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Letters to the Editor

‘Slightly’ wrong term to describe radioactive waste

Mosaic contracted with an independent, private well-testing company for the well tests for neighbors who request them after a sinkhole at the plant in Mulberry leaked slightly radioactive water into the ground.
Mosaic contracted with an independent, private well-testing company for the well tests for neighbors who request them after a sinkhole at the plant in Mulberry leaked slightly radioactive water into the ground.

While I thank Ms. Claire Aronson and Ms. Janelle O’Dea for their article “Mosaic asks county to postpone mine hearing,” I ask that they please be very careful, as Herald newspaper reporters, with the use of adjectives. Specifically stating the adjective “slightly” when referring to Mosaic’s dumping of radioactive water is downplaying the issue.

Radium is very dangerous to our watershed. Plus, the EPA has stated that the testing methods used to measure radium may underestimate the measure of radioactivity in waste water. The use of the word “slightly” radioactive misinforms the reader.

Please, be careful with future wordage because your readers deserve an objective article.

Cathy Walter

Bradenton

This story was originally published September 23, 2016 at 2:48 PM with the headline "‘Slightly’ wrong term to describe radioactive waste."

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