Greeley Neighborhood Community Development Corporation Inc.
c/o 2601 Grand Ave., Butte MT. 59701, Phone: 406 723 3736 e-mail greeleyneighborhoodbutte@outlook.com
Seeking common solution to common concerns,
thus making our neighborhood, our community a safer, healthier, happier, harmonious, and
a more attractive place in which to live and work, by working with our local government.
February 05, 2020
Attn: Butte-Silver Bow Board of Health and Members There Of
Butte-Silver Bow Health Study Advisory Committee and Members There Of
25 W. Front St., Butte, MT 59701
Ref: Hazardous to Human Health Heavy Metals Contaminates Present In Butte-Silver Bow
Sub: GNCDCInc. Concerns
We are not saying that there is an EPA/DEQ Health Emergency due to the Hazardous to Human Health Heavy Metals Contaminants Present in Butte-Silver Bow. The recent independent health studies relative to the Hazardous to Human Health Heavy Metals Contaminates Present in Butte-Silver Bow do not show enough people dying fast enough, nor that the concentrations of the “EPA/DEQ Contaminants of Concern” or other heavy metals contaminates and their interaction that have negative effects on the human body are great enough to qualify for that.
We are concerned; – That we do have five independent studies that indicate that
we do have low levels of hazardous to human health contaminants present in the;
water, soil, buildings, and air; most probably; from the Natural Ore Lode, from 140 years of Historic
Mine Waste Deposits, and from Active Open Pit Mining in our community, and that
people are ingesting and accumulating these metals in their bodies and/or are
dying at a rate from diseases associated with heavy metals exposure faster in
the Greater Butte Community (not just the BPSOU Superfund site) than they are
in all other counties in Montana, and or the other compared location.
We are concerned; – That the independent studies indicate that we have a higher death rate from certain diseases than in other locations and if the B-SB Health Department and the State of Montana DPHHS do not agree that these differences are caused by heavy metals (the only common variable between the locations) then the B-SB Health Department should be focused on finding out what is causing the differences in the death rates. Not only from the “EPA/DEQ Contaminants of Concern” but from all Hazardous to Human Health Heavy Metals Contaminates Present in Butte-Silver Bow and there interactions should be of concern and be considered in determining what actions to take.
We are concerned; – That we have approximately 250 active groundwater monitoring wells in the BMFOU and BPSOU checking that Waterborne Heavy Metals Contaminants in the groundwater, that are hazardous to the health of the Fish, do not get into the streams from the groundwater, but we only have one (1) Air Test Station checking the air for Hazardous to Human Health Airborne Heavy Metals Contaminants, that has various sniffers in a very limited space, that brings into question the accuracy of any sampling, and that no appropriate analysis for heavy metals content in the airborne dust has been done until recently.
We are concerned; – That in our unique mining impact situation, our local B-SB Health Department is not willing to consider establishing local air monitoring and control standards for Hazardous to Human Health Airborne Heavy Metals Contaminants present in our community until EPA/DEQ Federal and State Laws are changed. When it is clear we do not have to change Federal and/or State Laws (only not conflict with them) to address unique local situations. Local standards and controls are permitted to address unique local situations as demonstrated in the actions taken by our Local Government relative to the issues raised in B-SB Council of Commissioners Communications 19-466 and 2020-46.
We are concerned; – That the Butte – Silver Bow City- County Government has requested a variance to allow for greater than required contaminates in the storm water during heavy rain storms, that would indicate that there are exposed contaminates on the surface of the ground that could become airborne during high wind events, and there is no community-wide system to detect, monitor and control these airborne Hazardous to Human Health Heavy Metals Contaminates present in our community.
We are concerned; – That all homes tested for abetment do not have sufficiently high enough levels of EPA/DEQ Contaminants of Concern to qualify for abetment but many have low levels of Hazardous to Human Health Heavy Metals that over long periods of ingestion may be detrimental to the inhabitants of the residences and the occupants are not being made aware of what they could be doing to limit the ingestion and protect their health.
We are concerned; – That there seems to be no Federal, State, nor Local focus on the greater degree of Environmental Injustices that may be occurring because of exposure to Hazardous to Human Health Heavy Metals to the greater than average percentage of people living below the poverty line in our Greater Butte Silver Bow Community.
We are concerned: – That there is no B-SB Hazardous to Human Health Heavy Metals Contaminates Task Force, to create and implement a Holistic Hazardous to Human Health Heavy Metals Contaminates Monitoring and Controlling Master Plan to deal in a holistic manner with the issue of Hazardous to Human Health Heavy Metals Contaminates present in our community.
We are concerned: – That no one from the B-SB Health Department has asked the GNCDCInc. – Habitability – Mining Impact Task Force what more could be done to minimize human exposure to the Hazardous to Human Health Heavy Metals Contaminates present in our community.
All we ask is that we work together to make the Greater Butte Silver Bow Community a safer and healthier place in which to live and work.
Respectfully submitted for your consideration and action;
For and On Behalf of the GNCDCInc.
R. Edward Banderob, President