SHENANDOAH JUNCTION, WV. The West Virginia chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics released a letter yesterday challenging the proposed Rockwool insulation factory located near schools in Jefferson County.
The American Academy of Pediatrics is one of the nation’s leading medical organizations, with a membership of 67,000 doctors who are “committed to the optimal physical, mental, and social health and well-being” of America’s children.
Two member pediatricians based in Jefferson County, West Virginia, authored the letter, which lists many of the problems with the Rockwool location and the failure of the state and local government to consider the impact of the plant’s extreme pollution on nearby schools.
The letter notes special concern for Rockwool’s planned fine particulate matter pollution: “The American Heart Association concluded that exposure to particulate matter air pollution contributes to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality and long term exposure reduces life expectancy.”
“Ongoing research in the US, Canada, Italy and China has linked elevated PM2.5 exposure during pregnancy to premature delivery and low birth weight. The association has been replicated in multiple studies.”
The American Academy of Pediatrics letter comes a day after the Jefferson County Board of Education (BoE) announced its own plan to address some of these questions. The BoE program should include a survey of this current scientific literature regarding the impact of pollution, especially in the context of long-term exposure and exposure of developing children.
Meanwhile, Rockwool and their government sponsors at the Jefferson County Development Authority (JCDA) continue to ignore community concerns and plow ahead with their outrageous plan to build a global scale insulation factory next to our schools.