The new group SAFE — Scientists, Activists, and Families for Cancer-Free Environments — is holding a protest at EPA headquarters in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, beginning at 9 a.m. at Freedom Plaza.

LESLEY PACEY, lesleypacey@yahoo.com
Pacey’s daughter Sarah was stricken with leukemia in 2004 at age four.

She said: “I have been tracking childhood cancer in Baldwin County for over 15 years. Back then, we had a confirmed childhood cancer cluster that involved our daughter Sarah. Today, years after the BP oil spill, we are still seeing childhood cancer elevations of significance, according to National Cancer Institute statistics for 2013 to 2017. A recent search revealed elevations exceeding state and national averages at three coastal Louisiana parishes as well. The law firm I am working for is heading up a subclass of children facing chronic health effects — everything from asthma to cancer — as the youngest victims were certainly unaware of the dangers of the oil and Corexit that we now know was toxic.”

Also available for interviews is:

SUSAN WIND, susan@parentsknowmore.com
Wind is the lead organizer for the new grassroots group SAFE. See recent IPA news release: “Activist Moms Confront EPA’s ‘Criminal Negligence’ on Sept. 20.”

See the group’s demands, including: “Address the problems posed by landfills in our communities. Hazardous wastes cannot be disposed of at landfills that were not designed to handle hazardous wastes. For example, oil and chemical dispersant-laden wastes from cleanup in the Gulf Coast were disposed of in many non-hazardous waste landfills. These landfills are located in and near communities, often lower-income communities and communities of color. These wastes should be removed from these landfills that are not equipped to handle them and properly disposed of. Inactive landfills, such as those dumps or ponds used for coal ash, fly ash, and other mining and energy wastes, need to be monitored and closed. The past decades have shown that these dumpsites pose a serious risk to the water and air of the surrounding communities and ecosystems.”