Study finds Claxton park, playground pose no coal-ash hazards
The Claxton Park and Playground are safe for children to play, and do not contain significant pollution from coal ash deposits from the nearby TVA Bull Run power plant, state health and environmental officials reported last week.
“There is not a risk of children having harmful health effects from using the [Claxton] park and playground,” the Tennessee Department of Health’s Environmental Epidemiology Program concluded after a comprehensive study of the park.
“Surface soils, mulch, and sand were tested to protect the children who play at the park and playground,” the report said. “The percent of coal ash, metals, metalloids, radionuclides, and general chemical properties [was] tested for each of 16 five-point composite soil samples.
“It was found that 14 of the 16 samples from the playground area were 98% to 100% coal ash free. The [park] has normal soil, mulch, and sand on the surface of the ground. This is appropriate for a place where children often play.
“There were a few places where the soil was worn away in the playground and the underlying geo-fiber layers were torn. The soil samples intentionally collected and tested from these worn areas were 91% to 94% coal-ash free.
“[But] proper maintenance designed to keep any coal ash residuals below the geo-fiber layers and mulch will ensure that there is no exposure. The Claxton Community Park and Playground can continue to be a place for children to play and their families to enjoy,” the report concluded.
The state Health Department released its health-consultation report on the park and playground, which was “supported by funds from a cooperative agreement with the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.”
Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank said the full report as well as the cover letter from Joseph George, the Health Department’s environmental health assessor, has been posted online at andersoncountytn.gov under the “News” section on the home page.
Here is some background info on the study, gleaned from the report:
“The Tennessee Department of Health’s Environmental Epidemiology Program evaluated the soil at the Claxton Community Park and Playground for the presence of coal ash. … [The state] prepared this public health consultation under a cooperative agreement with the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, a federal program that protects the public from harmful health exposures at environmental sites throughout the United States.
“In the July 20, 2021, issue of Environmental Science & Technology, an article was published titled ‘Evaluation and Integration of Geochemical Indicators for Detecting Trace Levels of Coal Fly Ash in Soils.’ The study presents a novel approach for detecting the presence of trace levels of coal fly ash particles in surface soils near two coal-fired power plants; one in North Carolina and one in Tennessee.
“The study, conducted by researchers at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, reported the presence of fly ash particles in surface soils downwind of the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Bull Run Fossil Plant in a community park in Claxton.
“In 2019, TDH’s Environmental Epidemiology Program partnered with TDEC on a similar site. We worked with TDEC to sample the Roane County Athletic and Festival Fields for fly ash, metals, metalloids, and radionuclides from the TVA’s Kingston Power Plant at the request of the Roane County Environmental Review Board through the Roane County mayor.
“Similarly, the Anderson County Commission, through Mayor Frank, requested that TDEC and TDH conduct independent sampling of the Claxton Community Park and Playground given its location adjacent to TVA’s Bull Run plant, and the reported results from the published Duke University study.”
