ANDERSON COUNTY, Tenn. — The Tennessee Department of Health has found the Claxton Community Park is safe for children.
Several parents and members of the community voiced concerns that allowing kids to play there would expose them to toxic coal ash in the soil built up over many decades from the Tennessee Valley Authority's Bull Run Fossil Plant.
The testing from the health department came after a Duke University study, using a new approach for detecting the presence of trace levels of coal fly ash particles in surface soils, reported the presence of fly ash particles in surface soils downwind of two coal-fired power plants: one in North Carolina and the other being the Bull Run plant.
The department's Environmental Epidemiology Program (EEP) partnered with the Tennessee Department of Environmental Conservation on a similar site to sample the Roane County Athletic and Festival Fields for fly ash, metals, metalloids, and radionuclides from the TVA’s Kingston Power Plant, according to the report. The sampling was at the request of the Roane County Environmental Review Board through the Roane County Mayor.
The report said The Anderson County Commission also requested that TDEC and TDH conduct independent sampling of the Claxton Community Park and Playground given its location near the Bull Run plant and the results from the Duke University study.
Based on the findings, TDH said "there is not a risk of children having harmful health effects from using the park and playground."
The report said 14 of the 16 soil samples taken were 98-100% coal ash-free meaning the park has "normal soil, mulch, and sand on the surface ground."
TDH said it also tested areas of the playground where the soil was worn away and underlying geo fiber layers were torn, and the samples were 91-94% coal ash-free.
Officials said "proper maintenance" will keep anyone from being exposed.
The report concluded: "The Claxton Community Park and Playground can continue to be a place for children to play and their families to enjoy.”
