In letter to medical society, doctor questions Titan opposition

For months I have witnessed the Titan vs. Stop Titan battle. While I am certain there are aspects of this issue that I don’t understand, it seems that this is more of a political issue than a health issue. This is why I question my medical colleagues who have passionately opposed the Carolinas Cement project.

I have read the Intertox mercury study that concludes that Carolinas Cement’s mercury emissions pose no threat to public health. Some question the study’s validity because Carolinas Cement paid for it.

The study was independently peer-reviewed by four well-credentialed scientists experienced in human health risk assessments and mercury toxicology in humans and fish. I encourage you to read the full report and make your own conclusions.

It is available for download from the Intertox FTP site at ftp://Intertox:April@Files9.cyberlynk.net.

Some say the Carolinas Cement plant is progress at the expense of our health. I say opposition groups have grossly exaggerated the facts and are preying on people’s fears. A cement factory operated at the proposed Carolinas Cement site for twenty years.

Since that time, there has been no jump in cancer rates or conditions related to mercury poisoning. Today’s regulations on cement manufacturing are much more stringent than when Ideal Cement Co. operated here.

We are physicians, not experts on mercury emissions. We deal with drugs and drug interactions on an almost daily basis. In fact, many of us have administered vaccines with a mercury-based preservative. Yet there was no outcry when this was a common medical practice. Why? Because the amount of mercury is negligible, and regulated by state and federal rules and procedures. Just like the cement industry.

There is no reason the medical community with our limited knowledge of mercury-regulated emissions should protest Titan proceeding with its permitting process. Scientists with the EPA and the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) are much more qualified than any of us to assess Carolinas Cement’s impact on our community. As physicians, we should review the scientific studies and make up our own minds on this issue.

I encourage the New Hanover/Pender Medical Society to revisit its members’ position on Carolinas Cement. I have a concern about the Stop Titan petition signed by 200+ physicians at a meeting held earlier this year. Both sides of the debate were not presented – only the opposition.

This was not an appropriate manner to decide on this issue. A presentation with both viewpoints should be held. This will allow for a better-informed and more scientific reason for one’s choice.

Rather than being represented by a few vocal members, we should ask the entire membership whether Carolinas Cement should proceed through the state and federal permitting process.

Economic development brings jobs. It also brings people, taxes and investment. And economic development enhances our community with charitable donations. Wilmington needs jobs. I encourage the Medical Society to revisit this issue with both sides in attendance.

Dr. Dennis Nicks is a former chief of surgery at New Hanover Regional Medical Center. He is one of five surgeons who comprise Wilmington Plastic Surgery Associates.