There are many epidemiological studies that showed health effects in humans exposed to dioxins, says Dr. Hana Pohl, an environmental health scientist at the CDC. But PCBs have been found in the past along with dioxin at the now remediated sites in eastern Missouri. At this point in time, I have seen nothing to suggest that there may be additional sites out there, says Feild. In February 1983, Anne Gorsuch Burford, the administrator of the EPA, came to grant their wish. The waste oil salvagers list of clients included: Monsanto, Wagner Electric, Union Electric, Carter Carburetor, American Can and the now-defunct Lianco Container Corp., a can manufacturer jointly owned by Libby, McNeil and Libby and Anheuser- Busch Inc. Monsanto created dioxin as a waste byproduct in its chemical manufacturing processes and also exclusively made toxic polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) at its Krummrich plant in Sauget, Ill. until 1977. The dioxin has been traced to six tanker truckloads of waste Bliss picked up in 1971 from the now-defunct Northeastern Pharmaceutical and Chemical Co. in Verona, Mo. Leistner grew up in Valley Park and moved to Times Beach in December 1956, at age 18. Leistner (at right) remembers four churches and four taverns, a perfect balance. A part-owner of a stable where 62 horses died after dioxin-tainted oil was sprayed testified today before the Missouri Hazardous Waste Management Commssion that the man who sprayed the oil had told her it contained a special fly-killing ingredient. Past Addresses: Eureka MO, Saint James MO She took it to the dry cleaner, but the owners refused her business. He edited his footage down to a two-minute video, which he argues provides vivid firsthand evidence that racism is alive and well in parts of the country. The haul included drums laden with cancer-causing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). After Bliss sprayed the Shenandoah Stables in Moscow Mills in 1971, owner Judy Piatt watched barn sparrows die "by the bushel.". Theres plenty of parking, a playground, and lots of picnic tables. According to a 1981 IEPA document, Piatt recalled that Bliss possibly obtained waste from Monsanto. The IEPA summary goes on to state: Judy Piatt has a diary and pictures of such activities, but will not release these to (EPA) Region VII on the advise of her attorney., But perhaps the most damning indictment comes from Bliss himself. Times Beach was founded, oddly enough, as a newspaper promotion. Surveyors have also staked out a section of the park near Jordans residence with bright orange flags. (He declined to comment for this story.) Former company officials said their warnings were ignored. The town is gone, but the people remain. He wanted to stay there, so she just divorced him. That was too much for Hammer to bear. He simply has questions, questions that he believes were left unanswered by the EPAs reluctance to be forthcoming. Why put your tail between your legs and run now after you been living with it so long? Another possible alternative was eliminated in December, when the only available commercial incinerator licensed to accept dioxin-contaminated waste was shuttered in Coffeyville, Kan. But at this point, I cant really discuss the alternatives. We would invite the press out, and we would spray-paint the prices on the homes. She has a photograph of a house with $15,800 scrawled across the siding. On Aug. 7, Taylor asked the St. Louis County Council to assist TBAG by forming a task force to independently investigate possible hazardous waste sites that may have been overlooked in the past by the EPA and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR). It remains a priority. Its clean as a whistle, he repeats. She stayed, married, and had two daughters. Leistner has four children, three girls and a boy. But nobody from the federal agency has bothered to walk across the street and inform her about the purpose of these actions. In the center of the park is a large mound where the contaminated houses were buried, since only soil was burned. Piatt had a hunch that there was something in Bliss' oil and started befriending his drivers and tailing his trucks. April 28 (UPI) -- A lost dog in Northern Ireland was found 26 days later after walking more than 40 miles to the home of his former owners. "Bliss told me it couldn't be in the oil because he didn't haul chemicals.". He had acquired an official document detailing suspected dioxin sites across Missouri. She pleaded for action. They could smoke four packs a day without any harm.. Natalie is reunited in Heaven with her parents, Robert and Nanon Hyink; her mother-in-law, Evelyn Bliss; and a host of cowboys, cowgirls, and horses that loved her deeply. That the provision of the Superfund law the EPA is using against the environmentalists is normally reserved for attacking corporate polluters hasnt been overlooked. The haul included drums laden with cancer-causing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). State