Feb 11, 2015 2 min read

Human rights groups Wednesday announced they would carry out an independent health review of inmates at State Correctional Institution-Fayette to investigate complaints about health problems at the prison that sits beside a coal ash dump and is served by a troubled water authority.

The Abolitionist Law Center and Human Rights Coalition said they will send an eight-page survey to the more than 2,000 prisoners at SCI-Fayette, and ask them to complete and return it by mail.

Prisoners, former and current guards and nearby residents reported illnesses and symptoms consistent with exposure to toxic coal waste, the groups said. However, in a December news release, the Department of Corrections said it found no “credible evidence of any unsafe environmental conditions” at SCI-Fayette.

“We stand by our report,” said DOC Press Secretary Susan McNaughton.

McNaughton said the state Department of Health confirmed the DOC’s findings in the matter.

The groups pointed to news reports that indicated the prison is served by the Tri-County Municipal Authority in Fredericktown, just across the Monongahela River, which has been reporting levels of the potential cancer-causing chemicals known as trihalomethanes in its supply. The 500-acre dump is operated by Matt Canestrale Contracting, they said.

“The (state) Department of Corrections has been notified of the survey and reminded of its responsibility to comply with constitutional standards that prohibit censorship of mail sent to prisoners,” the groups stated in a news release.

Meanwhile, the Center for Coalfield Justice in Washington will carry out a similar survey of the nearly 300 people who live in LaBelle, which sits on the other end of the dump.

“This survey of both residents of LaBelle and incarcerated people will provide a better picture of health problems in the immediate area around the dump, something which has not been done before,” said Eva Westheimer, a community organizer with Coalfield Justice.

John J. Yanik of Hopwood, Fayette County, is among the former prison guards there who developed cancer, and he has been calling for an investigation into the facility.

“I’m glad to hear about that being done,” Yanik said after learning about the health survey.

“I have the feeling it’s going to be the inmates who will get something done,” he said.