Dr. Phil Johnson, whose qualifications are in Environmental Health, that is a composite discipline incorporating toxicology, risk analysis, as well as three other components, was invited to last night's Commission Discussion Session. During the 57 minutes Dr. Johnson spent with the commissioners, never once was he flippant, arrogant, or biased. It was refreshing to hear from such a humble and honest person concerning artificial turf.
I am hoping a member of the Lebo Citizens "Audio Team" will send that portion of the podcast to me. Until then, the podcast has been uploaded on to my website here.
The entire podcast from Part 1 of the podcast is available to download below. Dr. Johnson begins at the 00:08:04 mark and ends at the 01:05:00 time stamp.
Please take the time to listen to this portion of the podcast, or watch the video which will be available here later today.
Update June 24, 2014 6:24 PM Mt. Lebanon expert says studies don’t prove turf safety (Saved in Google Docs)
Update June 26, 2014 7:59 AM Expert warns Mt. Lebanon about artificial turf issues
Update June 26, 2014 8:29 PM Yet ANOTHER warning. This time, flame retardants and plastics - both found in artificial turf. Doctors Fail To Counsel Pregnant Women On Toxic Chemical Risks
28 comments:
Dr. Johnson: The individual materials found in artificial turf, such as lead, black carbon, VOC's, etc. are known to cause adverse health conditions to those who come into contact with them. Vulnerable populations, such as children, have a much higher exposure rate than adults. Why would public health decision makers determine that the risk tradeoff is worth pursuing when the benefits, if any, are so minute?
Dave Brumfield: Eh, we drink out of plastic cups every now and then and other turf fields exist elsewhere so that's good enough.
John Bendel: We've had an artificial turf field for 40 years.
Dr. Johnson: To conclude that no adverse health effects, such as difficult to measure impairments like lowered IQ, developmental disabilities, respiratory disease, etc. is a dangerous assumption. No one has measured the effects on the MTL HS field over the course of its existence and it is very possible that these adverse health effects have in fact occurred.
Commission: Eh, we're not concerned. Kids love turf and therefore we're going to go ahead and assign some more "unassigned funds" to make sure they don't cry when it rains.
-I.C. Lawsootz, Esq.
Yeah Dave, Dave & Dave....CocaCola originally contained cocaine for years; mercury was used in tooth fillings for many, many decades, we could buy it in local drugstores as kids and rub it into pennies making them appear to be dimes; we used to love to go to shoe stores and slip our feet into x-ray machines to help determine our shoe sizes & widths; there was lead in everything - toy soldiers, toys of all kinds, paints; deep suntans every summer using coconut oil, baby oil to fry in --- yeah all these things and dozens more we were told for decades were good for us, no problem, until suddenly they were not. Yeah, your weak arguments that artificial turf has been in use for 40 years shows your true stupidity.
I hope Dr. Johnson was compensated for his valuable time.
Elaine
The Marlboro Man would come to their rescue but unfortunately...He's dead. Killed by his own product apparently. Irony sucks eh?
Brumfield was very uncomfortable during Dr. Phil's remarks. He fidgeted in his chair, took swigs of water from water bottles every couple of minutes, had difficulty putting words to questions or a very weak challenge to Dr. Phil, and referred to his laptop repeatedly apparently seeking help and support from someone, somehow, somewhere, someplace. He used the lame excuse of thousands of artificial turf installations over the past 40 years often which Dr. Phil shot down time after time. Dave could not cite from any of the 20 so-called turf research websites he used to try to justify turf to anti-turf critics. Doubt he ever critically read any of those so-called research reports that Dr. Phil discredited.
Bendel couldn't put a logical "bend it" together and mostly sat there mute and a bit forelorn. Donnellan sat there as being along for the ride, responsive to only questions directed to him. Silverman was absent; and, Kelly Fraasch asked a number of excellent questions - she had done some homework and preparation for the meeting while it was obvious the others had not.
Why is it that communities, everywhere, rally for victims of cancer, but appear unwilling, even in the presence of data driven toxicologists to take precautions to reduce risks?
