STEVE BRITTLE: THE ERIN BROCKOVICH OF ARIZONA
By: Carrie Stoner
Thank goodness for people like Steve Brittle! Mr. Brittle, an environmental activist who spoke to our class, is not only very entertaining to listen to but EXTREMELY knowledgeable concerning toxic waste and chemical disasters – a topic our government seems to just want to sweep under the carpet. About which by the way, how much more of the earth are we going to allow to be made unlivable with toxins before we as individuals do something more than talk about it?
Mr. Brittle and his non-profit organization, Don’t Waste Arizona, Inc. (“DWA”), work extremely hard to protect Arizonans against toxic pollution of our air, water and land, destruction of our resources, environmental racism and government cover-ups. A great deal of these social injustices are being committed every day in south Phoenix. South Phoenix is rich with toxic waste that is not only harming but killing people – especially those people that live along the Salt River bed.
According to Don’t Waste Arizona’s website, “recent EPA studies in South Phoenix have concluded that a grocery list of chemical residues are STILL found at ‘statistically significant’ higher levels in the soil, homes and air ducts” of South Phoenix residents. Also, these chemical residues include “copper, boron, fluorides, tin, PAH (Polyaromatic hydrocarbons), lead, nickel, nitrate and chloride.” Further, several of these residents are still getting sick and in fact, Geneva Farthing – a South Phoenix resident – was shown to have “dangerously high levels of metals in her blood.” Because of that, “the state was prompted to sample her home for chemicals.” The results showed that “her home is contaminated just like everyone else’s in the affected area. Yet, years later, no medical person has helped her get these toxins out of her body. Perhaps she is not the right color for Arizona to help.”
Just who exactly is helping these sick people of South Phoenix? Well, it certainly isn’t our government – in fact, they do nothing more than introduce laws such as the Emergency Planning & Community Right to Know Act (EPCRA), which they have NEVER been in compliance! EPCRA was passed in 1986 by congress with the belief that our United States government would take the necessary steps to plan and protect our families against chemical disasters.
However, since most residents of South Phoenix do not have the social “clout” necessary to the get the attention of policy makers, our government is basically doing nothing for our residents of South Phoenix. It is private organizations such as DWA and Mr. Brittle himself that are ensuring these residents are afforded their rights under EPCRA.
For some reason, I cannot help but be reminded of the movie “Erin Brokovich” which portrayed one woman’s quest to help residents of area in which toxic waste was being dumped on them by large corporations and/or government agencies. These people in the movie had almost identical symptoms to our very own South Phoenix residents and like our South Phoenix residents, there was no help for them. That is, until Erin Brokovich showed up in their town --- which is exactly what is happening in South Phoenix but instead of Erin Brokovich, our South Phoenix residents have Steve Brittle.
Again, thank goodness the residents of South Phoenix have Steve Brittle (our very own Erin Brokovich), a very dedicated and compassionate individual. One can only imagine the total devastation that would occur in South Phoenix if Mr. Brittle was not around! We all have a right to know!
