Copper Firm Asarco Will Cleanse Employees' Yards of Toxics

[Guest guest]

I have not yet heard from my contacts who have worked long and hard on this

issue and no amount of money and clean up will ever restore the damage done to

the lives and the environment there but we need to celebrate each victory.

These people will never be free of what happened to them. I know that all too

well.

Recently I have been very much taken aback by activists who complain when the

very thing they have fought for is won. It is hard indeed to have to cross

the floor and shake hands with those who have harmed us and have shown no

respect for anything but the almighty dollar. But if the world is to change

then

we too must recognize and be thankful for each step in the right direction.

Sooner or later we have to work together if we want to accomplish our goals.

So be thankful, don’t forget, and don’t compromise by crossing that middle

line.

Take care everybody

deborah

Copper Firm Asarco Will Cleanse Employees' Yards of Toxics

_http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/apr2008/2008-04-20-093.asp_

(http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/apr2008/2008-04-20-093.asp)

HAYDEN, Arizona, April 20, 2008 (ENS) - In response to a demand for cleanup

by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, copper mining, smelting and

refining giant Asarco says it will conduct contamination investigations and

remove arsenic, lead and copper contaminated soil in the adjacent Arizona towns

of

Hayden and Winkleman.

In addition, the Tucson-based company has agreed to spend up to $13.5

million on cleaning up the yards of residents in these towns located in

southcentral Arizona.

The towns of Hayden and Winkelman consist of homes built during the 1940s

and 1950s to house the large number of workers needed in the area to operate

the company's Ray open pit copper mine and the copper smelter in Hayden.

The area is typical of rural Arizona, with churches, small stores, and other

facilities located along the main street of the town. Hayden is east of

Highway 177, on a hillside, below the actual smelter works. The entire town

covers an area of less than one square mile, and contains 365 homes.

Asarco operates an overland conveyor that directs ore from the crusher to

the mill building for processing while passing over some of Hayden's

residential streets.

The elementary and high school for both communities are in Winkelman, a town

of 100 homes. The total population of Hayden and Winkelman is some 1,500

people.

The smelter site consists of a large complex of buildings, many of which are

former smaller smelters, replaced by the current large smelter now in

operation. The entire complex covers approximately 200 acres.

A large pile of waste product called mine tailings is directly east of

Hayden on the west side of Highway 177, rising 100 feet into the air and

extending

for half a mile along Highway 177.

One recent visitor to these towns said, " What struck me on my last visit was

the burning irritation to my eyes and nose when I got out of the car. "

The EPA collected air and soil samples in Hayden and Winkelman after the EPA

and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality discovered elevated

levels of arsenic, lead and copper in previous samples.

As a result, Asarco is required to complete a Remedial Investigation and

Feasibility Study to determine the full extent of soil contamination and

identify cleanup techniques.

" This agreement outlines the process which will be used to clean up the

legacy of waste left in Hayden and Winkelman, " said Keith Takata, director of

the

Superfund division for the EPA's Pacific Southwest region. " We will continue

to work with the state to eliminate the threat of contamination and to

protect human health. "

" This agreement is a win for the residents of Hayden and I am pleased the

parties came together to get it done, " said Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano.

" Committing Asarco to paying for and conducting the cleanup under close

supervision is a good solution. "

In September 2007, Asarco made a written commitment to negotiate a

legally-binding judicial decree with both the federal and state agencies under

which

the company would assume responsibility for conducting any necessary studies

and remediation at the Hayden site.

" We believe this approach is the best way to conduct the cleanup quickly,

efficiently and with the least adverse impact on the affected communities, "

said Doug McAllister, Asarco's executive vice president and general counsel.

Arsenic enters the body through ingestion or inhalation as airborne dust and

is a known carcinogen. Other common side effects include decreased

production of red and white blood cells, impaired nerve function, and skin

irritations.

Exposure to lead is particularly harmful to children and can affect

virtually every system in the body, particularly cognitive development.

Exposure to

high lead levels can severely damage the brain and kidneys in adults or

children and ultimately cause death.

Copper at low levels is essential for good health, but exposure to high

levels of copper can irritate the nose, mouth and eyes and cause headaches,

dizziness and nausea.

The EPA and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality will oversee all

of Asarco's operations to ensure compliance with the agreement.

The agreement further requires Asarco to conduct additional cleanups, as

necessary, ensure full and final completion of the work and to fully reimburse

both the federal and the state agency for expenses related to overseeing the

company's work.

The agreement will become effective upon approval by the U.S. Bankruptcy

Court, because Asarco had filed for bankruptcy, and following a 20-day public

comment period after publication of notice in the Federal Register.

The company, a subsidiary of Grupo México, plans to emerge from bankruptcy

this year, and opposes calls for it to liquidate its mining and industrial

assets.

Asarco mines produce 350 to 400 million pounds of copper a year. Its three

largest open pit mines are the Mission, Silver Bell and the Ray mines in

Arizona. Asarco has 20 Superfund sites across the United States.

Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2008.

_http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/apr2008/2008-04-20-093.asp_

(http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/apr2008/2008-04-20-093.asp)

posted by

Deborah Elaine Barrie

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Smiths Falls, On

Canada

K7A 3Z8

(613)284-8259

_deborah_ (deborah)

_http://www.noccawood.ca_ (http://www.noccawood.ca/)

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