THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THIS!

My mom is 82 and lived in Bokoshe for 31 years. My sister moved here about the time they built AES Shady Point and started dumping fly ash in the area and allowing fugitive dust to be released from permitted areas. She lived here until 2004. In the fall of that year, she went to the hospital on Wednesday thinking she had pneumonia. On Friday, they diagnosed cancer. I still remember her whispering on the phone so Mom couldn’t hear. Susan it’s everywhere. Two weeks later on Friday, it was over. 17 days and she was gone. She died of lung cancer. I don’t know whether breathing fugitive dust from fly ash caused her cancer. I do know that having to breathe anything full of carcinogen, mutagens, and toxins on a daily basis cannot be good for anyone.

Our town has less than 500 residents. Among the 20 households nearest the pit, there are at least 14 people with cancer. You can’t tell me there is NOT something wrong with that. In our local café, you can sit and talk with people from town and the surrounding area. You will hear about another person just diagnosed with cancer, or someone trying to survive cancer for the 2^nd or 3^rd time. On the other hand, people come in dragging an oxygen bottle behind them they cannot live without. They have never smoked but they have been breathing fugitive dust for years. We seem to have a higher than average incident of cancer, respiratory disease, heart problems and the list goes on.

On a personal note, I have had asthma since I was 6 weeks old. I have been fortunate most of my life. Once it was under control, I have been able to live with few problems. I have lived in big cities where there is pollution. Places like Dallas/Ft Worth, Chicago, Nashville and Pittsburgh PA. I have rarely had to use any medication to control my asthma, until I moved here. In the four years I have been here, I have gone from someone who occasionally used asthma medication or sinus and allergy medication to someone who uses an asthma maintenance inhaler 2 puffs, 6 times a day and using allergy and sinus medication every 4 hours. If I am outside for an extended period, I need to carry rescue inhaler. Living in Bokoshe has decreased the quality of my life and the lives of many others. The Fugitive dust from fly ash invades every aspect of our lives. It blows off the trucks as they pass, it is dust in our homes, it covers our cars, and it IS in the air we breathe.

It is affecting our lives more everyday. Two weeks ago, my mom was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer which has spread to her liver. She has been given 6 months to a year.

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