According to reports, birth defects in central Appalachian where mountaintop coal mining wears down the topography and destroys wildlife and botanical life in a process called "coal washing" that involves many thousands of gallons of contaminated water or slurry are higher than normal.
Reports say the contaminated by-product liquid contains toxic chemicals and heavy metals. The sludge is hazardous to the residents of the area; and if slurry ponds break, huge sludge rivers are released killing and injuring people, wildlife and property. Longterm adverse effects associated with toxins and heavy metals are an array of cancers, reports say.
In a reported study, birth defect records from 1996 through 2003 over four states with the mountaintop mining revealed much higher rates for six of the seven birth defects studied in mountaintop mining areas.
At the same time, a bill was introduced to the United States House of Representatives as HR 2018, which mitigates federal Clean Water Act provisions and allows release of control of waters to state regulation, reports say.
The Doan Law Firm P.C. has extensive experience in personal injury and accidental death cases and can assist any family suffering loss or injury from this type of mining technique. Contact the Doan Law Firm, P.C., led by Houston personal injury attorney Jimmy Doan, at 1 Riverway, Suite 2055, Houston, Texas 77056, (713) 869-4747 or (800) 910-FIRM.