Oak Ridge Scary stuff (Knoxville, Chattanooga: homes, living in, shop)

[ZoesMom]

OMG I don't know where it was posted to do a google search of Oak ridge and uranium.. but I had NO idea. This really is some scary stuff.

I have family that is moving to Farragut, and I am moving there in the Spring time. Any idea what the effects of the surrounding areas areas, such as Knoxville, Farragut and even Maryville are?

Is the water and air even safe... GAH this is really got me stressed here :\

If anyone has some recent links of information to help me feel a bit more confident in moving there, it would be greatly appreciated

[yarddawg]

I'm not even sure where to start, I'd add cesium, mercury and PCBs to your web search. Although the Oak Ridge facility is still in use (dismantling old nuclear weapons is one of the things they'll tell us about ) most of the contamination dates from truly horrific environmental practices in the '40s and '50s. Hundreds of tons of radioactive cesium waste was disposed of by draining it into open ditches and allowing it to soak into the ground. At one point mercury was disposed of directly into a creek. Bad stuff. Currently mercury is probably the most widespread problem. A number of lakes have consumption restrictions on fish and some have restrictions on water contact. http://www.tdec.net/wpc/publications/advisories.pdf (broken link)

[goodbyehollywood]

Not to belittle your concerns, but hundreds of thousands of people have been drinking the water and breathing the air for decades without keeling over dead in their tracks. Some posters would have you believe that we should all be wearing gas masks and living in biohazard suits. If that were the case, we'd have people fleeing in the other direction, instead of moving here in droves. If this were Love Canal 2, we'd have Erin Brockovich here leading the charge... instead of shopping for mountain property.

Be aware, do your research and make your decision. You may decide that the area isn't right for you. But don't let a handful of alarmists knee-jerk you into second-guessing every decision you make and stress you out at every turn. Some people seem to thrive on doing just that.

[Beretta]

FYI - Erin Brokovich has recently been here to East Tennessee and is set to take on ALCOA in regards to environmental exposure claims.

[goodbyehollywood]

Is that why she was looking for property here-- to have a home base while she researches a lawsuit? Hmmm... wonder what's up with that?

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by goodbyehollywood

Not to belittle your concerns, but hundreds of thousands of people have been drinking the water and breathing the air for decades without keeling over dead in their tracks. Some posters would have you believe that we should all be wearing gas masks and living in biohazard suits. If that were the case, we'd have people fleeing in the other direction, instead of moving here in droves. If this were Love Canal 2, we'd have Erin Brockovich here leading the charge... instead of shopping for mountain property.

Be aware, do your research and make your decision. You may decide that the area isn't right for you. But don't let a handful of alarmists knee-jerk you into second-guessing every decision you make and stress you out at every turn. Some people seem to thrive on doing just that.

I think this post is over the top.

First of all, people are not going to keel over dead on the spot. Cancer is much more insidious.

Second, people are not moving anywhere in droves. That has come to a firm halt.

Alarmists? All the information is true. Go on the ORNL website and see how they expect everyone to file out in a orderly fashion, or hunker down in their homes, after shutting down the air conditioning, and wait for further notice, in the event of a disaster.

Of course, that advice is only for leaks. In the event of a terrorist attack, we are all toast. Believe me, that played on my mind, this September 11.

[goodbyehollywood]

I apologize if I offended anyone. But my opinion remains the same, and I am entitled to it... as you, hiknapster, are entitled to yours. I find many of your posts over-the-top, rude and offensive, though I don't call you out on that and rebut you line by line. That, too, is over-the-top. But no worries-- I'm done.

[jimlee]

I've lived in and around east Tennessee and Knoxville for over 60 years now with no ill effects from Oak Ridge.

FYI, we also have two operating nuclear power plants within 100 miles of Knoxville & Oak Ridge. Watts Bar about 40 miles south and Sequoyah, just north of Chattanooga.

I sleep well at night in spite of the...........(insert your choice of fears here).

BTW, there are still very significant numbers of people moving to this area from all over.

So far this year I've worked with families from California (several), New Jersey, lots of Floridians, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, a couple of Canadian families, and one very nice lady from Oregon.

I think you're in more danger of being struck by lightening than harmed by anything from Oak Ridge.

[Cookey mith]

I agree. People are being alarmist. For years two of my family members worked at Oak Ridge and so did my father. Neither one keeled over from exposure to radiation. I have lots of family living in Oak Ridge and they are all in good health. Sure, they need to do some clean up. But so did New Mexico where they tested the bomb. I don't think the population is big enough in Oak Ridge for terrorist to even be concerned about the place. There's no big secrets there anymore, just a lot of old ruins that nobody cares about. I personally took a tour of the Y-12 plant and it seemed to me they are doing a good and safe job of cleaning it up. I saw guys in hazard suits working and they didn't look concerned. And yes, people are still moving into the area. I don't know of anybody who is "fleeing".

[hiknapster]

Y-12 is where they are doing the clean up.

They are building a HUGE facility where they will store all of the country's enriched-uranium.

Oak Ridge is alive and well.

When the September 11 attacks happened, about one hour into it, Katie Couric came on the Today show and said, "Oak Ridge is secure. We now have word that Oak Ridge is secure."

Understand what this area is.