The child featured in the article link below lives in Bethel Park and was just diagnosed with an inoperable, aggressive glioma at the age of EIGHT. EIGHT years old.
Brumfield should spend some time on Children's oncology unit and then tell us how he doesn't believe the studies. Then Bendel should join him.
http://www.post-gazette.com/local/2014/06/24/Meet-Joey-Fabus-the-World-s-Youngest-Cop/stories/201406240217
Where was the 6th. Commissioner, the loud mouthed, bully-boy lawyer from the Manor with too much time on his hands and little to show for it. You know, Dave 1 ? It would have been his abnormal nature to rush to the table and try to confront and interrogate Dr. Phil when he saw his pack coming undone before his eyes.
The problem with Commissioner Brumfield is that he constantly appears to be positioning his next statement rather then listening to what people are saying. At one point he said last night "Oh, I see what you are doing.", when someone was speaking as if he was debating a case in court. He must see many things that way, when residents speak they are a threat to his agenda rather then a partner in governance. Rather than believing residents are speaking from the heart does he view every opposing comment as having some manipulative purpose or secret agenda? It looks that way.
Today, I requested that Dr. Johnson's presentation be posted on the municipal website with the rest of the "field enhancement project" information so people can learn more about it. I hope it happens.
This whole debacle is truly a black eye on the Democrat Committee of Mt. Lebanon. Why won't the Committee do something to help? So far, when I asked the chair about this I was told that once their candidates are elected the Committee is completely hands-off. So, where is the disconnect between the "green" principle they stand for and what is going on here?
Anyone??
-Charlotte Stephenson
Meant than and not then...Charlotte
11:33 Maybe political committee members care more about politics than the welfare of children.
This is the case throughout this country. For example, currently, in Washington, politicians are pushing to reduce the newly developed nutrition requirements of school lunches. If they cared about kids, they wouldn't be having the discussion.
Who cares about kids in Mt Lebanon? It's not Brumfield, Bendel or Linfante, and the weak Democratic Committee apparently doesn't either.
-From a registered democrat
"How many times can a man turn his head
and pretend that he just doesn't see?"
Well one answer that is blowin' in the wind my friends, as many times as the apathetic, lazy voters will him.
11:59 PM, don't forget Steve Silverman. He thinks this is an excellent plan from an economic standpoint. Increased Gatorade sales and dips in the pool while waiting for games.
4:47 AM, voters aren't lazy. Voters elected Brumfield TWICE. And only voters from his ward. My ward has its own problems.
My question is to some of the board members. Where is your passion? Why aren't you fighting for what you believe in? Are you serving on a board just to add to your Linkedin profile?
Kristen, where is your passion? You went to school board meeting after school board meeting with your green friends fighting for LEED Certification. You and your friends call yourselves child advocates. Why have you all gone silent?
Why were there no MTLSD administrators or school board members in the room to hear what Dr. Johnson had to say? Is it because I see familiar last names in The Almanac sports section all vying for scholarships?
Elaine
I wonder what Solicitor Phil might be advising the Commissioners, Manager and Rec. Dir. after listening to Dr. Phil's presentation and Q & A session that was scheduled for 20 minutes but went for 60 ?
9:56 AM, I wonder what Solicitor Phil might be advising President Kristen after she attacked a private citizen for the second time. I wonder what Solicitor Phil might be advising Lawyer Dave when the same private citizen said that the burden of proof is on the commission, and Lawyer Dave just laughed at the private citizen.
Elaine
Instead of acting rationally to the growing public concerns about the turf project, the Gang of 4 Commissioners aided and abetted by staff, SAB & TPTF wonks, developed a "fortress mentality", a/k/a "circle the wagons" defense claiming they were the ultimate authority, knew all that needed to be known, so back off, get out of the way, it's gonna happen, regardless, we make all the rules.
Instead, they should have sought outside scientific and health expertise from the get-go and required full chemical content disclosure from all turf suppliers and performed the necessary studies months ago.
They have dug themselves a very deep personal liability risk hole if they proceed on their current flawed course and health problems develop over time.
It is a shame Wildcat/Middle isn't on Connor Road rather than Cedar.
