i
Page 2-A-THK BKUNSWK'K HKACON. Ihursila>. July 30. 198^
Smoke Causes Increase In Hospital Treatments
BY TKUHY POPE
Tlic smoke, combinud with extreme heal and
humidity, has causetl an increase in treatments for
respiratory problems at the Hninswick Hospital in Sup
ply.
In recent weeks, tlie number of asthmatics and
chronic lung patients receiving treatment at the
hospital has risen by as much as 50 percent, said Ooiig
Timms, director of cardiopidmonan.' ser\’ices.
"Usually during tlic summer when there is a heal
wave. Uie number of respiratoo' patients will pick up."
Timms .said. "But when you add smoke along with the
heal and humidity, it’s like a combination of haziirds."
Timms said Brunswick County residents subject to
asthma atUicks or who have lung conditions should
avoid the smoke if possible. Pas.sengers in cars that
drive through a patch of smoke are at risk as well, he
said.
‘if you can smell it in the air," Tiiimis said, "then
there is enough air pollution to irritate the lungs."
Persons living downwind from areas that are burn
ing should take measures to avoid the smoke if they
have lung or breathing conditions, he said.
A part-time employee of the cardiopulmonary unit
:it the Bnitiswick Hospital arrived at wm k last week on
ly to be rushed into treatmerd.
"She practically haI an asthma atta‘k and had to
take treatment while here." Timms said.
Driving through an area of heavy smoke while on
her way to work had irritated the employee’s asthma
condition.
Hesklents have been leaving the Shallotte area to
escape the smoke. Lena Boss, of Shallotte. said she
knows of several people, including her husband. H.A.
Boss, who liave left town until the smoke clears.
Timms said tlie retirement communitv. or persons
who have moved South to escape air pollution and smog
conditions, can find the smoke particularly frustrating.
"These people go from csenlially no air pollution to
a potentially hazardous situation," Timms said. ‘‘They
go out in the morning to gel the newspaper and it’s a
slap in the face."
Timms said someone should have notified residents
through the media that local burning might cause a
temporar>' air pollution problem.
I’er.sons with chronic lung conditions or persons
subject to asthma attacks need to be alerted of such
conditions, he said, before they occur.
Kiverview Kesiaent
(^lonr Tho Air
BY TEBRY POPE
(linger Smith and her family mov
ed to Brunswick (’oiiiily last year to
escape the air pollution in Los
Angeles County, a California
metropolis with frequent smog condi
tions.
Three of her seven family
members have asthma. When smoke
from controlled burnings set off the
smoke alariiLs in her Biver\’iew
mobile home la.st Sunday at 6 a.m.,
she decided it was time to fight back.
"When you move to tfie country,
you don’t expect to have to deal with
this sort tu* prublciu," M.>. Smith
said. "Especially over a period of
t!*ree weeks."
She began calling county, slate and
federal authorities to see wliy con
trols were not placed on burning in
Brunswick County, especially during
.sUignant air conditions.
"The more calls I made, ttie
angrier I got,” she said.
From her conversations with en
vironmental officials, she learned
that Hrun.swick (’oniily’s air (pialily
sUnidards had not been tested in over
two years. Officials froni the N.(\
Department of Natural Besourccs
and Community Development office
in Wilmington insUdled a device to
test the air quality at Biverview, a
subdivision near Shell Point, last
Thursday morning.
They placed the equipment on the
dock at Willard and Flora Bitter’s
house overlooking the Shallotte
Biver. across from Ciinger and
Duar.c S:r.ilh’s home. As Ms. Smith
said. "The squeaky wheel gets the
grease."
"I hope it’s effective." Ms. Smith
said. "I don’t think we’ll ever know
what the air quality stanilards have
been here for the past two weeks."
Allltougi) conditions improved by
the end of the week, smoke was so
heavy in the area last Wednesdav
. .r * : ■'n
MAH PHOtOAV :(RBl POP(
Bll.l. COCHRANE, an environmental engineer with the N.C. Department of
Natural Be.sources and Community Development office in Wilmington, in
stalls an air quaUty monitor nn the dock of Willard and Flora Bitter’.s home
at Kiverview last I'hiirsday morning.
Area Can Expect Some Rai
in
Bain is in the area forecast for Uie
next few days, along with more sum
mertime heat.
l^recipiUition should be near nor
mal, about three-quarters of an inch,
.said Shallotte Point meteorologist
Jackson Canady. Temperatures
should also be near normal, ranging
from the low 7Hs at night to around 90
during the (biytiine.
For the period .Inly 21 through 27.
Canady recorded a maximum high
temperature reading of 100 degrees
on the 22iul. 'Tlie minimum low. 67
degrees, occurred on the 2Lsl.
An average daily high of 94 degrees
comliined with an average daily low
of 71 degrees, he said, for a daily
average temperature of 82 degrees.
alxHit two degrees alxivc normal.
('anady recorded no precipitation
during the periol.
