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GREEN
PARTY OF MISSISSIPPI SUPPORTS INVESTIGATION OF OYSTER CONTAMINATION
April 28, 2005
The Green Party of
Mississippi supports the investigation of pollutant levels in the waterways in
the Bay St. Louis area of Hancock County. An article in the Sun Herald
on April 27th reported that the oysters harvested near the mouth of
the bay are polluted.
The DuPont Delisle plant
denies the claim that its effluents are causing environmental problems. Despite
complaints from area residents, DuPont still claims that discharges from the
plant "pose no apparent public health hazard."
Economically
speaking, if the US Food and Drug Administration puts a ban on oysters or other
fish from the area, the Mississippi Gulf Coast fishing industry will be severely
hurt. Mississippi shrimpers and fishers export to other parts of the country
and abroad. If a ‘ban’ were enforced, many of the places that receive exported
fish would not accept shipments from any Mississippi seller regardless of
whether or not the fish were from the Bay St. Louis area.
The Green
Party of Mississippi supports the efforts of the Sierra Club to continue the
investigation of claims in The Journal of Shellfish Research about
significant toxin levels being emitted from the DuPont Delisle plant.
“I have
known personally several friends from the Bay St. Louis area who have gotten
sick, and I have heard stories about people getting cancer, from the DuPont
plant. We need to support all investigations into these allegations in order to
provide for a healthier Mississippi Gulf Coast and to protect our fishing
industry,” said Michael Dixon of Ocean Springs, Congressional District 4 member
of the State Executive Committee of the Green Party of Mississippi.
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