and federal officials ignored the Centers for Disease Control when it confirmed that dioxin had contaminated an Imperial, Mo., subdivision and urged in 1975 that the dirt be moved to protect residents. Meanwhile, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began warning people in low-lying areas that a severe flood was coming. By 1982, the Missouri attorney generals office had entered negotiations with two other firms, American Can and GK Technologies. Will it be cheaper to buy out the town or clean it up?". Parents in nearby towns wince when Karen Adams, a Times Beach school bus driver, picks up their kids. "What will happen to my kids in 10 years?". No. So why were they in such a rush to get the barrels off the Callahan property? asks Shea. In doing so, Taylor argues, the agency ignored the various other priority pollutants present in the soil, including PCBs, some of which might not have originated at the Verona plant. Its good to put a lot of thought into a process such as this, but when are we going to see some outcome? The walls smelled. They remembered birds dying. A flood, thats real. [5] Outline of AbrahamHicks' teachings Everybody kindly watched after their kids, your kids, and everybody elses kids, she says. Current Address: ETZR Strecker Rd, Ballwin, MO. Bliss has said he was not told the oil contained dioxin. Scientists disagree about how much it takes to put someone at risk. There are probably a lot of people who are unaware, she adds. The announcement of the new site came only weeks after the EPA and DNR had completed their controversial incineration project at Just off Strecker Road, in the gully washes that feed into Caulks Creek, the first of thousands of barrels of toxic waste were discovered nearly 19 years ago. Ive got letters from EPA and DNR also stating that everything is cool on the property. But Wurm says he doesnt want to discuss the project in detail, fearing his plans will be misrepresented. She still has her family reunions down here. Wildwood currently zones the Strecker Road properties as nonurban, which requires a minimum lot size of 3 acres. One of her adult sons has since contracted a lupus-like disease, says Jordan. Though it was rocky at times, their iconic relationship lasted for five years before they called it quits in 1982. Taylors list of objections goes on and on. One of Copelands tasks was to help a waste hauler named Russell Bliss spread used motor oil on the unpaved streets, in an effort to control dust. WebJERRY-RUSSELL BLISS, INC., Petitioner-Appellant, v. HAZARDOUS WASTE MANAGEMENT COMMISSION, et al., Respondents. Dioxin levels here are lower, but wider spread, officials said. Jerry Lewis is, in spite of it all, still alive. When I talked with the (St. Louis) Post-Dispatch, I got misquoted. But for the average person, its still unwise to smoke four packs a day. The company's filing status is listed as Voluntarily Dissolved and its File Number is 00205495. But if youre in the market for something called a Menopause Meter, youre in the right place. By visiting our site, you agree to our privacy policy regarding cookies, tracking statistics, etc. She died less than a year later.. It is also a probable carcinogen. Officials seemed to be acting as if the residents might be contagious. Every morning, Bunch would come to the donut shop. Jerry Bliss was the first witness today when the hearing resumed. Among those who doubt the EPAs blanket endorsement is Tammy Shea, a Wildwood resident. The chemical companies, he has always maintained, never told him exactly what he was hauling. The carpet had to be torn out. Jerry Buss, the Los Angeles Lakers owner who shepherded the NBA team to 10 championships from the Showtime dynasty of the 1980s to the Kobe Bryant era, died Monday. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. May she rest there in peace, and may those who cared for her continue to feel her unconditional love. The requests to develop these two properties have dredged up a litany of questions that have never been adequately answered by EPA officials or by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR). She currently holds the position of Senior Program Manager at The Walt Disney Company. The state presented its evidence in the case at an hearing in January, and Bliss' defense of the Prosecutors said Bliss wrote 27 checks to fictitious people overstating business expenses, thereby reducing his federal income taxes. . "What is going to happen to us next?" The only reference to Times Beach is a single display in a corner of the museum. In all, 265,000 tons of dirt from 27 locations would be burned. