Florida has been undergoing rapid growth and increasing congestion with widespread adverse consequences that threaten our environment, economy, and health.

Growth-related damage to Florida includes:

• Export of economic capital due to energy dependency and huge sums for fuel imports
• Saltwater intrusion
• Drying up of lakes and wetlands in many areas
• Falling water tables
• Contamination of drinking water, groundwater, and surface waters by toxics and runoff
• Rapid decline of the Everglades and coastal environments
• Collapse in the populations of fish, shellfish, birds, and wildlife of Florida
• Toxic fish and seafood due to increased levels of mercury and toxics from emissions and coastal pollution
• Lack of safe options for disposal of increasing levels of garbage and sewerage
• Increased accumulation of toxics in the environment, significantly affecting Floridians, including major increases in birth defects and infant neurological and immune problems
  

The U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy recently released the following findings regarding the increasing problems of the oceans and coastal areas:

• Thousands of acres of coastal wetlands providing essential spawning, feeding and nursery areas for three-fourths of U.S. commercial fish catches are disappearing each year.
• Ocean pollution, largely from farmland and urban runoff, and human populations near shorelines are increasing so much that proper coastal management is overwhelmed.
• Fish stocks continue to be depleted, and the advice of scientists too often is ignored at the expense of fisheries and the long-term sustainability of the fishing industry. Of the fully assessed U.S. fish stocks, 40 percent are depleted or overfished.
• Not enough study has been given to the interaction between oceans and climate change.

FLCV IS ISSUING THIS CALL TO ACTION TO RECOGNIZE AND DEAL WITH THESE PROBLEMS.

This statement is a summary and update of reports released earlier by Florida Watch Institute on trends and the state of the Florida environment. It documents that the continuing growth in Florida, and the resulting increase in wastes, pollution, and toxics, has surpassed the regional carrying capacity in large areas of Florida. Hence we are now seeing rapid declines in the state of the Florida environment: in fish, seafood, birds, and other wildlife, and in the quality of life and health of many Floridians. Florida is experiencing increased congestion, water shortages in coastal and urban areas, as well as contamination to thousands of wells, lakes, rivers, and bays due to toxics and pollution from air emissions, waste effluent and runoff, causing serious declines in fish and wildlife, and also now affecting the food chain and the health of large numbers of Floridians, especially children.

Examples:

(1) The state is losing large areas of wetlands due to growth and development each year. Additionally, Central Florida has lost over 150,000 acres of wetlands in recent years; lakes throughout the north and central Florida area are drying up; and we are seeing widespread saltwater intrusion in coastal aquifers from water use and pumping beyond the area’’s carrying capacity. This is leading to water wars between coastal and inland counties.

Drainage of wetland areas for urban and agricultural use, and diversion of water from the Everglades and Florida Bay, have lead to catastrophic collapses of plant, bird, and wildlife ecosystems in huge areas. There has been a 90% decline in wading birds in the Everglades, and sea grass, coral reefs, and saltwater fisheries are rapidly declining or collapsing in areas like Florida Bay and the Florida Keys. Sea grass and fisheries are also declining in most other areas of Florida.

(2) Pesticide runoff from farms, lawns, and from spraying to control exotic weeds and mosquitoes, is affecting fish and wildlife throughout Florida. Catastrophic collapses have occurred in populations of amphibians, fish, turtles, alligators, etc., due to organochlorine pesticide-induced reproductive system abnormalities that are resulting in the inability to reproduce. This has resulted in an over 90% decline in such populations of Lake Apopka. Likewise, die-off of lobsters, clams, amphibians, etc. is occurring in coastal areas. Similarly, fish, seafood, and other wildlife of St. Josephs Bay, Perdido Bay, and many rivers and lakes of Florida are contaminated by dioxin, which has similar effects as the other organochlorine compounds, but has also been found to be the most toxic and carcinogenic compound ever tested.

Marine mammals at the top of the food chain, like dolphins, are experiencing die-offs in Florida and world-wide, due to the accumulation of organochlorine compounds in fish and marine mammals.