If it were, once it's turfed we could call it by a more specific name.
Yes, 11:20 AM, the property at the corner of Connor and Terrace could have been named Connor Field.
I just heard the spin on the Dr. Johnson segment of the Discussion Session. The presentation was "anti-turf." I think we are dealing with people who have been exposed to too much lead and took too many hits to the head. They are irrational. Scary.
It is also comical that the people who have been peeking are showing up a different way now. You can peek, but you can't hide.
Elaine
14 years and still an "associate".
Brumfield's pathetic legal experience consists more of "learning" than litigating. Check out his bio on Alpern Schubert's website. We know now that he was wrong about the legality of the Newcomers Tax, and soon Mr. Weiss will inform him that he's wrong about the turf too. I'd bet he provides (woefully inadequate and incorrect) legal advice to the other Commissioners on these issues to convince that they are on the right side of the law, when in fact, just the opposite is true. Hey Dave, can you hurry up and move out of Mt. Lebanon sooner rather than later?
Hey Brumfield--
Yep, millions of plastic water bottles are used everyday... so you're not worried, right?
Maybe you just might be wrong basing something is safe just because 'everyone is using it.'
http://www.banthebottle.net/bottled-water-facts/
From San Francisco:
"SF becomes first major city to ban sale of plastic water bottles"
http://m.sfexaminer.com/PoliticsBlog/archives/2014/03/04/sf-becomes-first-major-city-to-ban-sale-of-plastic-water-bottles
Must be a city of hysterical alarmist, right Brumfield?
Keep swiggin' from that plastic stuff, commissioner, it's only your neighbors money paying for it.
http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/water/bottled/bottled-water-bad-for-people-and-the-environment/
http://desmogblog.com/your-water-bottle-giving-you-cancer-new-study-reveals-shocking-bpa-dangers
"Bisphenol A, or BPA for short, has been in the spotlight for decades, with both the chemical industry and occasionally the federal government touting its safety, while independent, non-industry funded scientific studies show us how dangerous the chemical truly is. The latest news regarding BPA is no different, with new independent studies showing that the common chemical has the potential to increase the risk of breast cancer when exposure occurs in the womb."
Cheers, Mr. Brumfield! Take another swig, please.
Personally, while I know I cannot completely avoid plastic bottles, I'll do what I can to reduce exposure to them as much as possible.
Hey Brumfield, several weeks ago you smugly said "Corbett Sucks!"
Well, commissioner if he does indeed "suck" as you claim, I hope he keeps doing it.
"Pa.'s unemployment rate drops for 10th consecutive month" -
By The Associated Press on June 20, 2014 at 12:14 PM, updated June 20, 2014 at 10:48 PM
"The state Department of Labor and Industry reported Friday that the statewide jobless rate for May was 5.6 percent — the lowest since September 2008. That's down from 5.7 percent in April and below the national rate of 6.3 percent.
The state's labor force — the number of people working or looking for jobs — shrank by 12,000 in May to 6.43 million. The ranks of employed Pennsylvanians declined by 6,000, the first drop after eight straight months of gains, and the number of unemployed shrank by 5,000.
A separate survey of employers shows total non-farm jobs growing by nearly 25,000. Payrolls stand at 5.79 million."
By The Associated Press on June 20, 2014 at 12:14 PM, updated June 20, 2014 at 10:48 PM
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HARRISBURG, Pa. — Officials are reporting the 10th straight monthly decline in Pennsylvania's unemployment rate.
The state Department of Labor and Industry reported Friday that the statewide jobless rate for May was 5.6 percent — the lowest since September 2008. That's down from 5.7 percent in April and below the national rate of 6.3 percent.
The state's labor force — the number of people working or looking for jobs — shrank by 12,000 in May to 6.43 million. The ranks of employed Pennsylvanians declined by 6,000, the first drop after eight straight months of gains, and the number of unemployed shrank by 5,000.
Sound vaguely familiar?
http://triblive.com/mobile/1350660-81/valley-news-dispatch-allegheny-battistel-sportexe-chapel-company-district-fox
"The authority conducted a second round of bidding, during which Battistel and Thomas lambasted members for what they call biased practices.
