MISLEADING email sent to MCPS families #zeolite

From: Diana Zuckerman
Sent: Monday, April 23, 2018 10:57 PM
To: councilmember.riemer@montgomerycountymd.gov; councilmember.berliner@montgomerycountymd.gov; councilmember.leventhal@montgomerycountymd.gov; Nancy Navarro;councilmember.floreen@montgomerycountymd.gov; Hucker Tom
Subject: MISLEADING email sent to MCPS families
Importance: High

Dear Councilmembers: 

I am deeply offended by this factually incorrect email (below) that has been sent to the MCPS community through official channels by Andrew Zuckerman, the COO of MCPS. 

               I am not related to Andrew Zuckerman, nor do I know him.  I am offended because he is accusing scientists and parents in Montgomery County of providing misleading information because he disagrees with facts we have shared with the County Council and BoE about the dangers of artificial turf of providing misleading information.  Worse yet, he is using his access to email addresses of constituents to insult us.

I am a scientist trained in epidemiology at Yale Medical School, previously on the faculty at Yale and Vassar and a researcher at Harvard, and I assure you that the information I am providing is accurate.  In contrast, Andrew Zuckerman is not a scientist and not in a position to review scientific data.  An important question is: where is he getting his information, and is that information influenced by conflicts of interest?

               In my previous letters to the DoE and to you, I have expressed concern about zeolite, not specifically about erionite zeolite.  There are several types of zeolite but they all have one thing in common: there are no publicly available data indicating that they, or any other materials used in artificial turf, are proven safe for long-term use by children or adults.

               I respectfully request that you challenge Mr. Zuckerman to provide evidence of studies indicating that these fields are safe for daily or weekly use by children or adults.  I would be glad to review any such studies with your staff, but I sincerely doubt that there are any. 

Sincerely,

Diana Zuckerman, Ph.D.
President
National Center for Health Research
www.center4research.org    www.stopcancerfund.org

Additional information from Dr. Diana Zuckerman: 

http://www.zeofill.com/Zeolite-Caution.htmlDust: Zeolite is a natural mineral product that is crushed down and run over a series of screens so there is some dust inherent in the product. At any time we suggest you place masks on to prevent solids from entering your lungs. When inhaled, certain types of zeolite dust can cause different type of lung cancer. 

It is worth noting that the MSDS sheet about zeofill that Mr. Zuckerman attached to the email sent to MCPS families states:

Personal precautions: Avoid dust – use NIOSH approved respirator where dust occurs.
KMI Inc. makes no warranty of merchantability or any other warrant, expressed or implied with respect to the information or the product to which this Safety Sheet relates. Users and handlers of this product should make their own investigations to determine the suitability of the information provided herein for their own purpose

Diana Zuckerman, Ph.D.