(3) The food chain and seafood in several bays have been contaminated by radioactive elements like radium from phosphate mining wastes and coal or ash pile runoff. Likewise, bays, lakes, and drainage ponds are accumulating highly toxic and carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and toxic metals like mercury, cadmium, lead, and copper, from air emissions, urban runoff, industrial effluent, and sewage.

(4) Toxic metals, like mercury, lead, and cadmium, as well as endocrine system-disrupting chemicals, like dioxin and PAHs, are getting into the food chain from emissions of incinerators and fossil fuel combustion. This has resulted in over half the rivers and lakes in Florida having health warnings regarding dangerous levels of mercury or other toxics in the fish and widespread fish disease and fish cancer. Dangerous levels of mercury and other toxics are also commonly being found in shellfish and saltwater fish such as tuna, swordfish, bluefish, sharks and many other commercial and recreational species at the top of the food chain. The level of mercury in people eating such seafood has been found to commonly exceed dangerous levels as well, and to result in levels in about 10% of women of childbearing age high enough to cause developmental effects on infants.

The level of dioxin found in the food chain, in people, and in mother's milk in many areas of the country is above the level found to cause serious harm to animals in studies, and Florida appears to have some of the highest emission rates in the country.

Toxics in the food chain in Florida have been documented to be causing serious harm to wildlife populations like panthers, alligators, and fish eating birds, and also appear to be seriously affecting people in Florida, causing increased reproductive problems and reproductive system abnormalities and cancer.

(5) We are generating millions of pounds of toxics with no legal place to dispose of them in Florida, and running out of places to dispose of the growing volumes of garbage, sewage, and industrial effluent, which is often contaminated with toxics. Most landfills and sewers are documented to have dangerous levels of toxics, resulting in contamnation of groundwater, lakes, rivers, bays, fish, crops(where sewer sludge in used), and rainfall(high levels of mercury in rain outgased from these sources). There have been high levels of toxic metals, dioxin, and acid pollutants deposited throughout Florida’’s lakes, streams, bays, ecosystem, and food chain by emissions from incinerators and power plants. This is resulting not only in serious environmental degradation and damage to groundwater, surface water, wildlife, sea grasses, and coral reefs, but also in adverse health effects and ever-increasing costs to dispose of these wastes in a manner without doing serious environmental damage.

(6) There has been a very large increase in birth defects, neurologically damaged children with conditions such as autism, ADHD, etc. and allergic conditions such as allergies, asthma, systemic eczema, etc. due to increased exposure to toxic substances. The National Academy of Sciences recently found that almost 50% of births result in birth defects, neurologically damaged infants, or other chronic developmental health problems—mostly related to toxic exposures.

Likewise there is a large increase in chronic autoimmune conditions such as chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, lupus, multiple chemical sensitivities, etc. among the adult population due to exposure to toxic substances.

(7) Florida is almost totally energy dependent and imports over $25 billion dollars of fuel each year. This constitutes a huge capital drain on the state economy, not to mention a significant portion of the national trade deficit each year. North Florida areas have also been found to have high lung cancer rates that appear to be related to air emissions of acid pollutants and toxic metals; and Central Florida has high lung cancer rates related to phosphate mine wastes.

(8) There is scientific consensus that global warming and ozone layer degradation are extremely serious problems already affecting Floridians and people throughout the world. This year was the hottest in history and the ozone decline over the Antarctic and rest of the world the worst in history. Florida is especially susceptible to the effects of global warming.

Global warming has already had major effects on climate with heat waves, droughts, water table draw-down, increased crop losses, stronger storms with increased damage, increasing range of insect-borne diseases from the tropics, sea level rise and coastal erosion. This year has been the warmest in recorded history and follows the warmest decade in history. Ice in glaciers and ice sheets are rapidly melting and disintegrating.

Last year's ozone hole over the Antarctic was the earliest and worst in history, bigger than the entire U.S., and a hole is developing over the Arctic that is predicted to seriously affect much larger numbers of people due to the higher population in northern latitudes of the northern hemisphere. Increased skin cancer from ozone layer thinning and more rapid sea level rise are already being documented; each could have immense impacts on Florida's coastal areas and tourist industries.

