Group continues to gather support for action against Koppers plant

Willie Neal is at the beginning of a long battle, but as long as he can keep his fellow fighters motivated, he believes everything will work out. For more than 10 years, Neal hauled creosote-soaked railroad ties at the former Koppers Wood Treatment Plant, located at 1555 N. Marion St. Now, bearing scars from his labor, Neal heads the Concerned Citizens of Carbondale, a group of community members looking to take legal action against the new owners of the defunct plant, Beazer East Inc.

According to reports published by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the plant spilled "an unknown (but large) quantity of chemicals at several locations within, and adjacent to, the facility." Subsequent EPA investigations found high levels of creosote and creosote-related contaminants, such as pentachlorophenol, lead and arsenic in surface soils, groundwater and creek sediments near the plant. Group members worry the contaminates have affected the overall health of the surrounding neighborhood, which was built in 1924 and called Tie Plant Place, a reference to the railroad ties manufactured at the plant.

While a lawyer from Belleville has expressed interest in filing a class-action lawsuit, getting community support has been difficult, consisting of lots of door knocking and community meetings. But Neal said he hopes the latest meeting, which took place Saturday and featured a documentary that showcased a Louisiana community's similar plight, will beef up support. "We have a problem, and the problem is keeping this issue from being a racial issue," Neal said. "Because this area is predominantly black, people think this is a black issue, but this matters to everyone. It isn't about money; it's about the health and safety of this whole town."

The film, titled "Fenceline: A Company Town Divided" followed the struggle of a black neighborhood that wanted to be relocated because of pollution from a nearby Shell Oil Company factory. After two decades of fighting, the film helped resolve the conflict in 2002, when publicity prompted Shell to buy out the community. Filmmaker Slawomir Grunberg, who was at the meeting to discuss his film, said he sees several parallels between the struggle in Louisiana and what Neal's group hopes to accomplish in Carbondale.

"I see how this film is connected to your community, and I hope the film will give you some ideas on how to continue your fight," Grunberg said to the group. "I am not sure of your immediate goal, but I can tell you that is will be a very long, long fight." Sheila Brown, a resident who lives near the plant and works with Neal to gather community support, said the film was motivational and reassured her that their fight can be won.

"I have lived in this area all my life," Brown said. "I have seen people die of cancer because of that plant, suffer from asthma because of that plant. Seeing something like this where one person made a difference motivates me. It makes me feel like what we are trying to do is achievable." Cleanup at the plant site is expected to be complete in November at an estimated cost of $10.8 million. Last week, EPA officials were at the site testing soil and groundwater. Results from the tests should be available in May.

According to the EPA, some of the contaminates found at the site are cancerous. Pentachlorophenol can cause damage to the central nervous system and liver and kidneys as well as cancer. For children, exposure to lead can lead to behavior and learning problems, slower growth and hearing problems. In adults, lead exposure can cause high blood pressure, nerve disorders and muscle and joint pain. And while arsenic occurs naturally in the environment, exposure to inorganic arsenic, the kind used to preserve wood, can cause nausea, vomiting and abnormal heart rhythm.

"I used to live in this community," Neal said. "But now I refuse to. I was one of the people who ate fish from contaminated streams and grew gardens in contaminated soil, but not anymore. Some people say this area is not contaminated, but you are. Don't let them say your aren't."