HOW TO SIlRcrRIBE TO
FHE BRUIMSWICK^BEACON
POST OFFICE BOX 2558
brtALUji It, MUK I n i-MKuLiNA 2S459
For Award-Winning News Coverage
ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION RATES BY MAIL:
In Brunswick County 7.50
Elsewhere in North Carolino 10 00
Outside NoftiiCcirolino 12 50
Sr. Cilii«n
6 50
9 00
n 50
Complete And Return To Above Address
Nome
A.'ldrcss
City, Stale
7ir
if the burnings arc allowed to con
tinue in the future, she said.
"If you had rented a place at the
beach for the week and you were
forced to breathe the kind of air that
we have for the past two sveeks." she
added, "would you come back?"
Heavy
(Continued From Page 1-A)
responsible for monitoring local com-
Miance. 'i don’t know of a single
violation," he said.
Uast week, acreage still smolder
ing from controlled bums included
200 acres owned by Georgia Pacific
anti HO acres owned by Federal
Paperboard Co., as well as smaller
plots being cleared for several golf
courses under development in the
county.
This week, a wildfire covering
more than 100 acres continues to
burn in the Green Swamp north of
Shallotte.
AT SEASIDE
A
K
SIAM PMOIOev l(BRr POPI
BRING HOME
THE^BEACON
GINGER SMITH, and two of her children. Casey and her family moved to Rniiiswiek County from California
Kim. outside their home at Riverview. Ms. Smith said last year to eseape air poilntioii.
On Sale At
BIG NELL'S PIT STOP
OASIS MART
that Duane said he had trouble driv
ing to work.
"By the time I got to Shallotte. you
could not .see 100 yards ahead of
you," he said. "They have placed
signs on U.S. 17 warning motorists of
the smoke, which Is really indicative
of how bad it is."
Ms. Smith is a nurse at the
Brunswick Hospital in Supply. It
takes six days to stabilize an asthma
or chronic lung disease patient who
has suffered a breathing attack caus
ed by irritants, such as smoke, she
said. Such patients must remain
hospitalized during that time.
"'I’here are other methods in burn
ing and clearing land," she said. "I
don’t think the people at the state
Capitol in Raleigh would allow this to
happen there. Just because we have
fewer people in Brunswick County, I
don’t think it’s fair for us to have to
stand still for it to happen here.”
Ms. Smith said her civil rights have
been violated in recent weeks
because individuals and companicK
nave been allowed to burn when con
ditions were Iiazardous to the air
quality standards in Brunswick
County.
legislative action in 1982 remo\'cd
Brunswick County from the list of
high hazard counties for controlled
burning during large land floarino
operations. That may have en
dangered a lot of people’s lives in
Brunswick County, especially the
elderly or persons who have trouble
breathing, .she said.
Ms. Smith hopes the county will be
placed back on the high hazarci list .so
the burnings will stop.
She also wants to know w hy the en
vironmentalists who are responsible
for iasiiring safe air quality .starj-
dards arc not tlie ones to issue burn
ing permits. The N.C. Forestry Ser
vice issues burning permits;
however, they are removed from
deciding if a controlled burning
would be safe for the air, she said.
"I just wish that .something could
have been done earlier which could
liave prevented this situation," she
added.
She would also like to see large lan
downers chose alternative inetliods
for clearing land in the future.
"We need our woodlands, but we
need onr people, too," she said.
"My main reason for moving away
from an urbanized area was pollu
tion," .she said. "I didn’t want my
children exposed to those
conditions."
Brunswick County will lose tourists
THE BRUMSWICKABEACON
Estobiished Nov. 1, 1962
Telephone 754-6890
Published Every Thursday
At Moin Street
Shallotte, N. C. 28459
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
IN BRUNSWICK COUNTY
One Year $7.50
Six Months $4.00
ELSEWHERE IN NORTH CAROLINA
One Yeor $10.00
Six Months $6.00
ELSEWHERE IN U.S.A.
One Year $12.50
Six Months $7.(X)
Second class postage paid ot
the Post Office in Shallotte.
N. C. 28459. USPS 777-780.
OQQQGQQQQOOQQOO
The FAMILY BUSINESS that can make
Q house YOUR HOME
...PROUDLY PRESENTS...
trXIIMHMMlUg
SKYLINE 44' x 24' DOUBLEWiDE
3 BR, 2 full boths, kitchen CAA
living room, utility room and more...*22yD0Ui
-ALSO-
Fhe Best Place for the Best Price
Edgarwood Subdivision
Located on Stone Chimney Rood
MOBILE HOME LOTS STARTING AT $4,000
with paved streets and on-site financing.
We also offer sewer & water packages!
CAMPER LOTS AVAILABLE
East Coast Houslno and Sales
Hwy. 130, Holden Beach Rd., 416 miles from Shallotte
842-4003»Mon.-Sat. 9-5, Sun. 1-5, Closed Wednesdays
F«R DEVELOPMENT, INC.
►SEPTIC SYSTEMS *COMPLETE EXCAVATION SERVICE
New furniture arriving every day*
STOP BY AND BROWSE THROUGH
OUR WIDE SELECTION
FURNITURE
"Quality Home Furnishings ot Affordobie Prices"
HWY. 179, NEAR THE OCEAN ISLE AIRPORT
Lo^ok for the Gorebo-(919)579 8300 Mon.-Sot. - 9:00-6.00
3
i