, and it upheld the disclosure requirements 8–1 (Thomas dissenting). Justice Kennedy explained that the Court was overruling some of its prior decisions because it was not possible to rule in favor of the petitioners on narrower grounds without chilling protected political speech. According to Justice Kennedy, the Court is re-embracing the principle that a speaker’s corporate identity is not a sufficient basis for suppressing political speech, as held in pre–Austin cases. It would appear this holding applies equally to unions. While disclosure requirements may also burden political speech, Justice Kennedy explained, such requirements may be justified by the government’s interest in ensuring that the electorate has information about spending on elections and campaigns, and the specific disclosure requirements at issue are constitutional as-applied to Citizens United. The opinion also includes a substantial discussion of stare decisis, and why such considerations counseled overturning prior precedents.

Source: The Volokh Conspiracy

Related: SCOTUSblog

Related: NRO Bench Memos

Related: Election Law Blog

Download a PDF of the decision, or read below:

Citizens Opinion

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NC General Assembly 01-21-2010 Legislative Calender

Here is the schedule for what has been scheduled for the North Carolina General Assembly...

9:00 AM	Blue Ribbon Task Force on the State Health Plan	1228/1327 LB
10:00 AM	Aging, North Carolina Study Commission on	643 LOB
10:00 AM	Cancelled - Environmental Review Commission	N/A
1:00 PM	Urban Growth and Infrastructure Issues	643 LOB

**12.57pm**

Here is the audio of the North Carolina Study Commission on Aging that took place this morning:



there were no supporting documents of their presentations made available online. If they do get around to it, this is where they'll put them.

**4.11pm**

The NC General Assembly Legislative Study Commission on Urban Growth & Infrastructure Issues audio and a report is available at this post. I dedicated a special report to it because the ideas discussed in that meeting, if enacted, will change North Carolina beyond recognition. If you just want to listen to the audio, it is the second item in the above playlist.

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Public Health Assessment Shows Little Contamination No Elevated Rates of Cancer Near CTS Mills Gap Facility

I think that this whole episode has been fueled by environmental extremists, fear mongers, attorneys and other people seeking to make a profit (both in terms of money and political power) from a false scare.

Hat Tip to Mountain Xpress, I had forgotten when the report was due.

Here are some excerpts from the report:

Conclusion 1

The DPH concludes that chemicals identified in the past and

current samples of private well waters, surface waters, sub-surface

soils, crawl-space air, sub-surface soil gas and outdoor air are not

expected to harm people’s health.

Basis for decision

The concentrations of chemicals detected in the private well waters,

surface waters, sub-surface soils, crawl-space air, sub-surface soil gas

and outdoor air were compared to health effect studies of people and

animals coming into contact with the chemicals. The levels measured

in these samples were lower than the levels expected to harm health or

to cause an increase in cancer rates.

Conclusion 2

The DPH cannot currently conclude whether groundwater with

elevated concentrations of the metals chromium and lead could

harm people’s health. There is not adequate information to

determine whether groundwater with elevated lead and chromium

has been, or is, a source for private drinking water wells.

Basis for decision

There is no indication that people have been in contact with

concentrations of lead or a toxic form of chromium (hexavalent

chromium) in their private drinking water wells. Many people in the

area have in the past and currently get their drinking water from private

wells. Studies of groundwater flow in the area of the CTS site indicate

that groundwater located at different depths are inter-connected and

have been used as regional drinking water sources.

Lead in groundwater was found at concentrations greater than the

health guideline value referenced by the N.C. Department of Health

and Human Services (DHHS) for private well water supplies. It has not

been confirmed that the groundwater with the elevated lead has been

used, or will be used, as a drinking water source.

Elevated levels of chromium have been identified in groundwater in the

area of the CTS property. If the chromium is present as substantial

concentrations of hexavalent chromium, and the waters have been, or

maybe used as a drinking water source, adverse non-cancer and cancer

health effects could result from long-term ingestion.

Conclusion 3

The DPH concludes that other groundwater contaminants,

including the volatile organic compound (VOC) trichloroethylene

(TCE) and vinyl chloride, are not expected to harm people’s health.

Basis for decision

There is no indication that people have been drinking water that

contains VOC contaminants observed in the groundwater samples. The

concentrations of TCE and other contaminants related to the CTS site

and detected in groundwater beyond the property (off-site) were lower

than the levels expected to harm people’s health.

Vinyl chloride was found in groundwater on the CTS property, but not

off-site. Long-term ingestion of vinyl chloride at the concentration

observed in the on-site groundwater could result in both non-cancer

harm to people’s health and a moderate cancer risk. There is no

potential for health effects if the vinyl chloride does not travel off-site

and people are not exposed.

The DPH concludes that the residents using a private well

identified in 1999 as contaminated with trichloroethylene (TCE),

for possibly as long as 11 years, could have been harmed by

drinking the water or breathing TCE escaping from the water to

the household air.

Persons using two spring private wells serving one home until

approximately 1994, and serving two other homes until 1999, could

have been harmed by drinking the water or breathing TCE

escaping from the water to the household air.

TCE contamination was identified in three private wells serving three

homes in July 1999 and the wells were disconnected. It is not known

when the contamination first appeared in the well water, or what the

range of TCE concentrations were over the time the well was being

used. Some of the health issues reported by family members include

those that have been associated with TCE contact. An increased cancer

risk is indicated if the long-term occupants of the residence were in

contact with TCE concentrations similar to those in the single well

water sample collected in 1999.

Drinking water contaminated with TCE and breathing TCE volatilized

from the drinking water supply over many years in large amounts may

cause adverse health effects. These effects include increased risk of

kidney or liver cancer; dizziness, lung irritation, impaired heart

function; and nerve, kidney or liver damage. Reproductive effects such

as impaired fetal growth or decreased fertility may also result. There

may be an increased risk of birth defects or leukemia to children of

women exposed during pregnancy.

Conclusion 5

The DPH N.C. Central Cancer Registry (CCR) determined that

cancer rates for the population living in a 1-mile radius around the

CTS property were not elevated.

Basis for decision

The CCR studied the number of cancers reported by health care

providers in the area surrounding the CTS site to the expected number

of cases in the same time period. The study focused on the types of

cancers linked with TCE contact: liver cancer, renal cancer, and non-

Hodgkin lymphoma. The results of the investigation indicate that the

observed numbers of cases of these cancers fall within the expected

range, and there is no evidence of a clustering of cancer cases in the

study area.

The cancer evaluation is limited by the small population size of the

study area and the availability of cancer records only since 1990.

Because of the long latency period of most cancers the evaluation is

also limited by the use of a person’s address at the time of diagnosis

rather than the ability to identify if and where the critical exposure that

led to cancer development took place.

Commentary

So, as you can see, a thorough scientific study has found little (if anything) to be concerned about in this matter.

And here is the report itself, for the record, and for your own perusal, you may download it at the link on the top of the document:

Part 1-CTS Mills Gap Road 1-12-2010

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