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. Back in 1982, she called Bliss and asked him, point-blank, whether he had sprayed Times Beach with dioxin. Everybody was friendly in Times Beach, she says. April 28 (UPI) -- An isolated private island off the coast of Scotland is for sale with an asking price of about $188,000. Bliss has said he had no idea that toxic chemicals were involved. He operates a roadside attraction, a classic car museum in St. James, and he travels to flea markets. Ultimately, there is probably more than one correct answer to that question. For information about the McDonnell Park and Lemar Drive dioxin sites, call Hattie Thomas, EPA Community Involvement Coordinator, at 1-800 223-0425. published in the Riverfront Times (St. Louis), Aug. 20, 1997. Some streets here measured 100 parts per billion--100 times higher than the level the CDC considers dangerous. Of particular note was a chemical plant in Verona, which had been used to produce Agent Orange and hexachlorophene, an ingredient used in soap. Copeland didnt know it then, but he had inadvertently contributed to wiping the entire town off the map. In this instance, however, because the highest level of dioxin is believed to be buried more than a foot deep, it has been deemed safe by the EPA. I dont know his real name, because he never did say it, Copeland says. Across the street in the park, a family of four walks with their two dogs along the asphalt trail that skirts the dioxin-contaminated site. And despite McClellans best efforts to engender compassion for him, Bliss remains an unsympathetic character to those affected by his actions. The more you smoke, the worse it is for your health. The agency then backfilled the hole with the same soil that had been stored at the site. Dioxin, its silent, unseen. Judy Piatt, who was co-owner of Shenandoah Stables in 1971 when the arena was oiled for dust control, testified that the driver for Russell Bliss, a waste oil dealer, ''told me there was special stuff put in the oil for special customers that would kill flies.''. Bliss son still lives on a Strecker Road property once owned by his father, from which the EPA only a few years ago finally removed more than 900 truckloads of dioxin-contaminated dirt in addition to an estimated 1,500-2,000 barrels of toxic chemicals. The federal agency would refer to them collectively as the Bliss-Ellisville site. Its no problem. But he was forced to do jail time anyway, on tax-evasion charges, since he didnt report his waste-hauling income to the IRS. Although state and federal regulatory authorities all heralded the closing of the incinerator as the end of states toxic legacy, the discovery of the new site draws into question the EPAs prior assumptions about the origins of the dioxin and other hazardous wastes that have long plagued the region. Despite evidence of erosion, the EPAs investigation concluded that the fill area of the Callahan subsite was not contaminated (and) that the original objectives of the remedial action had either been achieved through natural processes, or were no longer considered necessary due to the preference expressed by the site owner., Aside from groundwater contamination, the most serious threat to human health posed by the contamination at the Callahan site was airborne migration, according to the EPA. It would set up a mobile incinerator, a massive metal jungle gym with a giant furnace and a single tall smokestack. 67115. Scottish Island for sale with asking price of $188,000. Some were rescued in boats. On the recommendation of an EPA ombudsman, a retest was completed. Jerry Hatcher, the town's heavy equipment dealer, lost a sale when a customer found dust on a tractor tire. At the hearing on the matter, the DNR submitted two contracts between Monsanto and Russell Bliss dated 1975 and 1976, the time period in which Bliss is known to have sprayed Terre Du Lac. He was hired to dispose of the waste after Northeastern was absorbed by Syntex Agribusiness Inc. Court records show that Northeastern had waste buried on farm land and discharged some waste through its plant's sewage system. The cleanup crew immediately sent 592 drums to a landfill in Wright City, Mo., but more than 600 barrels were stored on-site, along with 500 cubic yards of soil. In other words, Feild is denying that the EPA itself has even a scintilla of evidence that could help pinpoint any potentially untreated hazardous waste sites in eastern Missouri. WebClay Campbell makeup artist / makeup supervisor / makeup (209 episodes, 1959-1966) Gertrude Wheeler hair stylist / hair styles (173 episodes, 1960-1966) A dozen rabbits' ears were swabbed with a 300 ppb dioxin solution taken from contaminated soil residue. Before Times Beach the most notorious of the sites contaminated by Bliss became a household word, the EPA had already rated the Callahan property one of the most contaminated hazardous-waste sites in the nation. For four or five months, that site has been standing there idle. The initial unearthing of the contaminated caches led one state environmental official to say at the time, People move out here to escape pollution. What Im going to ask is that they provide the citizens with some level of accountability, because we certainly arent getting it from the EPA and we shouldnt have to depend on the developer to provide it.. In 1994, the Post-Dispatch reported