Given a paragraph, generate a claim that is supported by the given paragraph. 1) The claim must contain information from within the paragraph. 2) A sentence within the paragraph can be used as a claim. 3) The claim should not have contradictions within the paragraph. 4) The claim should be at most one sentence long.

Q: Even before a show based on the Chernobyl disaster renewed interest both on and off social media, one of the most vivid online reminders of the April 1986 nuclear reactor meltdown continued to circulate online.A Facebook post that was shared more than 36,000 times on the platform in December 2019 contains a photograph of shows one of the remnants of the meltdown alongside a short description:The photo above is the closest humanity has ever come to creating Medusa. If you were to look at this, you would die instantly.The image is of a reactor core lava formation in the basement of the Chernobyl nuclear plant. It’s called the Elephant’s Foot and weighs hundreds of tons, but is only a couple meters across.Oh, and regarding the Medusa thing, this picture was taken through a mirror around the corner of the hallway. Because the wheeled camera they sent up to take pictures of it was destroyed by the radiation. The Elephant’s Foot is almost as if it is a living creature.The post is a reprinting of a 2012 Tumblr post about the Elephant’s Foot, one that is accurate about the origin of the photograph and not far off from the truth about the consequences of being in the presence of the toxic mix of uranium, silicon dioxide, and other materials — which is still active. Dozens of workers died during the explosion and subsequent cleanup efforts due to acute radiation syndrome.As the science magazine Nautilus reported in 2013:After just 30 seconds of exposure, dizziness and fatigue will find you a week later. Two minutes of exposure and your cells will soon begin to hemorrhage; four minutes: vomiting, diarrhea, and fever. 300 seconds and you have two days to live.Other images of the Elephant’s Foot have also gained notoriety. They are believed to have been taken 10 years after the fatal meltdown by a man identified as Artur Korneyev:In 2014, Korneyev was interviewed by the New York Times for a story on the construction of a $1.5 billion structure that would cap airborne emissions from escaping the site of the former reactor:Artur Korneyev, 65, a radiation specialist, at his home in Slavutich. After the accident, his job was to locate radioactive fuel on site and determine radiation levels to limit the exposure of other workers.These days Mr. Korneyev works in the project management unit, but because of his health — he has cataracts and other problems related to his heavy radiation exposure during his first three years — he is no longer allowed inside the plant. “Soviet radiation,” he joked, “is the best radiation in the world.”The site of the reactor and the neighboring town of Pripyat were made open for tours by the public in 2011. In 2019 the pop culture site Consequence of Sound reported that the success of the HBO show Chernobyl, a dramatization of the fatal disaster, led to a 35 percent increase in tour bookings compared to 2018. But one of the side-effects of that increased attention was an influx of visits from social media “influencers,” who would post “sexy” photographs of themselves in the area.“If you visit, please remember that a terrible tragedy occurred there,” series creator Craig Mazin posted in response. “Comport yourselves with respect for all who suffered and sacrificed.”

A: "A photograph spreading online shows the ""Elephant's Foot"" lava flow at the site of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor disaster."
