Letters to the Editor for Saturday, August 30, 2008

Published: August 29, 2008

Questions abound about effects of sludge
Thanks to The News & Advance for the Aug. 24 editorial questioning the long-term effects of sludge. Many of us in Campbell County have been asking these same questions for quite awhile but, like you, have found no answers, just lots of public relations rhetoric.

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The wastewater treatment plants have an unending supply of sludge that they must dispose of, and they have convinced our legislators and farmers that it’s safe to be spread on the land.  A perfect example of this public relations campaign is reporter Sarah Watson’s account of Chris Peot’s handling sludge with his bare hands and declaring it safe enough to grow tomatoes for his kids to eat.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health recommends that people who handle sludge should wear protective clothing such as gloves, face shields and coveralls. Also, federal regulations state no food crops are allowed to be grown in Class B sludged soil for three years after application. Is Peot ignorant of these policies? Or was this just staged for the media’s benefit? I think we all know the answer to that. If this stuff is so safe, why are these precautions recommended?

Peot also stated several people were on the site to answer questions the first day of spreading. Where were they? I rode by, and nothing was visible from the highway. How could they answer questions if no one knew they were there?  Sounds like another PR gimmick.

Recent rains could carry this material into the Falling River and other waterways. Good luck to all the people who must now live with the effects of sludge!
ALICE FOSTER
Lynchburg

Kiwanis thanks
On behalf of the Kiwanis Club of Lynchburg, we would like to thank The News & Advance for the article by Susan Pugh on our club’s recent shrimp sale to raise money for our community projects, particularly our project to restore the old train at Riverside Park. In addition, we would like to thank Holy Cross School and Virginia Episcopal School for their help in assisting us. Lastly, we want to thank close to 300 purchasers of shrimp this year. Approximately $4,000 was raised through our sale of 1,850 pounds of shrimp.

Watch for our seventh annual lobster sale Nov. 15.
EDWARD H. MCCANN
Kiwanis Shrimp Committee

Poor grammar
A headline on the front page of the Aug. 23 edition of The News & Advance, “Virginia Gov. Kaine announced late Friday it wouldn’t be him.” Grammar rules may have changed since I completed my education, but I was taught that it should be “it wouldn’t be he.”

Since this is not a direct quote from The Associated Press or the governor, I assume The News & Advance initiated this statement.

I think that it is sad that today’s children are not properly taught grammar, but even sadder that the newspaper uses incorrect grammar on the front page of the newspaper. Please correct me if I am wrong.
LEA ADAMS
Monroe