Research BriefPsych 247AAbigail Horan

Rectifying the Clean Water Act

-Waste from cleaning the coal is dumped into quarries, leaks into water systems and contaminates drinking water[2], which

  • Contains arsenic, barium, lead, manganese as well as many other harmful chemicals
  • Is cloudy, oily and discolored
  • Rusts toilets, water pipes, damages sinks and dishwashers
  • Burns and scars skin
  • Causes cancer, kidney failure, fertility problems, gallbladder diseases and damages the nervous system[3]

-5,646 public water supply systems that provide drinking water for more than 110 million Americans are not protected by the current CWA[4]

-Residents are forced to drink polluted water, exposing themselves to toxins with chemical, physical and biological effects

-With 1.2 million Americans living in mountaintop coal mining counties, a 5% higher cancer rate due to the mining results in an additional 87,600 people living with cancer in central Appalachia[5]

-Gastric cancer is 4 times more likely in residents living around coal mining[6]

-Psychological factors of living with cancer include depression, anxiety, fatigue, even symptoms of PTSD[7]

-The Clean Water Restoration Act (CWRA)

  • Must be passed in order to rectify the CWA
  • Would ensure clean water in all bodies of water, not just “navigable” ones
  • Would protect the public water systems from MTR waste1

The 112th Congress must pass the Clean Water Restoration Act in order to ensure clean water regulations in all bodies of water that are currently unprotected by the CWA.

For additional reading:

1Bill Summary & Status: 111th Congress (2009-2010) S.787 CRS Summary. The Library of Congress: Thomas, n.d. Web. 6 Apr. 2012. <

[2]Summary of the Clean Water Act. United States Environmental Protection Agency, 13 Apr. 2012. Web. 18 Apr. 2012. <

[3]Duhigg, Charles. "Clean Water Laws Are Neglected, at a Cost in Suffering." The New York Times 12 Sept. 2009. Web. 29 Apr. 2012. <

[4]The Clean Water Restoration Act: Protect America's Waters. Earthjustice, 2012. Web. 29 Apr. 2012. < >.

[5]Hendryx, Michael, Leah Wolfe, JuhuaLuo, and Bo Webb. "Self-Reported Cancer Rates in Two Rural Areas of West Virginia with and Without Mountaintop Coal Mining." Journal of Community Health 24 July (2011): 19-29. Web. 6 May 2012. <

[6]Falk, Hans L., and William Jurgelski, Jr. "Health Effects of Coal Mining and Combustion: Carcinogens and Cofactors." Environmental Health Perspectives 33 Dec. (1979): 203-26. Web. 29 Apr. 2012. <

[7]Stein, Kevin D., Karen L. Syrjala, and Michael A. Andrykowski. "Physical and psychological long-term and late effects of cancer." Cancer 1121 June (2008): 2577-92. Web. 10 Apr. 2012. <