a dispute involving homebuyers in Turnberry Place subdivision, which abuts the Bliss farm. The bank that stood between the town and the river was steep and tall. I didnt have anything to do with their money.. The chemical companies paid him to take the sludge, and then he turned around and sold it to somebody else. I dont really think there was enough dioxin down here to do anything, he says. This site that was discovered over in Ellisville was completely new information, he adds. The legendary and controversial TV host was 79 years old. Bliss, 49, is believed responsible for spreading much of the dioxin that contaminated at least 31 sites in central and eastern Missouri, including the St. Louis suburb of Times Beach. Ive been looking for answers, and I dont know what direction to go in, says Jordan, who was belatedly informed by a neighbor of an EPA informational meeting held on March 12. One year on Halloween, while the men were playing cards, the ladies sneaked away and toilet-papered the chief of polices house. You got to do your homework on these pieces, otherwise youre wasting your time. Our materials are appropriately handled at waste disposal operations., Martha Steincamp, the chief regional counsel for the EPA, concurs with Monsantos professed innocence. It was nearly a week before people could return to begin the daunting task of rebuilding. The residents gathered in front of a hotel in Eureka, crowding around the outdoor pool. Scapegoats seem to abound here. If they did anything wrong, you were going to find out about it, because one of the mothers is going to tell.. At that point, the EPA decided incineration would be the best way to remediate the site. Survived by Gregory Russell (Melissa McGuire), Barbara Russell, many family members and countless Bliss sprayed dioxin-contaminated oil on unpaved roads, parking lots, truck terminals and horse arenas as a dust suppressant. He has a roadside attraction a museum of classic cars and trucks and various odds and ends, including Coke bottles of all ages and types. Every year, former residents of Times Beach gather on the site to see old friends, tell stories, and inevitably shed a few tears. An EPA tracking sheet lists 29 such sites. (Burford would resign a month later, amid allegations of mismanagement of the Superfund program.). Mrs. Piatt, who said Mr. Bliss had been paid $150 to oil the floor of the arena near Moscow Mills, Mo., described in gruesome detail how pet cats and dogs and a total of 62 horses succumbed to the poisoning and died from 1971 to 1973. When he resigned, Leistner became acting mayor. They found an artificial tree among the debris that the flood had deposited, so they loaded it into the back of a pickup truck and ran it through a carwash. Essentially, Hall is asserting confidence in the clean up before it has started. Then came a 7-Eleven. The next day, he was sure that somebody was doing it to get even with him, Leistner says. One says, Is it hot in here, or is it just me?. No one is testing them. In Taylors view, the EPA was more interested in making Syntex legally responsible for the cleanup than exploring the full scope of the contamination. Rock 'n' roll's first great wild man, Jerry Lee Lewis the singer and pianist nicknamed "The Killer" has died. The only building that remains is a former roadhouse, now a museum and gift shop. At the Lemar site, the dioxin levels are even higher. He carries a brown leather briefcase, packed full of documents, many of which he says are classified. "When I hear people talking about the effects they're feeling now, tears come to my eyes.". Evening Standard/Getty Images. WebJerry Bliss lives in Saint James, MO; previous cities include Ellisville MO and Ballwin MO. Feild did not return phone calls. WebJERRY-RUSSELL BLISS, INC. is a Missouri Domestic Gen. Business - For-Profit filed on November 15, 1978. Eventually, they moved into a place of their own and started a family. But even in the heat of election season, Taylor is happy to carve out a couple of hours to make his case about Times Beach and the problems he perceives with the cleanup. Sometimes, its thought that people are asking for complete safety, complete security. For about a week and a half, that was the biggest topic.. He arrives wearing the uniform of politics: a blue suit, white shirt, tie, cuff links. The full-page advertisements boasted that the sweltering heat and discomfort of the city are unknown at Times Beach.. She remembers being able to let her kids run free without having to worry. Natalie M. Bliss, 58, passed peacefully on Tuesday, February 2, 2021, in her home with her husband and daughter by her side. Copyright 2023 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 1 killed in shooting at Massachusetts house party, Heavy shelling in Kherson, Kharkiv destroys residences, Cuba postpones International Workers' Day parade over fuel shortages, Democrats, Republicans remain split on debt ceiling plan. They include: Holiday Hill Amusement Park, Lindenwood College, McCarthy Brothers Construction Co., St. Charles Quarry and Terre Du Lac, a residential/lake development near Bon Terre, Mo. The mixture is used for dust She was loyal, selfless, honest, and witty. