READERS MAY ASK, “Didn’t he write about this last week?” The answer is Yes… and No. They’re both about people who alert us to the toxic effects of PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls). Last week the subject was Dr. David Carpenter, a physician and the director of the SUNY Albany Institute for Health and the Environment. He’s an expert on the science of PCBs, a family of chemicals suspected of causing cancer and other threats to human health. Dr. Carpenter did not respond to a request for an interview by The Columbia Paper, but he has been speaking with the Times Union. A law firm representing a large company that once manufactured PCBs is raising questions about the testimony of the distinguished doctor.
This week’s public servant died a week ago. His name was Ward Stone.
His obituary says he served as state wildlife pathologist for 40 years. He was born in Hudson and grew up in and around Chatham.
I was editor of the Woodstock weekly newspaper in Ulster County when I first heard about charges against a Columbia County landowner accused of dumping hazardous materials at a private landfill. The landfill was permitted to bury construction and demolition debris. The hazardous waste was not. The pollution was confirmed by Ward Stone. I recall wondering what the wildlife pathologist was doing in a landfill, but it was a story too far away for us to cover. Read more…