Document YrknmGkvdGrrr3dXQpwqG2jn

Area resident says B.F: Goodrrch affect I ifestyles, heaIth Construction of a B. F. Goodrich * plant in Bayport will affect the lifes- tyle and health of Bay Area l residents, an El Jardin resident tes tified during the Texas Air Control Board (TACB) public hearing on a . Goodrich permit request in Seab- rook. ( *- According to Victor Whitehead, an .El Jardin resident and NASA meteoroligist, a proposed B. F. Goodrich facility in Bayport will "increase the presence of un pleasant conditions." "There also will be the possibility of (industrial) accidents. We never like to talk about the accidents," Whitehead said during Tuesday's proceedings. "I'm sure B. F. Goodrich has taken the necessary precautions, but accidentsdo happen," he added. According to Whitehead, area plice, fire, and civil defense per sonnel aren't trained for industrial accidents.. "They are hampered in what they can do,'' he said. Whitehead, a member of the El Jardin Volunteer Fire Department- said his group isn't prepared to res pond to chemical spills. "Not many city's are equipped to deal with chemical spills. We don't , knowhow to handle these gases," he added. Whitehead said the only "protec tion," area residents have from other nearby chemical plants is "distance". "That is essentially my concern. When we moved to El Jardin in 1968, Bayport was a barge canal and there were a few plants just north of 1 Bay Area Boulevard,'' said 1 Whitehead. ; , % "It was obvious the area would - expand, but not in our direction r- (east of Highway 146), he added. Meanwhile, the TACB is expected to rule on an American Hoechst construction permit request Friday in Austin. American Hoechst is seeking per- j mission from the TACB to continue ' construction of its proposed Bayport facility. r c > % o S % o n3 o z BFG16921 T006Z.8T2 Goodrich hearing alaff photo by mark toohey El Jardin resident Victor Whitehead, above left, testified earlier this week that a B.F. Good rich plant in Bayport will affect the lifestyle and health of Bay Area residents. Whitehead's testimony j came during the Texas Air Control ! Board (TACB) public hearing on a Goodrich permit request. Hearing Examiner John Turney, right, listens. u J vo oo