Dear Concerned Residents of North East Queens -Here is my recent scientific analysis of what “may” be arriving in a neighborhood near you. My sources are confidential and will be kept that way.
My concerns are that behind the scenes in NYC, the highly probable investigation into the extraction of Natural Gas in Marsh/Wetland Locations is being analyzed. The value of the Flushing/CP Airport can be used for the extraction of fossil fuel natural gas using “Hydraulic Pressure” extraction next to the token 8 acres that were recently proposed to be given to us by EDC. If you think strip mall development is bad, imagine a natural gas company setting up shop at this sensitive location!
Halliburton has its eye on all areas of New York City for the "potential future extraction locales". What should be happening is the push for the REDUCTION of chemical toxic pollution and use of petroleum based products used for asphalt as seen in the NY Daily News .
Many people are advertising natural gas as a transition fuel, even saying trucks may be run on liquid natural gas. Natural gas is anything but “green” (as described by Sarah Palin) and it’s anything but the answer to our energy needs and concerns for the future. The drilling or extraction for natural gas itself releases poisons and toxins into the atmosphere that can build up and cause health concerns. A by-product of drilling is the release of methane, and chemicals used in the drilling methodology, which includes benzene and other toxic chemicals. The natural gas companies will not reveal exactly what toxins it uses during the drilling process and procedure because it considers them “trade secrets”. The extraction of natural gas affects the safety of water and in some areas of the U.S. is reportedly responsible for cancer, mostly leukemia (from benzene). Feel free to contact me for scientific references associated with my claims.
Someone needs to tell T. Boone Pickens and every other person who feels that natural gas is “clean and natural” that natural gas is not the answer to our global warming induced climate crisis. Here is a story that forced me to send out this e-mail.
The above story has been taken from a SCIENTIFIC journal that illustrates why carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) might not work in many cases. Storage of a gas means it will eventually leak, as the methane in this article did. This article taken from Scientific American (November 2008) also enumerates the many problems of pollution from drilling for natural gas. Pollution is not the only problem. Natural gas explosions that level buildings and homes are not uncommon in the northern U.S. where people obtain their heat from natural gas.
All of my comments are based on peer-reviewed scientific literature and not based on any of my personal opinions or a “half-baked hypothesis”.
Dr James M. Cervino
Pace University &
Visiting Scientist
Woods Hole Oceanographic Inst.
Department of Marine Chemistry
Woods Hole, MA
Photo from Washington Post
29 comments:
This is serious crap. So CB #7 gets the community 1/3 of the remaining Flushing Airport and the rest will be have natural gas wells? What the fuck? Is anyone else as outraged as I am? What will the people of north Queens do when there is a leak? The traffic is bad enough, partly because College Point has few entry/exit roads, but if there is an emergency than this is truly a catastrophe in waiting.
Interesting. Didn't we just read a glowing report of something similar being done in Fresh Kills, Staten Island?
I hate to show my ignorance, but what else is at Flushing airport besides overgrown vegetation? Have the aviation fuels, benzene and other pollutants been taken away or are they still around to cause leukemia too?
Any old drums of chemicals left? I am less familiar with this site than many of your readership, but I hope that the city uses common sense and proceeds with caution. College Point isn't the easiest area to evacuate.
I am less familiar with this site than many of your readership, but I hope that the city uses common sense and proceeds with caution.
What the F? Why the hell would you want to see this proceed at all? If you are "less familiar with the site" then why offer an obtuse opinion? Would you want to live next to a natural gas mining field? If not, then why would you want anyone else to? This is so typical of the supporters of the tweeders.
As you said, "I hate to show my ignorance" but ya did it anyhow. The former Flushing Airport is an amazing natural wetlands and ecosystem that should be saved at all costs. It also helps protect the surrounding communities from flooding by providing natural drainage.
No, you are the ignorant one. I am clearly against this plan, as I am not unfamiliar with the geography of the area.
I am pointing out that there may be additional hazards already existing that have to be remediated.
Perhaps if you took the time to read this post more carefully, you would not have gone off like a bottle rocket. I am not obtuse, merely a little more humble than a bloviating self-appointed expert like yourself.
