SLUDGE VICTIMS

Ed Roller had been a successful dairy farmer since 1979. In 1989, 1990 and 1991, Mr. Roller's neighbor spread sludge on an alfalfa field. Then Roller's neighbor stopped spreading sludge because they were having trouble (undefined) with their cattle.

The runoff from the neighbor's sludged alfalfa field carried onto Roller's land. In 1990, Ed had a herd of 145 cows, In the winter of 1991 his cows started dying. His Veterinarian could not find the cause. Ed sent cows for examination by the University of Missouri in Columbia. But they were unable to diagnose the problem.

Ed went to the Columbia library and found a reference to the Zander case in Washington. He called Linda who referred him to a Dr. Cook who told him how to test the foliage and the soil.

Since Ed was about to lose yet another cow, he sent it to the University of Missouri who killed it and sent organ samples to Iowa State University. The tests at Iowa State revealed the presence of the same heavy metals in the cows' organs that were contained in the sewage sludge. Tle scientists were particularly concerned with the phosphates and fluorides, as they affect the animals' bone structure and impact the milk the cows produce.

Ed noted that his cows would get sore feet, to the extent they couldn't move around and eventually would just lay down and die. He said one of the cows he left in the field after it died was never eaten by coyotes or vultures. He figures they are smarter than humans! After the remaining Roller cattle were removed from the area where sludge runoff from the neighbors' fields had accumulated, the animals' health improved and none have died, although some are so far gone they will probably not make it.-

Ed Roller's personal health was adversely affected by immune system damage. Also, his father worked the farm with him and contaminants were found in his father's blood in 1991.

By 1994 Ed had lost 60 cows and was going broke. He filed a lawsuit against his neighbor. But all the local judges recused themselves from hearing the case. The neighbor he was suing is a prominent local resident and is on the bank board which held Ed's mortgage. When he started the sludge lawsuit, the bank started legal action against Ed Roller to foreclose his mortgage.

Ed Roller has filed for bankruptcy -- his health and his dairy farm destroyed by sewage sludge. Ed also told us about the case of a Missouri woman who let the City of Springfield spread sewage sludge on her fiarm - -and all the vegetation died.

Ed says appeals to the US EPA, Missouri Dept. of Natural Resources, state health department and other state agencies were met with callous indifference. 'No-one investigated and "no-one seemed to care".-

Ed Roller, 5961 State Highway 14 F, Sparta, Missouri 65753 (417)634-4166
Ed's attorney- Alison Calton, PO Box 1245, Springfield, Mo. 65801 (417)869-0581