This is from the
Kentucky Division of Water. A study that looked at 12 years of data of
Kentucky’s drinking water found that the drinking water was safe from heavy
metal pollutants, even in the counties where there is a lot of coal mining.
Using
data from the National Cancer Institute, the study compared counties where coal
production has been high with counties where coal production has been low and
found no significant difference in cancer rates, although the study did find
that cancer rates were higher in the eastern Appalachian mountains of the state.
Other
recent scientific studies have found high rates of cancer, birth defects, and
other ailments afflicting those who live among mountaintop removal mines. These
studies were peer reviewed. The study from the Kentucky Division of Water has
yet to receive peer review. Also, the study only considered public drinking
water and not well water. It is water drawn from wells that is usually fouled
by mountaintop mining. And, as well, cancer rates were compared between counties
of high and low coal production. Including counties where there is no coal
production, a control group, was not included.
Even
still, I’d be interested to know more about some of this research and what might
be concluded after this study receives peer review.
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| Judas Priest, heavy metal you might want photo: last.fm |
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| A coal ash spill, heavy metals you probably don't want photo: celcias.com |
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