It has already been reported on this blog and elsewhere that EDC is responsible for the cleanup of the Flushing Airport site and the same scientist who wrote this letter also is questioning their cleanup methods. Click on the tag "Flushing Airport" at the end of this post for more info.
Thanks, I'm going to look that up. I am a veteran of brownfield sites having grown up surrounded by them, and I am sure that what we know is there and what is part of public knowledge is only the tip of the iceberg.
Like everything else, the whole story comes out 50 years later when everyone who could be sued is dead.
I hope that the city uses common sense and proceeds with caution.
I am clearly against this plan
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Proceeds with caution means uses caution when deciding on a plan for this site.
It does not suggest moving full steam ahead on a dubious plan. At some point the city will have to do something with this site, whether properly cleaning it up and turning it into a nature preserve, more effectively securing it so that intruders cannot invade it if cleaning it up entirely proves unfeasible, or using it for an appropriate commercial development.
I am sorry that is so difficult for you to understand.
I hope that the city uses common sense and proceeds with caution.
I am clearly against this plan
I am less familiar with this site than many of your readership
I am not unfamiliar with the geography of the area.
I am sorry that is so difficult for you to understand.
And I am sorry that you have a difficult time communicating. You say one thing and then you say something else and expect everyone to get where you're coming from!
What is up with this city with queens? Why do we always get fucked in the process? This mayor and council people are screwing business owners in college point for their "special interest", garbage plant and now this. We need to pull together as a whole and say enough is enough and protest against this city, it's mayor and anyone who is in favor of this. Lived in Queens all my life and never have I've seen such bullshit. I say fuck you MAYOR BLOOMASS!
Please, I give up with you. You have the reading comprehension of a small child. Subtle nuance escapes you, you develop a full head of steam before you understand another's position.
With such negativity, no wonder the city writes you off. You cannot just be against something. You have to have values that you are defending and ideas that will improve your community.
When the leaking, toxic sh@t in this site creeps into the air and water around College Point, when people are killed because it is vacant, what then?
I will tell you what my views are on this. No homes, no schools, nothing where people are exposed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to God knows what. After that, I am open to intelligent suggestions.
YEAH I HAVE A SUGGESTION! throw out BLOOMASS and put you in there to run the city. This man doesn't care how this is going to affect a community and this dumb ass is promoting "GREEN" yeah just like the HS here in Maspeth with contaminate soil, he wants to vent into our air. Your right! and hopefully people understand your points.
This mayor and council people are screwing business owners in college point for their "special interest", garbage plant and now this.
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What about the mayor and the police academy deal? Let's not forget that one.
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/queens/2009/05/06/2009-05-06_city_councilman_tony_avella_raps_mayor_bloombergs_push_for_new_police_academy_in.html
wow college point busy lil town for all of bloomass interests... what's the deal with college point and him?
Linda, I am telling you that what you read about is the tip of the iceberg. Right now in my own little patch of Astoria, I have seen several homes demolished by corruption. Owners driven out, their tenants driven out.
I am the lady who posts the fictitious "Building on Your Head" posts. I had my own ceiling brought down on me.
Human life means nothing right now. I am willing to work with anyone who restores concern for people to the political landscape.
As many of you know, I hold the former Flushing Airport property with great reverance. It is an important part of the north Queens infrastructure and it does serve a purpose both as a buffer for development and as a potential source of clean water from ancient aquifers that lie underneath the property. I believe that when the area is properly maintained, it helps to control flooding as well.
However, I have grave concerns for the Mitchell-Linden and neighboring communities regarding the impact of future development at the site. First of all, I have noted that there has been an increase in health issues in this area. My observations began when I was diagnosed with a rare blood cancer in 2003 and discovered that other people had blood disorders as well.
My inquiries were ignored by elected officials and city, state, and federal agencies, even though letters were written by City Councilman Tony Avella on my behalf. His letters were brushed off even though I was able to provide credible data that supported my concerns. By the way, my own councilman, John Liu, all but ignored me at this time but Tony's district is adjacent to my own and he knew that the health concerns would impact his district as well.
