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Easton Foundry to Close
Belcher Corp. will close on July 1, a victim of rising energy costs and its inability to bring its aging plant into compliance with state pollution control regulations.
Enterprise Article
Globe Article
Belcher Continues to Expose Easton Residents to Excess Pollution
No Surprise to Foundry Watch
No one knows the long-term health impact.
Belcher Corporation has been issued a consent order and fined $180,000 for failing to meet state air pollution control requirements.
The Article
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Easton neighbors upset by pace of foundry changes
Improvements designed to reduce pollution from the Belcher Corp. foundry will not be completed as planned this month, but state and foundry officials say the process remains on track.....
"I'd like to say how disappointed and disgusted we really are," said George Allen, a South Street resident and spokesman for the neighborhood group FoundryWatch. "Nothing has changed. We're promised the world, and nothing's been delivered."
2005-12-08 Easton neighbors upset by pace of foundry changes
And
The Stench Continues….
It’s 7:05 AM Wednesday morning September 14, 2005. Kids gather at a corner waiting for their bus while 100 yards away the foundry pumps its pollution into the air. The stench invades the foggy morning air. No one knows the long-term effects. To some, it appears ignorance is bliss.
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Foundry, neighbors still at odds
The soot, sand, odor and noise emissions residents claim have long been coming from the Belcher Foundry are now worse than ever, according to the grass-roots group, Foundry Watch.
2006-01-06 Foundry neighbors still at odds
Benzene and
Leukemia
Benzene is a dangerous environmental toxin. Exposure
to benzene has been linked to cancer.
Benzene has been determined by the Department of Health
& Human Services to be a known carcinogen - a chemical or physical agent
that causes cancer.
The most common cancer caused by benzene exposure is acute
myelogenous leukemia (AML).
Benzene and Leukemia
Studies have shown that people exposed to benzene for less
than 5 years have developed, and died from, leukemia. Even short-term exposure
to high levels of benzene can cause drowsiness, dizziness, unconsciousness, and
death.
According to the National Insitutes of Health (NIH),
"chronic exposure to benzene is known to lead to progressive degeneration of the
bone marrow and…eventual leukemia."
Benzene exposure that has no apparent effect on the exposed
person right away may still result in diseases such as cancer and blood
disorders. Twenty or more years may pass before people begin
to develop symptoms.
(Source: Law Offices of James Sokolove)
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This morning, Friday August 5, 2005, as
we go into another hot and humid day, the stench of Belcher Foundry permeates
the area. The warm air along
with the calm and variable wind conditions apparently allows the Foundry’s
emissions to concentrate. The Taunton National Weather Service shows an air
temperature of 77
ºF with a 72 ºF dew point and 6 mph
variable winds at 7:52 AM.
Please Help
Please help us stop the Foundry’s continued pollution. The Foundry manufactures parts for Ford Motor Company. The following link has a draft letter to Bill Ford, Jr. asking for his help. Please download, fill in the date, your name and address and mail it. We’ll all breath a bit easier. Thank you fordletter2005-02-12.doc The letter is a Microsoft Word document.
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If Belcher Foundry is observed to be operating outside of the hours of 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM weekdays and/or noise, odor, or other nuisance is experienced, report the incident directly to the Easton Police Department at 230-3322. The complaint will be logged and an appropriate response will be initiated per the established protocol.
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About FoundryWatch.com
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Research Shows That Particle Pollution Shortens Lives
Analyses undertaken over the past five years tie air pollution to shorter lives, heart disease, lung cancer, asthma attacks and serious interference with the growth and work of the lungs.
Tiny particles lodge deep in the lungs.
Particle pollution causes a broad range of health problems. Exposure worsens asthma and causes wheezing, coughing and respiratory irritation in anyone with sensitive airways. It also triggers heart attacks, cardiac arrhythmias (irregular heartbeat) and premature death.
American Lung Association http://lungaction.org/reports/sota05_heffects.html
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Mercury Contamination Found
"Depending on the type and amount, exposures to mercury can damage the nervous system, brain, kidneys, liver and immune system," the DEP says on its Web site.
