Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management (IEAM) is a peer-reviewed journal published quarterly by the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC). The journal is devoted to bridging the gap between scientific research and the application of science in decision making, regulation, and environmental management.
We’re pleased to announce veteran blogger Roberta Attanasio as our new Blog Editor. Roberta is a scientist trained in the biomedical sciences and travels around Europe, Latin America, and China to teach environmental topics as part of US study abroad programs. She is dedicated to science communication, with a focus on the environment.
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IEAM Blog
My name is Robin from Ridgeland, MS, and I am writing to warn of the hazardous Freon polluting our community. This Freon, PCB’s, many other dangerous chemicals from old A.C’s is the byproducts of Roger work for Trane Air Conditioning and his home operated A.C. business. He has been living in Ridgeland for fourteen years, bringing old air conditioners from his job at Trane to scrap for metal, copper and refurbish for resale. To accomplish this, he has extra electricity sent to his home and keeps two Trane trucks with trailers as well as his work truck. Aware of the hazards of Freon, Roger can be seen wearing a mask while harvesting scrap from the AC units. Within a one mile area of his house, residents have suffered various ailments: This is from 5 house’s around Roger, and just 20 notes I put into mailboxes. There is more I’m sure. This is what I have from that. Two fatality, 11 sick, two brain tumors, one lung cancer, five fibromyalgia, autonomic nervous system disorder, kidney cancer, prostate cancer, brain lesion on his back, multiple chemical sensitivity, tumors on bodies of people, horses, cats, dogs, have had tumors and died. Many of these are illness are connected to environmental problems. I have been calling EPA for over 11 years, but they have not terminated his business. The EPA claimed they did not have the equipment to check the air. In addition to this, I called Madison County who, after a lengthy time, finally reprimanded him for Hazardous Waste in 2010. Roger has been great for Trane by saving them money by disposing of air conditioners for them. There are strict laws on Freon dangers of old A.C.’s, it is dangerous for residential areas. The Madison County said he could run a business from his home, and the EPA was also reluctant to intervene. The dump will not take anything with Freon in it. The KKK mentality is still here in all area’s.(This exhibits a negligence to regard an area of less resistance, or lower socioeconomic class in Mississippi.) This is old plantation land that was given to the blacks after the war. People discriminate, but the environment does not. All of us are hard working people that loves god. There is the dump, old dump, little dumps everywhere, 2 large power plants, large power lines, towers, A.C. hazardous wasteland dump, septic running in the streets. No where around Madison Mississippi has the environmental dangers we have. I have seen as many as fifty air conditioners behind his house. He has since installed a twenty foot fence to hide his work units in his yard, security cameras, 7 no trespassing signs. I alerted the nearby residents from the neighborhood of Bridgewater that the water runoff from the air conditioners pollutes their area. I told them that people were sick and dead. In fact, there was an oily substance on the ground at one of the houses. They are torn between fear for their health and fear for their property values if they came public.
On 7-8-14, I contacted Madison County, and a planning and zoning representative and told them about the sickness and death. They wrote up a new ordinance in 30 days and hand delivered it 14 years late. Roger has retaliated by threatening to, “shoot me between the eyes,” exposing himself to me, and facing a 4 X 8 foot wooden sign towards my house that said, “It’s a deer stand nosey.” The sign was up for 8 months. Shot my windshield out. Put a toilet facing my driveway. This is his way to punish me for turning him in to authorities. This illegal harassment is more frightening to me because his wife told me that her x beat her and went to prison, and Roger beats her. I have emailed the sheriff many times but did not receive a response. I have not had a Sheriff through all of this, and now someone wants me dead! Roger has also illegally damaged my property by moving property lines on three sides, blocking drainage, and rerouting water on my land. His indiscretions against other residents include moving property lines of another neighbor forty feet and taking neighborhood dogs to his work for removal which resulted in a confrontation.
There has also been a troubling development at my own home. In May of 2014, my air conditioning stopped working. When the repair man came, he replaced a burned wire and checked the Freon which was fine. The repair job, however, did not last and second repair man was called in July. He replaced a metal cylinder and said that I needed a pound of Freon despite the previous man’s assertion. On 8-14-14, a second repairman came back, and upon completing his inspection he found a massive Freon leak. The timing of this is suspicious because I contacted Madison County and the EPA in between these repairs when a leak suddenly occurred. Someone wanted to make sure I had Freon in my body. This made me dizzy, nauseous, sore throat, brain feels tight. Now I can’t even have a A.C..
