About OLC

Note: Information previously located here, regarding current events, the class action lawsuit, and various legislation has been moved to our new "whiteboard" area. The whiteboard is a place where OLC officers and people "in the know" can present information to keep the rest of the group informed. The whiteboard is accessed by clicking the button on the left.

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Our Lives Count (OLC) is a citizens group formed in early 2002 to deal with an unpleasant 'rotten egg' smell in the Warren Township area that is affecting our health, our homes and our community.

Since its inception, OLC has evolved into much more. It is now an organization of citizens who have become advocates of environmental justice for everyone in Warren Township and the rest of the county, especially in regards to construction debris landfills and their potential environmental effects upon the citizens.

The Problem

City Health Department officials said the odors are caused by moisture coming into contact with construction debris, which creates a gas called hydrogen sulfide or H2S. For a brief introduction just click on hydrogen sulfide. For more details see the complete toxicological profile.

A likely source of the hydrogen sulfide is the Warren Recycling, Inc. (WRI) landfill located on Martin Luther King Boulevard. WRI is both a transfer station and landfill for construction debris.

While it is possible that Warren Recycling, Inc.'s C&DD facility may be the source, it is not the only potential source of the hydrogen sulfide odors. Each possible source needs to be identified and evaluated. Ohio EPA's Division of Air Pollution Control (DAPC) is developing a list of potential hydrogen sulfide emitting sources in the area, including industrial and natural sources.

What's Being Done About It

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) is a federal public health agency which is responsible for preventing or reducing the harmful effects of exposure to hazardous substances on human health and quality of life. Some of the ways the ATSDR does this are by conducting studies and making recommendations to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as well as other federal and state agencies.

The ATSDR completed a health consultation in September 2002 to determine whether the H2S levels were high enough to be a health concern for residents of Warren Township near WRI. They concluded that it could cause health problems for some people.

Based on the conclusions and recommendations from the ATSDR's report, a multi-agency plan was developed that also involves the Ohio EPA. The Ohio EPA is focusing its efforts on two of ATSDR's recommendations.

ATSDR also recommended additional testing to further validate the data. That testing concluded that an "urgent public health hazard" exists in the community. The Findings of the 2002-2003 Hydrogen Sulfide Investigation were presented by the ATSDR at a public meeting in June 2003.

An "odor hotline" has been established so that residents can report periods of bad odors and have them investigated. Community concerns are one of the four primary sources of information that the ATSDR looks at. IF YOU SMELL IT, TELL IT!

An evacuation procedure has been developed to protect the 1600 students in the LaBrae School District.

We can only be successful with your help. The numbers are what is important. PLEASE GET INVOLVED!