My Mitchell-Linden community is bombarded with pollution from a variety of sources including the Whitestone Expressway traffic and construction, the emissions from the NY Times printing plant (which they claim is harmless but fail to provide data to prove it!), the jets from nearby LaGuardia Airport, and the increased development in the College Point Corporate Park.
I have been advocating, for the past 5 years, for a more detailed study of the health of the citizens from this area but I am being ignored. Why? The first patient diagnosed with the West Nile virus lived across the street from my housing complex and the late Mitch Weiner lived a block or 2 away. The highly publicized tragedies may just be the tip of the iceberg and ignoring the problem won't make it go away!
I fear this type of development that is proposed in the article more than anything. I discovered that there is a cluster of cases of the rare blood disease that I have been diagnosed with in Hometown, Pennsylvania and the investigators found that this type of cancer is linked to benzene derivatives resulting from mining and other activities. Do a Google search for "Polycythemia Vera" "Hometown Pennsylvania" to see how the people needed private funding because the government realizes that this is a can of worms they want to keep closed! By the way, the first article that comes up really does a good job of explaining the situation.
In conclusion, this proposal is not only ludicrous but perhaps criminal as well. This is just another example of how our elected officials have sold us out for their own selfish motives. All except Tony Avella who I plan to vote for even if I have to write his name onto the ballot.
Sometimes the links do not work but let's see what happens this time:
http://www.hometownhazards.com/2009/03/feds-attempt-to-kill-polycythemia-vera.html
or Google search:
Feds' attempt to kill polycythemia vera investigation shows need for change
It is from the "Hometown Hazards
a rural Pennsylvania community fights for environmental justice" blog site dated March 31, 2009. What more proof do we need before action is taken?
And please don't forget:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkV6yBXHODg
Thank YOU for paying attention.
Please excuse my ignorance but recently in the Mitchell-Linden Area surrounding the Airport site, there has been a mysterious drill truck taking ground samples every couple of yards... could that be related to this.. the drilling truck basically went along the Southern service road of the highway which is opposite the Airport
alan, just watched the video and i can't believe how our mayor blew this off. he turned it around about other health issues and accidents, don't get that at all. we want to know why people are getting sick, enviromentally. you got me a little scared because my blood counts always shows high white cells and my red blood counts are always higher. think its time to go back to the doctors. keep up the fight!
Linda,
I just left a message for the doctor mentioned in the Hometown, PA article. I am really concerned and I am sorry to hear that your blood counts are abnormal. Please investigate because my own doctor was satisfied with a diagnosis of Epstein-Barr virus and did not continue diagnostic procedures.
The way I found out I had PV was when I was speaking with the late David Oats who was recovering from a stroke. He heard me slurring words and having a difficult time with my thoughts. He had me call my primary care doc immediately and upon further examination, the doc then noticed the elevated blood counts. I had to be phlebotomized immediately and so I guess you can say that David saved my life.
The reason for my concern about this condition is that it goes unrecognized and it can kill. However, living tissue is needed for a diagnosis and it would be rare for it to be discovered during an autopsy. Because of the build up of blood, it can cause heart attacks, strokes, embolisms, etc. and that's what the diagnosis would be on the death certificate.
I truly believe that there is a coverup as evidenced from the article on the Hometown blog. This is a disease that, according to my research online, has an incidence rate of 100,000 to 1. With a Queens population of approximately 2.3 million people, there should only be 23 cases but I called 2 hematology centers and each suggested that they are treating dozens of cases. I publicly challenge the NYS Health Dept's SEER statistics which are collected by having doctors report cases when they are discovered.
Linda, please take care of yourself and have a more detailed study on your blood be perormed. It is better to be safe than sorry. I hope others reading this will also take my concerns seriously and start asking questions. The life you save might just very well be your own. Thank you.
One would expect blood problems including leukemia on a site saturated with benzene. As you know, this chemical is used as an industrial degreaser and is also found in some fuels
Many more will develop these problems if the benzene isn't removed. I'm also concerned that chemicals in the same class are present in the soil samples taken from the site of the proposed Maspeth school.
