Asbestos in the Rockhill Quarry (1) is similar to the type of asbestos (2) (3) present in a vermiculite mine owned by the W.R. Grace company in Libby, Montana, the town that the US government called “the worst case of industrial poisoning of a whole community in American history” (4). These types of asbestos are needle-like in form, perhaps even more likely to damage lung tissue (5). Even short-term exposure can send minuscule, hook-like, glassy fibers into the lungs that pierce the lining with each breath and never come out (4). The vermiculite in the Libby mine was contaminated with traces of naturally occurring asbestos (4). W.R. Grace owned and operated the mine from 1960 to 1993 (5). Dust from the plant covered patches of grass, dusted the tops of cars and drifted through the air in a hazy smoke that became a part of residents’ daily lives (6). At least two hundred Libby residents died due to asbestos related diseases such as mesothelioma. Thousands more have been impacted by the dust generated in the mining process and may expect to develop potentially fatal asbestos diseases in the future (5).

Remember Libby, Montana. Citizens have the right to know and protect themselves from this lethal substance. We feel it is unacceptable for anyone to even consider allowing mining operations to resume knowing that a deadly carcinogen is present in the Rockhill Quarry.

East Rockhill residents should NEVER allow the same tragedy to be repeated in our own community!

We ask you to consider making a tax deductible contribution to assist Rockhill Environmental Preservation Alliance, Inc. in protecting the beautiful community we all love. www.rockhillpa.org

According to Dr. Ken Holtje, a local resident and experienced Natural Resource Manager with a Geology background:

“There is no way of knowing how widely the asbestos is distributed in the Rockhill Quarry without core drilling and analysis.”

“If you don’t know where the asbestos is, then how are you going to miss it when blasting?”

“Once the asbestos is airborne from blasting or rock drilling, then you have a control and containment problem that extends much beyond the Quarry.”

For the past year the Rockhill Quarry operation has been blasting dynamite near where the presence of ASBESTOS, a well-known carcinogen, has now been confirmed. The residents in our community, have raised this issue on multiple occasions, including in public comments submitted to DEP on the air quality permit for the 1000 ton/hour crusher. The DEP approved this permit in spite of our concerns and existing documentation that asbestos was previously found at the quarry.

When blasting took place on November 1, 2018 and November 6, 2018, a dust plume rose above the disturbed area with no controls on where it went or what it might contain. Asbestos was found sitting on the ground on November 9th. Test results were not made public until December 5th, coincidentally, on the same day that the DEP approved the crusher permit. During that time mud from the quarry was tracked on the road. Crushed stone has been allowed to leave the quarry after the discovery of asbestos.

ASBESTOS IN ROCKHILL QUARRYR

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Asphalt PlantA typical asphalt plant will churn a mix of rock and chemicals. This mix is typically kept between 200 and 400 de-grees and is transported by trucks to the worksite. Consider as well the tractor trailer loads of oil needed to make the asphalt barreling down country roads originally built for horse and buggy. The potential for air pollution and the disaster of a spill is beyond imaginable. We live in a residential area, and while the mine is zoned extraction, it is not zoned for INDUSTRIAL USE. We are not out of line for demanding NO ASPHALT PLANT!

Potential for Water IssuesThe 1,000 ton per hour crusher being installed at the quarry will require over 100,000 gallons of water per day to control the dust generated from it. Additional water will be needed for dust suppression for other equipment and internal roads. Along with many private wells, the Perkasie Regional Authority has 3 wells located within a ½ mile of the quarry which supply much of the public water throughout the Pennridge area. We do not know the adverse effects of withdrawing that much water from the local water supply.

Relentless Truck TrafficIn the application to the DEP, the applicant estimates needing approximately “175 truckloads per day, in each direc-tion” Based on a projected 9 hour shift, a tri-axle truck, which can carry 45,000 lbs. of stone. Trucks will go in or out of the quarry, on average, every 90 seconds. This does not account for trucks associated with the proposed asphalt plant or employee vehicles. The rural roads that surround us will become very different than they are now.

Noise PollutionCurrently, the quarry is not operating close to full capacity. Once it moves into full operation, at a minimum, you may hear blasting, hammering, crushing of stone and the backup alarms of trucks maneuvering around the site starting at 7:00 AM and continuing for hours on end, day after day after day. There is the potential for operations to run day and night. The noise will not stop at night when the operator is fulfilling a paving contract that requires night work.

Our voices matter. Look what we’ve accomplished:East Rockhill Township was moving towards a settlement to permit an Asphalt Plant, and have now agreed to fight this. This is currently in Federal Court. (Trial set for late January). We have had significant involvement from our Legislators with the DEP (Congressman Fitzpatrick, Senator Santarsie-ro and more). Temporary shut down (Operations are currently ceased until further written notice from DEP, pend-ing investigation).

We are so grateful for all your support in attending meetings as well as contacting our township and legislators.We ask you to consider making a tax deductible contribution to assist Rockhill Environmental Preservation Alliance, Inc. in protecting the beautiful community we all love. www.rockhillpa.org

BEYOND ASBESTOS

(1) https://www.mindat.org/loc-46795.html(2) “The Mineral Tremolite”. https://www.minerals.net/mineral/tremolite.aspx(3) “Asbestos, Overview.”https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/asbestos/(4) Joanna Walters (March 7, 2009). “Welcome to Libby, Montana, the town that was poisoned”.

The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/mar/08/usa-mining-libby-montana(5) “Tremolite Asbestos”. http://www.asbestosnews.com/asbestos/tremolite(6) (June 17, 2009). “Asbestos cleanup ‘emergency’ declared in Montana town”

www.cnn.com/2009/US/06/17/montana.asbestos/index.html (7) Dr. Ken Holtje (December, 2018). Discussion on asbestos and other hazards associated with Rockhill Quarry(8) “Tremolite” Wikipedia page, last edited on 17 September 2017

https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tremolite&oldid=801021177(9) “Actinolite” Wikipedia page, last edited on 7 April 2018

https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=&oldid=835186690(10) Federal Code of Regulations defining Asbestos. §763.163, 40CFR Ch.1 (7-1-11) Edition

According to Dr. Ken Holtje, a local resident and experienced Natural Resource Manager with a Geology background:

“The cumulative effects from Quarry operations need to be considered together, including air quality, water quality, noise pollution, heavy truck traffic, property values and especially asbestos”