NASHVILLE -- A leading biology researcher warned lawmakers Tuesday that mountaintop mining of coal in Tennessee already has released dangerous levels of a toxic chemical into some streams.
PDF: Senate Bill 1398
In large quantities, selenium can cause deformities, reproductive failure and death of fish and wildlife, said Dr. Dennis Lemly, a research professor of biology at Wake Forest University.
"These are just like ticking time bombs waiting to explode," Dr. Lemly told Senate Environment Committee members. "Four (Tennessee sites) have pretty much exploded. The question is how many more will be allowed to."
Pollution at a mine site on Zeb Mountain in Campbell County is "substantial and it's not going to stop," Dr. Lemly said. Concentrations of selenium in ponds and streams in the area "are well above levels that would cause reproductive failure in fish," he said.
Tennessee Mining Association President Chuck Laine, who was at an industry conference and not at the committee hearings, later disputed some of the scientist's assertions.
"Show me the dead fish," Mr. Laine said. "I haven't seen any. I was up there a month ago."
Dr. Lemly and Dr. Orie L. Loucks, a retired ecology professor at Miami University in Ohio who also spoke, were part of a team of scientists that conducted the first comprehensive analysis of peer-reviewed studies on damage done by mountaintop removal mining. The analysis was published in the Jan. 10 issue of the journal Science.
The professors' testimony came as part of legislation seeking to ban most types of mountaintop mining in Tennessee. Senate Environment Committee members took no action on the bill Tuesday.
During a later appearance in the House Environment Committee, the mountaintop-removal ban's sponsor, Rep. Mike McDonald, D-Portland, asked about a portion of the study that stated "human health impacts may come from contact with streams or exposure to airborne toxins and dust."
ABOUT SELENIUM* Selenium is an element needed by the body in low doses.* Short-term exposure to high levels can cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.* Long-term exposure to high levels can cause hair loss, nail brittleness and neurological abnormalities such as numbness.* Brief exposures to high levels in the air can result in respiratory tract irritation, bronchitis, difficulty breathing and stomach pains.* Longer-term exposure to airborne selenium can cause respiratory irritation, bronchial spasms and coughing.* Animal studies have shown that very high amounts of selenium can affect sperm production and the female reproductive cycle.Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Dr. Lemly said the research came from another scientist involved in the study and is "indisputable."
He said the research shows "increased incidence of cancers, of kidney disease, of respiratory disease and even deformities in young children and infants that are associated with increases in mountaintop mining. That's related to the entire suite of contaminants, not just selenium."
After the committee meetings, Dr. Lemly said the "fact that there's selenium in ground water raises a red flag that there could be other contaminants there and that could be moving through groundwater and the public water supplies."
Rep. Mike Bell, R-Riceville, challenged Dr. Lemly, saying, "I want to know: Are we seeing dead fish from these four mines?"
"You wouldn't expect to see a fish kill per se in terms of dead adult fish," Dr. Lemly replied. "What you would see is reproductive effect which would prevent them from effectively spawning. So the adults would essentially disappear."
Rep. Bell called on state officials to conduct a study.
Dr. Lemly said in response to another question that selenium in very small doses such as 200 milligrams is good for people. But in much larger concentrations, it is dangerous, he said.