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Health Concerns Trigger Spending On Limerock Road

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By MICHAEL D. BATES, Hernando Today

Published: September 30, 2007

BROOKSVILLE - Hernando County commissioners Tuesday approved spending up to $110,000 to improve a limerock road after listening to a lengthy, impassioned crowd relate horror stories of contracting asthma, respiratory problems and even cancer from constant exposure to limerock dust.

Some even paraded documents backing their case by citing the cancer rate in Hernando County was greater than other places in Florida.

Hernando commissioners said the $110,000 to improve Star Road with a chip sealant is a start toward improving other limerock roads throughout the county. They agreed that something must be done to alleviate the suffering of these people.

No health experts attended the county commission meeting to verify the claims of citizens. Hernando County Engineer Charles Mixson, at one point, said it was his understanding from talks with health officials that the limerock dust posed no health hazard.

After listening to homeowners' testimony Tuesday, Hernando County Commission chairman Jeff Stabins said he finds it hard to believe there would be no adverse effect from breathing in limerock dust.
Civic activist Janey Baldwin blasted commissioners for voting to spend so much money without conducting a public hearing and inviting health experts.

Taking the claims of emotionally charged residents without getting both sides was not a smart move, she said.

As homeowner Terry Hill said at the meeting: 'This is life and death for us.'

But is it?

Is living on a limerock road hazardous to your health?

Limerock Can't Give You Asthma

Well, it depends, according to Hernando County Environmental Manager Al Gray.

'The risk is very low,' Gray said.

Citing a report from Florida Rock Industries, where the majority of limerock for local roads comes from, the composition is 100 percent calcium carbonate with traces of silica, or quartz.
Calcium carbonate is ingested by humans who want to supplement their diet with calcium to increase bone strength, Gray said.

The chances of a healthy person contracting a respiratory illness by driving on a limerock road and occasionally breathing in the dust are low, Gray said. Asthma, for example, is an immune response.

'You don't contract asthma,' he said. 'People either have it or they don't.

'If someone has asthma, their condition is worsened if they're exposed to any particulate matter, whether it is pollen or limerock dust,' Gray said.

The dust may exacerbate the symptoms, he added.

All Limerock Not Created Equal

Gray said there are several factors to take into consideration about limerock dust and its affect on health, including the toxicity of particles inhaled, size of the particles, the concentration of those particles and duration of exposure.

Because the toxicity of county limerock roads is calcium-based, there is no imminent risk. Normally, people don't stand by the road and breathe in the dust eight hours a day, he said.

Some of the statistics cited by homeowners at Tuesday's meeting cited toxicity levels that adversely affect the lungs.

But limerock composition varies depending on the source. Gray said there are parts of the country where the concentration of the limerock is different and potentially more harmful, he said.

There are also no cause and effect studies linking cancer rates to limerock roads, he said.

Gray said there are scores of people who work in limerock mines in Hernando County and his department has no records of health problems from them.

Other than a nuisance factor, with limerock leaving an unsightly layer of dust on cars and plants, Gray said it is unlikely that living on a limerock road creates as dire a health risk as many homeowners claim.

Kelli Maw, medical executive director for the Hernando County Health Department, echoed Gray's assertions that people who do not have respiratory problems or are in overall good health face no health danger in moving to a limerock road.

However, for people with pre-existing respiratory conditions, the problem could be exacerbated, she said.

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