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. She was one of a dozen witnesses called so far this week by attorneys for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, which has denied Jerry Russell Bliss Inc., Mr. Bliss's concern, the hazardous waste transporter license it needs to stay in business. When considering deviations from the existing zoning code, the city takes into account several factors, such as the availability of utility services, topography and road conditions, but nothing on the municipal books deals with building houses on top of former hazardous-waste sites. Steve Taylor (at left) never lived in Times Beach, but he did spend time at one of the horse farms where Bliss sprayed. Adjacent to the ravine, in a playing field, dioxin has been found at more than 9.5 ppb. I guess Wildwood is just going to have to look at it from a credibility standpoint, says Shea. The other St. Louis companies used PCBs or other hazardous substances for different purposes.. When everybody was scrambling, because we lived almost to Blakey [Road], farthest away, we didnt think the water was going to come up to us, Purler says. Times Beach was on her list, she said. Jerry-Russell Bliss, Inc., appeals from denial of a license to transport hazardous waste. WebHIGGINS, Chief Justice. We didnt like that, because people were building new homes. It isnt necessary for the EPA to raid TBAGs files to find this information because the agency already has the original documents in its own archives. Leistner doesnt go to the reunions. The agency tested the incinerator to ensure that it was destroying dioxin. WebIn his early life, Jerry Hicks had been a circus acrobat for two years in Cuba, and then, beginning in 1948, had toured for 20 years as a musician, master of ceremonies, and comedian. Thats why just about every physician will tell his or her patient to stop smoking cigarettes, Schecter says. Jordan, who has lived in her home for 43 years, recalls the late Odie Greenspon, once operated a breeding farm for trotters at the location of the present park.. Businesses were locating there, Leistner says. Bliss son still lives on a Strecker Road property once owned by his father, from which the EPA only a few years ago finally removed more than 900 The next meeting on the issue is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 6, at Wildwood City Hall, 16962 Manchester Rd. You want to make sure you do it right, and, in the process of doing it, safeguard the public. Russell Bliss was accused of picking up chemical waste from a plant in Verona in the early 70s, mixing it with used motor oil from service stations, and selling the toxic elixir to horse farms, churches, and small towns as a dust suppressant. The activists appeal to the local governing body follows the public disclosure late last month of the existence of a previously undiscovered dioxin site in Ellisville. Missouri's problem is different from New York's Love Canal, which Hooker Chemical used as a toxic dump for dioxin until it was discovered in 1978. Seven families sued the responsible Realtor, and they were awarded a cumulative settlement of more than $500,000. Three parties Jean Callahan, Kisco Co. and Bliss refused to pay for the cleanup. Everyone in attendance says that if the town were reopened tomorrow, they would move back in a heartbeat. The contaminated soil is being stored in a pile at the site and covered with a tarp. As for developer Wurm, he believes the Callahan property has been cleaned up, but hes counting on the findings of state and federal regulators to protect him against any future liability. As of now, no specifics about Russel Flowers involvement in the accident have emerged on the internet. Most lung cancer is caused by smoking, but most people who smoke dont get lung cancer. The following quantities of hazardous wastes have been estimated: 1. So do two of her granddaughters. They were also eligible for relocation assistance; if their new house outside of Times Beach cost more than their settlement, the Superfund program would pay part of the difference. So Ill just let the record of decision stand for itself, OK? When a Missouri assistant attorney general asked the waste hauler in 1977 to identify his top customers, the first words out of Bliss mouth were, Oh, I would say Monsanto.. Emmett Copeland moved to Times Beach as a teenager in the early 1970s. The EPA has refused to reveal the list of alternatives prior to the publication of its EE/CAs, but according to Ellisville city manager Jeff LaGarce, the choices will likely include a technique called thermal desorption, an unproven process that allows the waste to be detoxified on site. newsday nassau county salaries 2020, ups teamsters contract 2023,
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