Letter to the Editor: Unpublished Exposing contamination and a health risk
In 2012, during the months of October and November, 2,300 cubic yards of oil-contaminated soil were unearthed, stockpiled, and removed from the construction site of the new Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical High School in Danvers. Also in 2012, during the months of November and December, several Essex Aggie and North Shore Tech students sought medical attention for the sudden appearance of vocal tics. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Bureau of Environmental Health, notes having “received signed medical records consent forms for nine students who have been reported as having vocal tics or chronic hiccups.” Oil contamination poses a serious health risk. Danger lies in the inhalation and ingestion of and skin exposure to contaminated soil/dust and vapors. In the past, the Essex Aggie campus experienced oil spills at Berry Hall and Smith Hall. Approximately a decade passed before these situations were remedied, and not to background level. Currently, two other contaminated sites on the campus are being remediated. Health officials must keep the general public informed about the cleanup process. And those investigating the sudden appearance of the vocal tics should look into the possibility of exposure to respiratory and neurological irritants. Surely, a more plausible explanation than “mass hysteria” can be unearthed.