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Resident reports soot and lung concerns near Royal Oak, county attorney to research testing
Summary
A Cumberland County resident reported persistent soot-like deposits and a doctor’s finding of lung buildup allegedly linked to nearby Royal Oak and Kerry plants; the committee voted to have the county attorney research testing options and legal next steps.
A resident who lives off Highway 70 North told the Cumberland County Environmental Committee on March 31 that a persistent soot-like substance accumulates on and inside his house and that a physician found severe buildup in his left lung, which the resident says may be related to emissions from nearby Royal Oak and Kerry plants.
Conrad Welch, director of Solid Waste, told the committee the Regional Solid Waste Planning Board’s annual progress report has been approved and submitted and that he is pursuing relocation of the Burgess convenience center on Lantana Road. Welch also said two high-density compactors and paving work for the Vandever center are out for bid and that he continues to work with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) on the landfill leach field.
The resident said he has lived at the property for 16 years (his family owned it since the 1970s), that the house is roughly a quarter-mile from the plants, and that soot accumulates both outside and inside. He recounted a doctor who noted the buildup in his left lung and asked which side he sleeps on; the resident said "the left." He also said a pet developed a severe cough after water left outside became contaminated and that previous reports to EPA and TDEC in Chattanooga and Cookeville produced no resolution.
Philip Burnett, county attorney, told the committee the County Commission has authority under state law to adopt neighbor-nuisance resolutions, but said the first step is to have the material tested to determine its composition and potential health risk. "The first step is to have the material tested and find out what it is," Burnett said.
Committee member Joe Sherrill moved that County Attorney Philip Burnett research how to identify the material the resident provided and what legal or regulatory options exist; Deborah Holbrook seconded the motion, which carried with no opposition. The committee did not direct a specific laboratory or timetable; the motion asks the attorney to report back with options.
The committee did not vote on any enforcement action at the meeting. Next steps identified in the meeting record are research into testing and legal remedies and coming back to the committee or the full commission with recommendations.