Sandy sludge from a septic pipe at the Belcher Corp. foundry contains mercury at a level 2,000 times above the limit required for reporting to the federal government, Town Administrator Martha L. White said Tuesday.
2005-01-26 Mercury level at Easton plant two thousand times above legal limit
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Foundry named one of Dirty Dozen pollutors
The Award
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State Senator BRIAN A. JOYCE and State Representative GERALDINE CREEDON
pledge continued support
(The letter)
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Town of Easton can set foundry hours
Haederle said he received an opinion earlier in the day from a lawyer for the town, Ellen Callahan Doucette, who said the town's zoning bylaw allows it to regulate any "change, extension or alteration" in Belcher's operation. 2004-11-17 Easton official says town can set foundry hours
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Belcher foundry receives ADMINISTRATIVE CONSENT ORDER WITH PENALTY AND NOTICE OF NONCOMPLIANCE ACOP-SE-04-7003
Mass DEP Cover Letter Belcher-ACOP-Signed-9-22-2004amendCover-rr.pdf
Mass DEP ADMINISTRATIVE CONSENT ORDER WITH PENALTY AND NOTICE OF NONCOMPLIANCE ACOP-SE-04-7003 Belcher-ACOPattachment9-22-2004-rr.pdf
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"...EPA does know that the small emitters iron
foundries do pose risks. The 80 area source categories that EPA has to
develop regulations for; iron foundries, as a category, are in the top
10 based on risks from the emissions of the metals. The route of
exposure to the metals is mainly through ingestion of garden food or,
like typical lead poisoning, through hand-mouth contact. Iron foundries
went to the top of our risk list because the metals: Chromium and nickel
are both known human , A , carcinogens, lead and manganese are
neurotoxins and nickel dust also can be an asthmagen. The magnitude of
the risk depends on the length and amount of exposure."
"EPA also knows that there are numerous sensitive subpopulations that are
affected by exposure to fine PM; EPA research focuses on protecting
the elderly and others with cardiac problems from exposure to fine PM."
U.S. EPA
"Easton foundry reined in"
The Belcher Corp. foundry has agreed to pay a fine of $15,000 and limit some of its manufacturing hours to between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. weekdays.
"This will provide tremendous immediate relief for all the neighbors," said state Rep. Geraldine Creedon, D-Brockton. "It means (the foundry) will be closed Saturday and Sunday and in the nighttime and will not be running an operation then that creates dust and odor. ...The goal was for the people who live there to be able to breathe, and to sleep at night."
"I'm encouraged and pleased that the DEP is finally exercising its authority and responsibility in solving the needs of neighbors," Selectman John Haederle said. The Enterprise Article
“…The health effects associated with exposure to these air toxics can include cancer and chronic or acute disorders of the respiratory, reproductive, and central nervous systems. …”
Source: U.S. EPA’s “Fact Sheet - Final Rule to Reduce Toxic Air Emissions from Iron and Steel Foundries”
“…In the absence of clear evidence to the contrary, EPA assumes that there are no exposures that have "zero risk" …”
“…EPA also assumes that the relationship between dose and response is a straight line -- for each unit of increase in exposure (dose), there is an increase in cancer response. …”
Source: U.S. EPA’s Publication – “Risk Assessment for Toxic Air Pollutants: A Citizen's Guide” - EPA 450/3-90-024 March 1991
Latest News
Easton Board of Health has the power to Stop Air Pollution from Belcher Foundry
Current Pollution Path
Where is the Foundry Pollution blowing Now?
Risk Assessment for Toxic Air Pollutants: A Citizen’s Guide
This short booklet describes in plain-English the process used in determining health risks
associated with exposure to toxic air pollutants.
Evaluating Exposures to Toxic Air Pollutants: A Citizen’s Guide
Exposure assessment is part of the risk assessment process. This short booklet describes
in plain English how exposure assessment is used to determine to what extent and/or how
many people are exposed to toxic air pollutants.
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