 
Kraig
Member
Username: Kraig
Post Number: 5
Registered: 03-2009
| | Posted on Thursday, March 26, 2009 - 11:59 am: |    |
The DRIC is probably pulling the same stunt on the U.S. side. The big difference is that the City of Detroit's City Planning Commission, Steve Toboccman and and Rep. Tlaib are supportive of the DRIC (or just against the DIBC0) so tough that they aren't questioning anything that the DRIC is saying. This is garbage, we don't need extra pollution in Detroit, period. The people representing the City of Detroit and the Southwest side (City Council, CPC, and Rep Tlaib need to represent us fairly in all matters and not take sides unfairly. What's even worse, our tax dollars are paying for this DRIC crap. I'm calling on everyone to call State REP Tlaib and City Council and tell them that we want a review of the DRIC's environmental study along with the DIBC. What's fair is fair and what's right is right.
MoE scientist slams DRIC
Certain health risks of border route not assessed, toxicologist says
By Dave Battagello, Windsor StarMarch 24, 2009
A government team overseeing construction of a $1.6-billion highway to a new border crossing failed to properly conduct its human health risk assessment, according to a scathing 16-page internal report by a toxicologist for the province's environment ministry.
"There were numerous inconsistencies and errors in the (assessment), not all of which are listed in this memo," Diana Piche, a regulatory toxicologist for the ministry's standards development branch, said in a March 5 memo.
Mayor Eddie Francis released a copy of the memo Monday.
The memo was obtained by the city's border lawyer David Estrin.
Piche criticized the health risk assessment conducted under the environmental assessment by the Detroit River International Crossing team for having numerous errors in its calculations, failing to consider the impact caused by several years of construction or trucks using the freeway's planned local service roads to the Ambassador Bridge.
There was no rationale to explain why some chemicals were studied for their impact on human health and others were not, Piche's review said.
Several known pollutants from diesel emissions were among those not measured by DRIC.
Some are considered human carcinogens, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, as well as metals and asbestos from brake linings.
Piche was especially critical of DRIC's health study failure to consider the impact on users of the parkway's green space and recreation trails.
"These receptors (of all ages) will be in the immediate vicinity of a roadway that will have heavy traffic (including diesel-powered trucks) and so it would seem prudent to include them," she said.
"In addition it would be expected that a number of these potential receptors will be exercising which will increase exposure via the inhalation route."
Another criticism was that indoor exposure for nearby residents and schoolchildren was not measured.
"This must be discussed and if it is not going to be assessed, a scientific basis for ruling it out must be provided," Piche said.
The DRIC team also used outdated or incorrect standards -- in some cases dating back to the 1990s -- to measure human health risks for chemicals such as butadiene, sulphur dioxide, formaldehyde and acetaldehyde.
Claims in the assessment that background pollutants accounting for the majority of health risks in the planned highway corridor was never broken done in any calculations, the memo said. Also, compounding effects from traffic and other sources on human health were not discussed in the assessment.
"The result is that this underestimates the total risk," Piche said.
The toxicologist's memo confirms the city's position that DRIC has failed to meet its obligations under the environmental assessment for the highway, Francis said. "It shows a number of deficiencies and concerns," he said.
"Human health impact is significant. This confirms the DRIC proposal does little to improve quality of life for residents. It doesn't address the issues from a health perspective. They should be making things better."
The DRIC below-grade road in the Talbot Road-Huron Church corridor includes 11 short overpasses which total 1.8 kilometres of coverage. The city wants the province to consider more tunnelling and green space.
The mayor said he hopes Piche's memo is a sign the environment ministry will examine the health issues around the DRIC parkway proposal before allowing construction to begin.
© Copyright (c) The Windsor Star |
Gistok
Member
Username: Gistok
Post Number: 6268
Registered: 08-2004
| | Posted on Friday, March 27, 2009 - 1:50 am: | |
Funny how this story mentions one of the most common plastics compounds in the world.... butadiene. Butadiene is one of the 3 ingredients in ABS plastic...
Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene
ABS plastic is the plastic used in LEGO and thousands of other common household applications... I would have thought that butadiene would have been studied to death since the 1960's.
Not sure about the other compounds though... |
Retroit
Member
Username: Retroit
Post Number: 1070
Registered: 04-2008
| | Posted on Friday, March 27, 2009 - 12:30 pm: | |
Well...I have sympathy for those who live near to where the new roads will be built for the new bridge, but unfortunately, in a large city, someone has to live near the expressway, someone has to live near the landfill, someone has to live near the waste treatment facility, someone has to live near the refinery, someone has to live near the factories...we all need to suffer a bit. Those that live along the Ambassador Bridge approaches will at least get some relief once the second span is completed. |
Rhymeswithrawk
Member
Username: Rhymeswithrawk
Post Number: 1867
Registered: 11-2005
| | Posted on Friday, March 27, 2009 - 12:37 pm: | |
"Matty Moroun's not alone "
No, but he sure is rich. |
Kraig
Member
Username: Kraig
Post Number: 6
Registered: 03-2009
| | Posted on Friday, March 27, 2009 - 3:40 pm: | |
You know what Retroit, I can actually go along with the statement that once the second span is built that we'll get some relief. After all, anything that gets traffic moving and not sitting idle as long as it does will help. |
Busterwmu
Member
Username: Busterwmu
Post Number: 576
Registered: 09-2004
| | Posted on Friday, March 27, 2009 - 6:22 pm: | |
From the title, I was worried this was news that Matty in fact had a secret and even more evil twin brother Thaddeus (naaaahhhhh!). Thank goodness!
Don't forget, when the new DIBC span is opened, the Ambassador will be shut down. |
Deteamster
Member
Username: Deteamster
Post Number: 198
Registered: 07-2007
| | Posted on Friday, March 27, 2009 - 7:01 pm: | |
"Well...I have sympathy for those who live near to where the new roads will be built for the new bridge, but unfortunately, in a large city, someone has to live near the expressway, someone has to live near the landfill, someone has to live near the waste treatment facility, someone has to live near the refinery, someone has to live near the factories...we all need to suffer a bit."
Do you understand that SW Detroit has to live with all of that shit except landfills, despite being the only viable neighborhood(one that isn't full of city employees and politicians) in Detroit?
Not surprisingly, no City Council live anywhere near SW Detroit.
Besides, Detroit isn't a large city anymore, except geographically. |
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