The perplexing dust
Town of Moreau, NY (United States):
Stephanie Ives has lived at 100 Sisson Street in the Town of Moreau for the past eight years. Never has she seen anything quite like the dust that covered her neighborhood back on August 4.
"It was all over our pool toys, our pool. All over our deck. The toys that are out on our deck. This time it hit us hard. There was a lot of it," said Ives.
Town of Moreau resident Denise Crete said, "Like pollen or something all over your car. But when you went to wipe it off it was very gritty and you really couldn't wipe it off your car."
Now, three weeks later, the Department of Environmental Conservation said they know what that mystery dust is. Officials said the translucent powder that coated many cars, homes and pools in the Sisson Street area is a mixture of calcium carbonate, which is found in antacids, and calcium phosphate, which are both non-toxic.
Homeowners in the area said the dust caused a big headache. It had a texture like sand paper and was very hard to wash off.
"Our biggest concerns are our health and our children. If it is some kind of cement dust mixture or whatever it is, we are inhaling it regularly," said Ives.
"There's a lot of gardens around here. We've been eating this stuff all summer. We've been swimming in it and playing in it. What is the effect this is going to have on us later on," said Crete.
DEC officials still do not know where the dust came from. They said it is not cement or fly ash. The dust did not match any of the samples taken from the Glens Falls Lehigh Cement Company, a factory and quarry that borders that section of town.
They will continue to investigate.
As for Ives, she hopes they find out soon where the dust actually came from.
August 26, 2005
By: Jaime Kazlo
capitalnews9
Town of Moreau, NY (United States):
Stephanie Ives has lived at 100 Sisson Street in the Town of Moreau for the past eight years. Never has she seen anything quite like the dust that covered her neighborhood back on August 4.
"It was all over our pool toys, our pool. All over our deck. The toys that are out on our deck. This time it hit us hard. There was a lot of it," said Ives.
Town of Moreau resident Denise Crete said, "Like pollen or something all over your car. But when you went to wipe it off it was very gritty and you really couldn't wipe it off your car."
Now, three weeks later, the Department of Environmental Conservation said they know what that mystery dust is. Officials said the translucent powder that coated many cars, homes and pools in the Sisson Street area is a mixture of calcium carbonate, which is found in antacids, and calcium phosphate, which are both non-toxic.
Homeowners in the area said the dust caused a big headache. It had a texture like sand paper and was very hard to wash off.
"Our biggest concerns are our health and our children. If it is some kind of cement dust mixture or whatever it is, we are inhaling it regularly," said Ives.
"There's a lot of gardens around here. We've been eating this stuff all summer. We've been swimming in it and playing in it. What is the effect this is going to have on us later on," said Crete.
DEC officials still do not know where the dust came from. They said it is not cement or fly ash. The dust did not match any of the samples taken from the Glens Falls Lehigh Cement Company, a factory and quarry that borders that section of town.
They will continue to investigate.
As for Ives, she hopes they find out soon where the dust actually came from.
August 26, 2005
By: Jaime Kazlo
capitalnews9
