LOUISIANA - CONVENT - LANDSPREADING OF CLASS B SEWAGE SLUDGE TERMINATED - RESIDENTS SUFFER
BURNING SKIN, BOILS AND RASHES - TULANE UNIVERSITY THREATENS TO SUE ON BEHALF OF SLUDGE
VICTIMS
LOUISIANA - http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/metro/index.ssf?/base/news-6/110335293157160.xml
"Roderick Williams lives near the fields where the sludge was spread. He said he and his neighbors have suffered
from burning skin, boils and rashes since the spreading started in 2000."
"Williams said those guidelines don't mean much to low-income residents who are still struggling to pay for doctor's
bills because of illnesses that no one can explain. "
The Times-Picayune
Convent residents claim victory over sludge - Firm will no longer spread treated sewage
Saturday, December 18, 2004
By Allen Powell II
River Parishes bureau
"The itching and the burning didn't take place until the sewage was dumped," said Williams, whose
mother and sister have been active in pushing for the spreading to stop. "It's bad enough that we've
been surrounded by the (chemical) plants all of our lives."
Over the years several residents have complained in written statements to the DEQ about the spreading, and others
began community groups to lobby state and local officials to stop the practice.
In November, the Tulane Environmental Law Clinic notified the state that it planned to file a suit on behalf of residents
and other groups requesting that FTM stop spreading the sludge because it felt the activity was illegal, said Adam
Babich, director of the law clinic.