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livingontheland - Re: [Livingontheland] EPA, USDA Encourage Farmers To Put Coal Ash That Contains Mercury And Arsenic On Crops

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  • From: mdnagel@verizon.net
  • To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] EPA, USDA Encourage Farmers To Put Coal Ash That Contains Mercury And Arsenic On Crops
  • Date: Mon, 21 Dec 2009 14:37:47 -0600 (CST)

Fly ash is widely used in manufacturing concrete.  Now that concrete production has dropped, due to the overall drop in construction, (note: I am unable to obtain actual numbers off of the web [apparently it's all proprietary data]), I suspect that they are trying to come up with new ways to unload it.

This is yet another example of how large-scale, "efficient" systems can break down, and how they externalize the real costs (in this case of power generation from coal).


-Mark Nagel
Everett, WA


Dec 21, 2009 11:41:43 AM, livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org wrote:

EPA, USDA Encourage Farmers To Put Coal Ash That Contains Mercury And Arsenic On Crops
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/21/epa-usda-encourage-farmer_n_399331.html
12/21/09 08:17 AM
INDIANAPOLIS — The federal government is encouraging farmers to spread a chalky waste from coal-fired power plants on their fields to loosen and fertilize soil even as it considers regulating coal wastes for the first time. The material is produced by power plant "scrubbers" that remove acid rain causing sulfur dioxide from plant emissions. A synthetic form of the mineral gypsum, it also contains mercury, arsenic, lead and other heavy metals. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says those toxic metals occur in only tiny amounts that pose no threat to crops, surface water or humans. But some environmentalists say too little is known about how the material affects crops, and ultimately human health, for the government to suggest that farmers use it on their land.




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