Study confirms health hazards at Tar Creek
Sheila K. Stogsdill
Published: May 5, 2001
MIAMI, OK - A Harvard doctor's yearlong study of the Tar Creek Superfund site's effect on residents confirms findings in a previous report: high levels of metal are causing health problems.
Dr. Robert Wright with the Harvard School of Public Health collected hair samples from 49 Ottawa County residents ranging from 7 years old to middle age. The tests show high levels of lead, arsenic, manganese and other metals.
Wright released his findings Friday during the Third National Tar Creek symposium that continues through today.
The doctor said manganese accumulates in the brain and liver. Exposure to it and lead dust causes acute psychosis, muscle weakness and tremors that mimic symptoms associated with Parkinson's disease. It also leads to memory loss, sexual problems, irritability and other health problems. It is especially dangerous to children under 3 years old.
Wright said many metals are in chat, which is leftover tailings from decades of lead mining in the Ottawa County area.
"If the exposure stops, usually a person's health will improve, but it doesn't go back to previous level of function," Wright said.
However, no studies support the theory that children exposed to toxic levels of manganese may be more susceptible to Parkinson's or Alzheimer's disease, Wright said.
The federal Environmental Protection Agency has been cleaning the contaminated soil around Tar Creek since 1995, after results of an Indian Health Services study. That study indicated 35 percent of area children had blood lead levels above the standard set by the Centers for Disease Control.
Other recent studies show that with aggressive educational efforts, fewer children are affected by chronic exposure to low levels of lead.
The cleanup at Tar Creek has been criticized by some as being ineffective and a waste of taxpayer money.
To date, 1,545 Ottawa County properties have had soil replaced. Beginning in July, a new contractor is scheduled to continue remediation efforts. However, the project could stall if the required 10 percent project match from the state is not approved by the Legislature.
It also was announced during the conference that a local resident organization, Local Environmental Action Demanded, received a $50,000 federal grant to form a technical assistance group for the Superfund site. The group will hire health and engineering consultants to review the EPA's site cleanup plan.
The symposium is sponsored by the Cherokee Volunteer Society. It addresses legal, health and environmental issues and brings attention to Tar Creek issues. Today the conference concludes with a Tar Creek Fish Tournament and a 10-kilometer Toxic Tour bike ride through the area.
"There are no fish in Tar Creek and have not been for 20 years," said Rebecca Jim, event coordinator. "Our students want to change that."
Archive ID: 849149
