Long-awaited Midlothian health study gives few answers

By SCOTT STREATER
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

Brad Young's property abuts the TXI Operations cement plant in Midlothian. On days when the winds shift out of the west, he says, a plume of pollution sometimes blows over his property, driving him and his three young boys back inside the house.
"I remember one day, it was about a year and a half ago, we were all outside," said Young, 49, who has lived there since 1994. "We were at the back of the property just looking at the horses, and the wind changed. It came up and blew really strong, and a complete cloud of cement-kiln dust blew on us. We all started to choke and cough. We had to pull our shirts up over our faces and run for the house. It was a nightmare."

Young wondered what was in the plume that dusted his family. He was optimistic that he might get an answer when federal health officials announced in 2005 that they would study whether pollution is harming people in Midlothian, southeast of Fort Worth.

But the long-awaited study released Monday -- a day earlier than scheduled after the Star-Telegram reported the results -- reached few conclusions. It classified Midlothian as an "indeterminate public health hazard," a vague finding that has done little to change the views of those who fear that pollution is sickening people or of industry officials who say their operations cause no harm.

TXI officials believe there's enough in the 128-page report to support their view "that there's nothing in the area that would cause a health or an environmental problem," said Randy Jones, TXI vice president of corporate communications and government affairs.

Sal Mier, who with his wife, Grace, spearheaded a petition to persuade federal health officials to study Midlothian pollution, has lined up a team of national and regional scientists to review the study and determine whether researchers used proper methodology. None had analyzed the study closely enough to comment Tuesday.

Meanwhile, questions linger for people like Alexandra Allred, whose 8-year-old son, Tommy, has asthma that she believes is exacerbated by local pollution.
"The study wasn't conclusive, but at least it was another study done of the problem," said Allred, 42, whose family has lived in Midlothian since 2001. "Maybe this study will raise a few more eyebrows."

MIDLOTHIAN HEALTH
The study
After getting a petition signed by 371 residents, the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry and the Texas Department of State Health Services agreed in 2005 to investigate whether air pollution is sickening people in Midlothian.

What the study found
The researchers initially focused on Midlothian's three cement plants -- TXI, Ash Grove and Holcim -- but broadened the study to include all pollution sources affecting the area. The report does not link any pollutant measured in the air to any source. While researchers reported finding high levels of some toxic chemicals in the air, they concluded that more study is needed to determine the health impacts. They also noted large gaps in existing data, including no health-based screening levels for 87 of the 227 contaminants measured, that make it very difficult to draw conclusions.

State response
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry has no regulatory power and can only make recommendations. The researchers asked the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to collect more samples to test for chromium -- known to cause cancer in humans -- and to evaluate whether more contaminants need to be studied. Terry Clawson, a spokesman for the state commission, said the agency has not decided how it will respond to the recommendations.

Industry response
Susana Duarte de Suarez, Holcim's vice president of corporate communications, said the company is committed to "utilizing technologies and procedures that protect the environment while reducing our footprint in the Metroplex area."

To obtain a copy
The report is available at www.dshs.state.tx.us/epitox/posted.shtm. You can also view a copy at these locations:
A.H. Meadows Library, 923 S. Ninth St., Midlothian
Midlothian City Hall, 104 W. Ave. E, Midlothian

What's next
Residents, government leaders and business officials have until Feb. 11 to submit comments on the study. A second report, on health effects from ozone, particulate matter and other pollutants, is not expected to be released until at least next year.

To submit comments
E-mail comments to epitox@dshs.state.tx.us or mail them to Health Assessment and Toxicology (MC 1964), Department of State Health Services, 1100 West 49th St., P.O. Box 149347, Austin, TX 78714-9347.