I have ask for a petition for assessment from Atlanta EPA, it was denied. A environmental attorney told me this is a good thing. They would just cover up for the EPA. They told me to get my own testing done. The environmental USDOJ is looking into this, but they just sent it to Atlanta. The DOJ is in this state all the time, Mississippi comes out smelling like a rose. Mississippi has less environmental protection than anywhere in the USA. Sierra Club from Mississippi would not even call me back. Mississippi has the same environmental protection as Libya, Cambodia. NONE! Every environmental groups I call, hears Mississippi and they don’t want to talk anymore. They know how corrupt Mississippi is. I have seen things out of Mississippi that makes me sick. They have already put me through the Special Education Nightmare. I really got a education on how dirty politics works from that experience. This is like a Dictatorial Government. The Attorney General controls everyone, everything here like a puppet on a string. Mississippi has told sick people to be quiet, and they are. This could only happen in Mississippi. I’m sure they will slander me to the extreme. I never have been to a psychologist or psychiatrist before moving to Madison County. Madison is the richest town in Mississippi, and they will do anything to keep this town safe. Google: Mississippi most corrupt state in the nation.
I suspect my decline in health is a result of the Freon, chemical pollution from old A.C.’s. In an area of less resistance. I have fibromyalgia, multiple chemical sensitivity, tumors, autonomic nervous system disorder. I started defecating on myself without brain notification and have difficulty breathing. I have suffered constipation for four years that has stretched my colon out into my vagina and now need sphincter surgery. The doctor cannot do the surgery until I get my colon working again. I have been to four gastroenterologist but they do not know what to do. I take thirty pills a day with no pain pills, but I am on a pain machine because of the shooting pains in my neck and back. My muscles are so weak that my bones and spine are separating. My neural infirmity has resulted in mood swings, and headaches. My brain, along with my face, feels burning and numb. I have neuropathy on right arm, leg, foot. Energy is a lot less. My blood pressure and heart rate are also low and I suffer from chronic insomnia. I have a few years to live. I will spend the rest of my life warning the community that the environment is killing us. People are thinking about property values, while I am more focused on our lives. I went to 3 doctors and they would not tell me what I had, the test were in front of them Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. Yes I’m saying Mississippi controls what doctors say. Multiple Chemical Sensitivity is a environmental illness. Mississippi would not want this out.
Since I called Madison County about the sickness and deaths, the threats have escalated, I was shot at in my back yard, 5 feet away from me. This was on 9-15-2014, I have it on my security cameras. It took the police a hour to get here. I knew this was a threat to be quiet, they are killing me slowly and I will not be quiet. Not going to happen! After this I started emailing that they were going to kill me or put me in jail. On 10-19-2014 Roger A.C. man called the police on me for taking pictures of him and his stuff. One police man took my husband to the side and ask him if he thought I could be dangerous, insinuating he thought I was. This was the same officer that came out when I was shot at. The other officer told me that Roger was going to have me arrested for harassment. He also told me that EPA was out Wednesday and all was clear. Strange a police officer would know this information. I knew that if they took me to jail, that I would not make it out of there alive. They would get away with killing me. After this, I dropped my phone, vehicle and took cash. I went to a friends home for a couple weeks. I am a sick white woman that need her meds, pain machine, ice packs. I got it now, this was all just the good ole white boy system. They were all taking care of their buddy Terry Trane. They found a place out here where people do not matter to make a dump for old A.C.’s. This is why I never had a sheriff, supervisor, everyone knew about this and was taking care of Roger’s business. It was just a Mississippi dirty politics deal that caused lives. If Freon can eat holes in the ozone layer, what can it do to a neighborhood? I’m dying, and Trane, Madison County, EPA, Mississippi, Roger, The Sheriff, The Supervisors, they all killed me. Mississippi is going to just let good people keep dying. This a true Mississippi story that movie are made from. I have a lot of bad pictures, and emails. PLEASE HELP!!! Robin