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http://vxvxvx.vxraicom/fact-check,is'duke-teUing'thetruth'about'toxicity' 14ZOOUZO/ Fact Check: Is Duke telling "The ��_'�a—o_t Toxicity?" BY MARK BUNU{ER (k NCCAPITOL W8Al.COM' POSTED DEC. 19,2O14 N^C, — —AoUhoCBSnoxs magazine "60 Minutes" airodho segment earlier this month ��mm Duke Energy's coal ash spill on the Dan River, someone inthe company's public relations office was busy tweeting. One of those short missives read, "gCoalAsh: The truth about toxicity" and linked to a fact sheet posted online. "It's a tool that we've used at community meetings and events," said Paige Sheehan, a spokeswoman for the company. The sheet, she said, also been used when local government meetings. D has existed and been posted online for several months, she said, adding that it has had a few tweaks along the way. Our interest here on uoboyn fact-checking desk ioalways piqued xhmnwe000Uhoxnordo"Uho truth" about any particular subject, especially complex scientific and economic topics. "Ash contains low levels oftrace elements. Even if you docome into contact with ash, studies have shown you'd have 0oingest large amounts 0o have the potential for experiencing adverse oDedo," says one of three main bullet points summarizing the page-long explainer. Although that doesn't exactly make the case for coal as part ofo balanced breakfast, despite comparing the amount of arsenic in coal ash to the amount of arsenic in apple juice, the fact sheet does run counter to the image of toxin-laced goop leaching into groundwater and rivers that has been part of the coal ash narrative over the past 10 months. THE QUESTION: Are the "low levels oftrace elements" bn coal ash really nothing to worry about, or might this well-crafted piece of corporate communications bo downplaying the toxicity issue? BACKGROUND: Coal ash is the material left over when coal io burned for fuel. Some ash iocaught by scrubbers that filter air before h leaves o power plant, while other material is collected from the bottom of boilers. Although the bulk of this material io inert, coal ash contains o number of materials considered harmful to human health, including arsenic, cadmium, chromium, selenium, lead and mercury. For decades, Duke and other power companies storedash in wet ponds, although more modern dry- storage methods move the ash to lined landfills or recycle it into concrete, shingles and the like. While a nn000ivo spill from o Tennessee Valley Authority coal ash lake raised national attention 0o the issue in 2008, battles over coal ash in North Carolina remained mainly under the political radar until Feb. 2, when o coal ash pond o10 retired power plant in Rockingham County spilled an estimated 3 9,000 tons of coal ash into the Dan River. That spill brought attention to ongoing lawsuits over coal ash ponds located at 14 current and former power.stations throughout the state. Environmentalists have long argued that toxins from unlined coal ash ponds have fouled both groundwater and local waterways. While a 1970s case involving Belews Lake has long been the poster child for this kind of leaching, environmental groups have argued it is occurring on a number ofwaterways.