Published in the Asbury Park Press
By Linda Gillick
CHAIRWOMAN CITIZENS ACTION COMMITTEE
ON CHILDHOOD CANCER CLUSTER
TOMS RIVER
TOPIC OF THE DAY: Childhood cancer
In response to the Nov. 3 editorial ("The politics of safe water"), I must take exception to some of the comments.
It is true that the response from our two U.S. senators exceeded the demands of our committee. God bless them. For the record, the wells they were referring to were all the wells in the parkway field. This has been confirmed by Sen. Frank Lautenberg and Robert Torricelli's offices.
I find it upsetting that you would comment on the over-treatment of wells versus the need for two additional wells from that contaminated well field. Data have shown that any change in the pumping process changes the Superfund toxic plume's flow. We have already experienced contamination in wells 26, 28 and now 29 with trimer and trichloroethylene. Many TICs (tentatively identified chemicals) and many unidentified chemicals are still being analyzed in the rest of the parkway wells drawing from the Cohansey-Kirkwood aquifers. There will still be two wells (24 and 44) not connected to any filtration to protect our public water system.
Our children don't have the luxury of waiting for final analysis of these compounds over the next two to three years. The time to take action is now. History has shown that we have ingested these materials for over 20 years. One hundred children have experienced the ravages of cancer. If Union Carbide is responsible for this toxic site and its effects on the drinking water in this town, then they must provide the filtration for this fragile system to keep supplying us safely.
The citizens of Dover Township did not put these chemicals into our water. We should not have to pay in any way for the scourges it has inflicted on many of us, whether it be financial or, more importantly, childhood cancer. We are all working to better the health of our community. If it takes U.S. senators, Democrats, Republicans, independents or Martians, so be it.
This is a health issue. Let's keep it that way.
Source: Asbury Park Press
Published: November 17, 1998
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