When was the last time you saw 5,000 people come together for a non-sports event in Anniston? Maybe never. But come they did Tuesday night to hear attorney Johnnie Cochran talk about the pollution problem in the community. Now a lot of people showed up at this event at the Anniston Entertainment Complex to have a look at Cochran, a man who gained his fame by successfully defending O.J. Simpson on murder charges. And possibly some people showed up because they are interested in current and potential future legal action.
But many, many people showed up because they are concerned about their health and the health of this community.
After Cochran spoke, a number of people took turns at a microphone detailing ailments either they suffered from or that some friend or relative suffered from. They spoke of kidney problems, diabetes, leukemia, lung disease and mental illness.
They were frightening testimonials indeed. But they are not scientific. And the science is exactly what we are missing here.
Our community needs a comprehensive health assessment, a baseline study that will give us a clear idea of exactly what we are dealing with. Does Anniston have a higher occurrence of certain kinds of diseases or not?
Soon another variable will be thrown into the mix when the chemical incinerator begins burning the nerve agents at the Anniston Army Depot. Would it not be of supreme importance to our community to do a study now so that we will know in the future if this is detrimental to human health?
We shouldn't even have to think about this one. We should have a study and it should be done quickly.
So what's the hold up? This would seem to be a job for the Centers for Disease Control. The office within CDC, which would likely carry out such a study, however, is funded by the Pentagon. We certainly hope the Army isn't trying to put the breaks on such a study. That would be very stupid indeed.
And any mention that this should be the responsibility of the state is absolutely asinine. Our state (meaning the chronically ineffective ADEM) has neither the capacity nor the will to do such a study.
No, our community needs a comprehensive health study, because how can we know how to deal with our health problems if we do not know the scope of these problems?
