This article originally provided by The Daily Mail

October 16, 2006

Coal waste poisoning water, coalfield residents say

By LAWRENCE MESSINA
Associated Press Writer

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) -- Lawmakers hefted jars of murky water from southern West Virginia as scientists and coalfield residents urged them Monday to address the effect of coal waste on the region's drinking supply.

"The take home message is, there is a problem,'' Ben Stout, a biology professor from Wheeling Jesuit University, told the joint judiciary subcommittee. "These people need to be supplied with good, quality water.''

At its monthly interim meeting, the panel received Stout's detailed study of water near abandoned underground mines where coal operators inject slurry waste.

Lawmakers also heard from area residents like Debbie Sammons. The Lick Creek woman blamed her well water for her teenage daughter's rotting teeth, the kidney stone her son passed when he was 6, her husband's array of health problems and her own miscarriage several years ago.

"I thought I was using water that God provided,'' Sammons told the panel. "I probably killed my baby.''

Several of the meeting's speakers contrasted their evidence with the ongoing political campaign by Massey Energy Co. chief Don Blankenship. The multimillionaire president, CEO and chairman has targeted several dozen Democratic legislators for defeat in November.

While Blankenship has dubbed his advertising and door-to-door effort "And For The Sake Of The Kids,'' Massey stores billions of gallons of sludge in the region as a major coal producer.

"If it's for the sake of them, why do they have to live with this dirty water?'' said Rawl resident Donetta Blankenship, no relation. "That's not really helping the children out.''

A spokesman for Don Blankenship, Rob Cornelius, attended the meeting with a video camera, but refused comment afterward.

The legislative panel expects to hear from industry officials and the state Department of Environmental Protection at next month's interim meetings, after they review the materials presented Monday.

Stout and his team tested more than 170 springs, streams and wells around the Mingo County mine sites last year. Among other findings, the testing showed unsafe levels of iron, manganese and sodium in 42 percent of the wells.

Stout also noted that tests on water from one resident's hot water heater found "phenomenal'' levels of dangerous metals and chemicals.

"Our concern is, these hot water heaters could be acting as a concentrating factor,'' Stout said.

Citing Stout's findings, Marshall University environmental science professor Scott Simonton told lawmakers he sees a link between such pollution and the coal waste injected underground.

"I think without a doubt there is a connection,'' Simonton said.

Toxicologist Dawn Seeburger then explained some of the health hazards of the metals and chemicals found in coal waste. Manganese, for instance, depletes a vital brain chemical to cause the sort of memory loss and involuntary shaking found with Parkinson's Disease.

Seeburger also said that even residents who switch to bottled water continue to poison themselves because they rely on local water for cooking and cleaning. She cited evidence of rampant dental problems among adults and children in the region.

"I find that totally objectionable,'' she said.

AP-ES-10-16-06 1532EDT