According to the men, members placed a proprietary specification on the bids, virtually eliminating all but one company from the process."
8:50 AM, here is what Brumfield, Linfante, and Bendel will take from that:
The EIGHT year old study from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. They will also say that the state of New Jersey is biased. They will dismiss the additional recommendations. Already, JT Sauer has produced the Connecticut study as documentation.
"A fact sheet prepared by the Connecticut Department of Public Health states that, 'Based upon the current evidence, a public health risk appears unlikely. (This is where they stop reading.) However, there is still uncertainty and additional investigation is warranted.' CDPH recommended that those considering installation of artificial turf fields should '…consider these uncertainties as part of the array of issues evaluated when deciding whether to install artificial turf fields (e.g., cost, maintenance, public acceptability).'"
Elaine
Yep, sure New Jersey is populated by a bunch of hysterical, ill-informed moms and dads and artificial turf is high on their list of environmental concerns!
"Superfund is both an actual fund and a shorthand term for the list of America's nastiest toxic waste sites. One in two Americans lives within ten miles of a Superfund site. Currently, there are about 1,300 sites on the list, although it fluctuates. New Jersey has the mostSuperfund sites, with over a hundred. Nevada and the District of Columbia have one apiece."
The fact that the majority of studies that claim turf is safe usually end with a caveat that children should shower and clothes should be washed immediately after playing on artificial turf. Essentially they're saying, turf is safe... BUT......!
So the prudent parent should ask themselves, 'do I want to roll the dice?'
Do the advertised gains from artificial turf outweigh the 'possible' future implications?
Yes, if we don't install turf we lose a few games here and there. We've been losing games due to weather for years and yet our lacrosse teams are still winning and winning big.
Yes, we save a few bucks annually in maintenance cost (maybe). Long term though every eight years we add a gargantuan line item in the municipal budget that negates any annual savings.
So, are we going to accept this project that benefits just a few individuals- one specifically that pays a smaller portion into property taxes than most or are we going to develop a recreation plan that could do the most good overall for the community?
It has been estimated that artificial turf replacement at MWC in 8 years should cost around $400,000 (estimated remember! It was estimated the high school renovation was going to cost under $100 million and we can see how that estimate stood the test of time).
So $400,000 divided by 8 years = $50,000/year. That figure does not include the regular - artificial turf regular annual maintenance ($7,000?).
It would be nice if public works, the Rec. Dept. or especially Municipal Manager Feller showed us exactly how much money is spent on maintaining MWC field(s) natural grass annually over say the last 10 years!
Don't include parking spaces, lights, fences, water fountains. Just the field surface that turf will replace at a cost of $1,000,000.
Then tell us Mr. Feller as the person ultimately responsible for managing taxpayer's money why you support the turfing and why you should keep your job.
Elaine Did you notice the latest research that was just released on Autism? Maybe Brumfield might want to contact a LAWYER...
2:58 AM, I did not see it. Would you mind sending a link?
I sent the news about how pregnant women should avoid pesticides, flame retardants and plastics (both in artificial turf) to the commission yesterday. The artificial turf maintenance guide suggests using Round Up to eliminate anything that happens to grow in the turf. Monsanto says Round Up is safe. Studies suggest a link to Parkinson's, infertility, and cancers. It is showing up in our food supply.
I also copied Manager Feller and Solicitor Weis.
sfeller@mtlebanon.org
philip.weis@bipc.com
If John Bendel and Dave Brumfield have not seen any incriminating evidence, at least it has been brought to the attention of our manager and solicitor.
Elaine
"Living is easy with eyes closed"... eh Brumfield, Bendel, Linfante and Silverman.
Interesting articles on health problems with artificial turf..PDF]
Is Artificial Turf Hiding an 800 Pound Gorilla? - Turfgrass ...
www.turfgrasssod.org/files/file/c440ccb1-0c69-41a4-b98a-ee8a414effb1
found in pulverized tires and the tire crumb used on artificial turf fields be as harmful as ... NIOSH scientists invented a way to suspend nanotubes in the air so ...
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