www.wellsreserve.org/news/2005-02-04_ott.htm

SOUND TRUTH AND CORPORATE MYTH$ AUTHOR TO SPEAK AT WELLS RESERVE

WELLS, MAINE - Dr. Riki Ott exposes the profound legacy of the Exxon Valdez oil spill and shows how people can help reshape our global energy future in a talk at the Wells Reserve at Laudholm Farm on Sunday, February 20, at 3 pm. The presentation is free, but donations are accepted. Reservations are requested at (207) 646-1555.

In Sound Truth and Corporate Myth$, Dr. Ott chronicles the long-lasting environmental harm to Prince William Sound, Alaska, and investigates the health problems suffered by many cleanup workers. Exxon's spill provided a portal to understanding a startling truth: Oil is much more toxic than previously thought.

This book shows how one particular fraction of crude oil, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons or PAHs, may well be the DDT of the 21st century. In 1999, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency listed 22 PAHs in crude oil as "persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic (PBT) pollutants." Sharing this list of extreme human health hazards are the more commonly known pollutants-mercury, lead, dioxin, PCBs, and DDT. The latter are all highly regulated chemicals and some, such as DDT and PCBs, have been banned in the United States.

Sound Truth and Corporate Myth$ traces 15 years of lingering harm to humans and wildlife from the Exxon Valdez oil spill. It reveals how corporate greed, government short-sightedness, and manipulation of the truth and the media have kept the public from learning the deadly nature of PAHs. The author provides relevant information and practical recommendations for people and policy-makers at this critical juncture in the history of civilization. This book will inspire people to reduce their own consumption of fossil fuels and, in so doing, help permanently shift society to a clean energy future.

Since 1987, Dr. Riki Ott has dedicated her academic training in marine biology and toxicology to help the general public understand the effects of oil, mining, and timber industry activities on water quality and marine and aquatic ecosystems. She has helped citizens use this new knowledge to redefine business practices and government accountability to improve the general quality of life through environmental protection, social justice, and economic stability. She has written numerous white papers and one previous book, served on several state-appointed advisory or working groups, worked with many nonprofit organizations in various capacities (founding director to volunteer), testified often before Congress and the Alaska State Legislature, and received state and national recognition for her work.

The Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve, with facilities at historic Laudholm Farm, is committed to investigating coastal environments and increasing understanding of their ecology. The Wells Reserve is located at 342 Laudholm Farm Road in Wells, just off Routes 1 and 9 near the Kennebunk line. www.wellsreserve.org

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