The Journal News recently reported that the Tilcon mine has cut down slightly on noise and dust. Readers should look more carefully at the facts. The noise conclusions are clear -- the quarry continues to be a daily nuisance and continues to violate county noise levels at every test location. The dust issues are more troubling. The H2M report measures Tilcon's particulate matter emissions by 20-year old standards set during the Reagan administration. I don’t know why New York is so behind the times but California's daily particulate exposure standards are three times stricter than New York’s, and its annual tolerances are 7.5 times stricter. Tilcon's report card would be much gloomier under more modern and informed standards.
H2M did not isolate or report on the much more insidious and much smaller particulate emission known as PM2.5. These smaller particles easily penetrate deep into the lungs, and scientists have reported harmful health effects based on both short- and long-term exposure to this type of pollution. Scientists have observed higher rates of hospitalizations, emergency room visits and doctor's visits for respiratory illnesses or heart disease during times of high PM concentrations. Scientists also observed the worsening of both asthma symptoms and acute and chronic bronchitis. A relationship exists between high PM levels and reductions in various aspects of the healthy functioning of people's lungs.
Nearly 7000 children in Rockland County suffer from asthma, according to the Hudson Valley Asthma Coalition. Tilcon, which has a huge budget for advertising and PR, reports that it is reducing its impact when in fact there is little perceptible change to what Rocklanders are subjected to. Maybe it’s time for town, county, state and federal officials to hold Tilcon to more meaningful standards. Or maybe it’s time to reconsider whether a 167-acre open-pit mining operation in the middle of suburbia makes sense.
