Tuesday 11 August 2009

Airport lung. Mercury kidney.

Clearly TDC are changing in terms of the new plans and the Water Protection Zone around Manston.

Yet the EA certainly seem to be dragging their heels on clean-up at Thor, Richboro and Manston and Sericol.

The early death rate in Thanet: for 69 years not 80 years isn’t very scientific as an overview but is staggeringly high.

A death rate similar to Iraq or Kazakhstan. In Kent. And with such a small and defined population.

Cleary there’ll be early deaths from some of the East Kent coalmines. Maybe even a skew for care home residents. A little bit for smoking etc.

But lots of seaside towns have care homes. Lots of deprived areas smoke a little more.

An ex-RAF base slated for international airport expansion with cargo planes at rooftop height over the towns is of course far more likely to affect the health of everybody within a 20 or 30 mile radius.

Maybe even further with strong coastal winds to spread the air pollution around.

Throw in the most polluted drinking water in the South East. Plus outfall of aviation fuel and chemicals over the water supply under the runway and outfall directly into the sea and it’s certainly ludicrous for Infratil and Manston to continue.

After 4 years they’ve achieved nothing except broken radar, 106 breaches - as with Planestation and EUJet (now in the Isle of Man) before them.

Except a 14% reduction in mortality.

But it’s higher than that.

Aside from a few cot deaths or youths in car accidents, most people live to at least 45. Only 4% of UK citizens die before that age.

So that’s an 11 year reduction from 45 years old: nearly 33% early death rate.

The sooner Manston and Thor are closed and cleanup detailed and progressed the better.

Respected politicians like Caroline Lucas and now Hillary Benn highlight the problems around Thanet.

Respected citizens like Malcolm Kirkaldie highlight the problems of Manston.

And still Infratil continue to pollute: EA warnings in 2006, Thor warnings from 1988: presumably the people of Lubeck, Prestwick and Cato Ridge have the same problems.

More needs doing in tracing the workers and families of Thor and Infratil/Manston and alerting GP’s and hospitals of the problem and establishing compensation funds.

The hacking cough of “airport lung” or rattle of “mercury kidney” should give them away.

Time for Change.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

To get Thanet to wake up Tim you need to understand their mentality. They don't squeal to they nipped.

If every building society, every surveyor, every life insurance company, every Thanet solicitor and every Thanet estate agent was sent details of the mortality rates and water quality issues, then who would carry on and buy a house in the area or invest in the area ?

Care homes, Tim, by definition will tend to increase the average age and life expectancy in an area. Because they are importing people who have already survived into retirement.

Dr Chandrakumar has not yet gopt back to me re studies into water contamination on Thanet health patterns.

As you know I wrote to add the specific inquiry re Northwood area where we think a laundry worked on direct abstraction and hence steamed off a more concentarted contaminated water into its workers' lungs and into immiediate atmosphere.

I have to wonder whether Thanet should be given a Darwin award. Offspring of diminished health. Dying younger. Thanetians, know it all do eff all, who are too apathetic to increase their survival chances, by tackling environmental issues in this case, will decline to be replaced by better less apathetic people from outside the area.

Tim Garbutt said...

Not quite on these points RIchard:

# who would improve the water etc if people didn't know about it? And people aren't buying in the area as it's collapsed: 3,000 empty properties in margatre and the seafronts derelict.

# Care homes will increas the numenbr of pensioners but not more so than other seaside areas and not dramatically skew the death rate. The early mortality death rate is on a part with Third World countries. That's not because of pensioners as suchh. Although pollution will hasten them on their way.

# As we know civil service and political careers rely to an extent on minimising or avoiding the problems - as you say even to be so stupid as to be breathing and drinking the pollution themselves

Things are changing: I can't handle the calls and emails now on details of the problems etc.

RTC 7th September: 3rd meeting and plans underway before then for the public to discuss.

Can EA and HPA anbd NHS and Coroner etc etc attend for public scrutiny?