Widows Creek Power Plant
The Widows Creek Power Plant is situation on the shores of the Guntersville Reservoir in northeast Alabama. A coal-fired facility, it is owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). Fueled from local sources of coal, Widow Creek's first generating unit went online in July 1952; within thirteen years, seven more units were added. Today, Widows Creek operates with a maximum generating capacity of 1,600 megawatts.
The facility's chimney has the distinction of being one of the world's tallest, rising to a height of 1,000 feet.
Controlling Pollution
As a government owned and operated power plant, Widows Creek has been retrofitted with the latest emissions controls, enabling it to meet current EPA regulations. These controls include the use of low-sulfur coal along with wet limestone scrubbers, combustion controls, low NOX burners, and selective catalytic reduction systems.
Unfortunately, some of the solutions resulted in even worse problems; in January 2009, the failure of a retention pond dam resulted in the release of 10,000 gallons of highly toxic waste into Widows Creek. This waste was a gypsum slurry contaminated with boron, cadmium, molybdenum and selenium, which was a by-product of the limestone scrubbing process. The TVA soon found itself in court as a defendant against local residents. Ultimately, the TVA may be forced to may as much as $5 million in compensatory and punitive damages.
Asbestos Risks
Widows Creek Fossil Plant was among the numerous industries that utilized asbestos for its resistance to heat, flame and electricity. The most important issue was property; the use of asbestos in fact saved billions of dollars worth of property damage due to fire over the years. In addition, thousands of workers were saved from burn injuries and death by fire – arguably, one of the most painful ways to die.
However, a substantial number of workers have developed respiratory diseases over the years, which are nearly as bad and usually fatal. When inhaled or ingested, asbestos fibers have been proven to cause a range of diseases that range from calcification of the lungs to cancer of the visceral lining, known as mesothelioma. Because these diseases have latency periods that are measured in decades, symptoms usually do not appear until many years after initial asbestos exposure. Those who have been exposed to asbestos should seek medical attention at any of the mesothelioma clinics in their area.
Workers exposed to asbestos at power plants could also unwittingly bring asbestos into the home on their clothes or in their hair, exposing family members as well. Workers who have been negligently exposed should seek legal counsel from a mesothelioma lawyer.
According to a 2003 Puerto Rican study in which 1100 power plant workers participated, rates of asbestos disease may run as high as 13% among such workers.
Because of its insulating properties, the naturally occurring fibrous mineral known as asbestos could commonly be found in numerous factories, mills, power plants and worksites throughout the US. Even though asbestos' strength as an insulator undoubtedly saved lives, the unintended results of its use were tragic, as untold numbers of employees contracted serious illness and even died from exposure to asbestos. The disorders caused by asbestos include asbestosis and lung cancer; the greatest chance of contracting these conditions occurs when asbestos-containing products become fragile, releasing particles into the air where they are available to inhale or ingest. Furthermore, job-related asbestos exposure is a known cause of the deadly form of cancer known as mesothelioma, which develops as a tumor of the mesothelium, the tissue that lines the chest cavity (pleural mesothelioma) or the stomach
peritoneal mesothelioma.
People who work around asbestos now are usually safe from contact due to the numerous guidelines regulating its use, presence at job sites and scrapping. In earlier days, though, workers commonly were expected to toil in spaces in which airborne asbestos was not filtered; in many cases, the risks of asbestos exposure were little understood. Spouses and children were also subjected to asbestos exposure when employers failed to offer showers, because employees carried asbestos home with them in their work garments.
Mesothelioma and other asbestos-related illnesses often take 20 years or more to appear, and symptoms are often difficult to distinguish from those of less serious conditions; therefore, those who were employed at such plants at any time in the past, as well as their family members, are encouraged to chat with their physicians about their history of contact with asbestos.
Sources
Cabrera-Santiago, Manuel et al. “Prevalence of Asbestos-Related Disease Among Electrical Power Generation Workers in Puerto Rico.” Presentation at American Public Health Association Annual Meeting, 2007.
"Gypsum Slurry Spills at TVA Plant." UPI.com. 09 January 2009. UPI.
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/01/09/Gypsum-slurry-spills-at-TVA-plant/UPI-55361231544035/
"TVA: Widows Creek Fossil Plant." TVA.gov. 2009. Tennessee Valley Authority. 14 May 2009.
http://www.tva.gov/sites/widowscreek.htm