With continuing growth, increasing levels of pollution, and resource shortages becoming more evident, its more important than ever that we elect leaders that have an understanding and concern for these problems. There are solutions that can reduce these problems, but insufficient resources or time have been given in recent years to these growing problems in Florida. It is clear that some areas of Florida have surpassed the carrying capacity of water and other resources, as well as the ability to dispose of wastes in an environmentally acceptable and cost effective manner. Toxic pollution from air emissions, urban and agricultural runoff, and effluent must be dealt with more effectively and soon, or the damage already widespread will become even worse. Floridians and legislators need to become more educated on these issues and take them more seriously, because they threaten our quality of life and that of our children. There are cost effective solutions and measures to alleviate most problems if all costs are evaluated and new options considered.

Sources:

(1) State of the Florida Environment, Florida Watch Institute, 1998;

(2) B. Windham(Ed.), Mercury in Florida Freshwater and Saltwater Fish and People: Mercury Levels by Species, Sources, Levels in People Who Eat Fish at Least Once Per Week, etc.; 2002, www.home.earthlink.net/~berniew1/flhg.html

(3) Florida Department of Health, Bureau of Environmental Toxicology, Health Advisories for Mercury in Florida Fish 1997; 10-15; & FDEP, Toxic metal levels in Florida shellfish, 1990.

(4) U.S. Geological Survey, The Occurrence of Mercury in the Fishery Resources of the Gulf of Mexico; http://mo.cr.usgs.gov/gmp/hg.cfm ; & D.H.Adams, R.H.McMichael, Florida Marine Research Institute, Technical Reports, Mercury Levels in Marine and Estuarine Fishes of Florida, 2001; & FFWCC, http://marinefisheries.org/Pubs/mercury.htm

(5) Mobile Register, Mercury Series(Aug 2001 to Mar 2002): Mercury Taints Seafood, www.al.com/specialreport/?mobileregister/mercuryinthewater.html.

(6)Thomas D. Atkeson, FDEP Mercury Coordinator, South Florida Mercury Science Program, MERCURY IN FLORIDA'S ENVIRONMENT, www.dep.state.fl.us/labs/mercury/docs/flmercury.htm

(7) B. Windham, "Mercury & Other Toxic Metals: Affected Lakes, Rivers, and Bays; Sources, Emissions, Deposition, Health Effects, & Controls" 1999. www.home.earthlink.net/~berniew1/tm98.html

(8) B. Windham(Ed.), " Dioxin&Other Organochlorine and Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals- Summary of Health Effects, Areas Affected, and Sources" 2001. www.home.earthlink.net/~berniew1/endocrin.html

(9) B. Windham(Ed.), Adverse Health Effects of Pesticides, 2001; www.home.earthlink.net/~berniew1/pesticid.html

(10) B. Windham(Ed.), "Public and Private Wells and Surface Waters Contaminated by Toxics in Florida- Incidence, Chemicals Involved, Sources, etc." 1996;

(11) B. Windham, Increase in Children's Neurological and Immune Conditions due to exposure to mercury and other toxic metals: autism, schizophrenia, ADD, allergies, asthma, eczema, lupus, etc. 2002; www.home.earthlink.net/~berniew1/indexk.html

(12) B. Windham(Ed.), “Cognitive & Behavioral Effects of Toxic Metal Exposure (including effects on achievement, juvenile delinquency, crime, etc.), 2001; www.home.earthlink.net/~berniew1/tmlbn.html

(13) B. Windham, Adverse Health Effects Related to Solvents and Industrial Chemicals. www.home.earthlink.net/~berniew1/indexe.html

(14) B. Windham(Ed.), Arsenic exposure levels, sources, and neurological effects, www.home.earthlink.net/~berniew1/arsenic.html

(15) Florida Dept. of Environmental Protection, Florida Environment, www.myflorida.com/myflorida/environment/

(16) U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1134, By Benjamin F. McPherson and Robert Halley http://sofia.usgs.gov/publications/circular/1134/ 2002

(17) Florida Marine Research Institute, www.floridamarine.org/; & http://marinefisheries.org/Pubs/mercury.htm

(18) Florida Wildlife Organization, www.flawildlife.org/

(19) U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, John Heilprin The Associated Press Sept 23 2002

Contact: Bernie Windham berniew1@earthlink.net