I don't like to say "I told you so" but "I told you so"! All of a sudden at a recent meeting about the College Point Corporate Park, EDC said it is was “analyzing” 25 acres of the old airport site.
http://tinyurl.com/cpairport
Once again they are trying to stick it to us! We should be thankful we've got folks like Dr James Cervino.
At the same time, we can never let this happen! I don't care if we have to lay down in the street! People need to know about this and the outrage over this needs to increase. We can't remain silent or we will get the shaft...figuratively and literally!
Steve-
I for one have not remained silent and I will stand by your side to fight this atrocity. After a conversation with a journalist earlier, I reread the article from the Hometown (PA) blog and want to quote a paragraph:
"This month, U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) announced that the Senate has approved an appropriations bill with $5 million for further study of the polycythemia vera cluster. But President Obama has yet to name a permanent head of the CDC to oversee ATSDR. After former CDC Director Julie Gerberding stepped down after the election, Obama appointed as a temporary replacement Richard Besser, a CDC insider and bioterrorism expert."
Oh great. Bloomturd's buddy Frieden is now in charge and he and his NYCDOH ignored the PV concern in Queens already. This is quite upsetting. Why are certain health concerns being ignored? Here is another interesting article that back up my claim that there is a concerted effort to keep this quiet:
http://www.hometownhazards.com/2008/09/covering-up-cause-of-polycythemia-vera.html
Wouldn't it be great if our tax money would go into medical research and more humanitarian efforts rather than bailing out greedy corporations? Oops. I shouldn't have said that. I might upset Bloomturd's cronies!
Halliburton is god! Cheney is god!
linda is the voice of Queens Crap!
My heart goes out to you. Queens is the cancer center of the earth. My own mother died of breast cancer, we had several other cancers on my block growing up including non-hodgkins lymphoma.
This is directly related to all the industrialization around us. Now we have the pollution, and not even the jobs this industry once produced.
I hope that we zone intelligently and keep homes as far from this evil crap as possible. I deeply fear for the safety of many of the new inhabitants of Long Island City.
Once I said as a joke, that they should put only senior citizen housing down there since cancer usually takes 20 years of exposure. The elderly would die of natural causes first.
But no, families with small children are moving in. Children who will play in the dirt, children who will eat the dirt. Children with small, growing bodies to soak it all up.
Money is the new sacrament, life means nothing.
My heart goes out to Anonymous who lost her mom to breast cancer. I get very emotional about this stuff because BOTH of my parents are cancer SURVIVORS! My parents are in their 80s and retired. My family has lived in Bayside for over 39 years. My father had colon cancer 25 years ago. My mom had kidney cancer 7 years ago and had to have a kidney removed. Again, earlier this year, my mom was treated for skin cancer. I'm sure living where we do contributed to them getting sick.
Thank goodness they are both fine now but I know firsthand the hell that this disease causes. We can't allow our families to get sick because some company has put its profits ahead of the health of our residents!
You want natural gas?
Then tap CB#7!
It's an endless supply!
Chuck could light up NYC for years by himself...and Marilyn...perpetually!
Half of the 1964 Worlds Fair was dumped by Mc Niel Park.
50 gallon drums oozing orange colored G-d knows what have been discovered along with tombstones, unknown refuse etc.!
In approx 1980, I was a teenager who played,hung out in and around flushing airport. For 2 consecutive nights there was a very tall white fabric fence hung around a football field sized area in the Midwest area of the airport. Friends and I were kept out of area and. The woods surroundingthe airport by a . Typical "men in black" type personal positioned all around area. In weeks and months after, anytime we entered airport area a truck arrived with men telling us it was private property. Never before,we always played on airport property and even in hangers. I believe that land will never be sold to anyone planning on digging underground. As many times people and corporations have overbid way to much to develops many different projects on that land. I would only hope they hurried something for our protection there.exp,ICBM , and not something toxic or from another planet.....there are numerous tunnels in college point undergroung that lead to there,and there are tunnels built during slavery that lead all the way to water. I explored a lot during teen years...holding this reminds someoonelse of this period for flushing airport.
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