Experts say the use of coal fly ash in concrete mixes and land infill is a safe practice ? as long as it?s done right.
“We believe that when you stabilize the material, it?s a wonderful thing to use,” said Paul Petzrick, the power plant site assessor for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
The question of whether to use the popular material in Anne Arundel has surfaced after County Executive John R. Leopold said he plans to design a law banning it from the county after fly ash was used to plug up a sand and gravel mine in Gambrills, which led to high levels of heavy metals in private wells.
“That was not a good thing to do,” Petzrick said, saying that though fly ash use was legal in Gambrills, it was not done wisely to protect the water table.
But experts deem fly ash use as environmentally sound because it recycles a byproduct from power plants into a useful, cheap building material. Fly ash use is approved by the state and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
“You don?t want to dump 100 loads of ash in a hole and give it an OK,” said Dave Goss, executive director of the American Coal Ash Association. “You need to place it properly and use controls such as silt fences.”
Fly ash prohibition could affect road construction, as the State Highway Administration uses it in concrete mixtures, spokesman Dave Buck said. SHA follows state guidelines, and no environmental damage has come from fly ash in the roads, Buck said.
Experts slightly vary on how fly ash affects health, but most say prolonged exposure to high levels could be dangerous. University of Kentucky geochemist and fly ash expert Tom Robl saidthe heavy metals are in trace amounts and can wash out easy.
But Leopold remained firm on his ban Wednesday.
“You cannot ignore the reality of the [Gambrills? well] testing,” he said. “I have a duty to protect the health and safety of the citizens, and I made a commitment to lowering the cancer mortality rate. … Not all cancers are from diet and smoking.”