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Q: On 1 June 2018, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics announced a proposed “Significant New Use Rule” (SNUR) for asbestos, a mineral once widely used in the construction of buildings due to its flame-retardant properties but now uncontroversially considered a carcinogen. The necessity for such a rule, in general, stems from the fact that not all uses of asbestos are currently banned; some of them remain unregulated thanks to a 1991 court ruling. The asbestos uses the 2018 SNUR applies to are ones that had not been banned by earlier regulations and remained in active use at the time of the 1991 court ruling, but are no longer in use due to users’ desires to avoid contracting cancer or liability for causing cancer in others. The EPA refers to these uses as “currently unregulated former uses.” SNURs are a mechanism within the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) that mandate specific EPA approval when a chemical is used in a significantly new way or in a significantly new mixture that “might create concerns.”: For asbestos, [the] EPA is proposing a SNUR for certain uses of asbestos (including asbestos-containing goods) that would require manufacturers and importers to receive EPA approval before starting or resuming manufacturing, and importing or processing of asbestos. This review process would provide EPA with the opportunity to evaluate the intended use of asbestos and, when necessary, take action to prohibit or limit the use. The TSCA is currently undergoing a major overhaul that began under the Obama administration and was reinterpreted in radically divergent ways under the Trump administration. When former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt (a Trump appointee who resigned amid accusations of misconduct) explained the proposed SNUR for asbestos, he described it as part of an “unprecedented” set of new protections against the dangers of asbestos which require manufacturers “to receive EPA approval before starting or resuming manufacturing, and importing or processing of asbestos”. In their correspondence with us, the EPA stated that the proposed rule serves “to ensure that the manufacture, import, or processing for the currently unregulated former uses of asbestos identified in the rule are prohibited unless reviewed and approved by EPA.” According to critics, the problem with this position is twofold. The first problem concerns the way in which the current EPA has written the SNUR, which EPA staffers have privately worried does not allow for the ban of all currently inactive unregulated uses but instead only concerns 15 specific uses the EPA “believes” to be comprehensive and thus could allow for the continued legality of some now dormant uses. The second problem concerns the way in which the EPA has proposed to evaluate the risk of these “currently unregulated former uses”. In May 2018, the EPA published a document known as the “Problem Formulation of the Risk Evaluation for Asbestos,” which establishes the scientific approach the EPA will take in evaluating these new uses. Significantly, their approach will not include information from existing (or “legacy”) uses of asbestos, despite the significant body of work around health risks stemming from those uses: In the case of asbestos, legacy uses, associated disposals, and legacy disposals will be excluded from the problem formulation and risk evaluation … These include asbestos containing materials that remain in older buildings or are part of older products but for which manufacture, processing and distribution in commerce are not currently intended, known or reasonably foreseen. EPA is excluding these activities because EPA generally interprets the mandates under section TSCA § 6(a)-(b) to conduct risk evaluations and any corresponding risk management to focus on uses for which manufacture, processing or distribution is intended, known to be occurring, or reasonably foreseen, rather than reaching back to evaluate the risks associated with legacy uses, associated disposal, and legacy disposal, and interprets the definition of conditions of use in that context. E&E News reported that this approach may serve to severely limit the types of exposures the EPA will consider when formulating the potential risk of new uses for asbestos: Public health advocates believe EPA is inappropriately limiting its health reviews of chemicals to avoid considering the impacts of those already in the environment. But the agency hasn’t been swayed by their pushback … That means the agency won’t consider the dangers posed by, for example, asbestos-containing tiles, adhesives and piping in millions of homes and commercial buildings nationwide. According to the New York Times, the new rules will serve to narrow the ways in which asbestos itself is defined as well: Other changes identified in the E.P.A. documents narrow the definitions of certain chemicals, including asbestos. Some asbestos-like fibers will not be included in the risk assessments, one agency staff member said, nor will the 8.8 million pounds a year of asbestos deposited in hazardous landfills or the 13.1 million pounds discarded in routine dump sites. Three former EPA officials, including the former supervisor of the toxic chemical program, told the New York Times that such stipulations would necessarily create flawed analyses of the threat posed by any chemical currently being re-evaluated by the EPA: Three former agency officials, including a former supervisor of the toxic chemical program, said that the E.P.A.’s approach would result in a flawed analysis of the threat presented by chemicals. “It is ridiculous,” said Wendy Cleland-Hamnett, who retired last year after nearly four decades at the E.P.A., where she ran the toxic chemical unit during her last year. “You can’t determine if there is an unreasonable risk without doing a comprehensive risk evaluation” … The most likely outcome of the changes will be that the agency finds lower levels of risks associated with many chemicals, and as a result, imposes fewer new restrictions or prohibitions, several current and former agency officials said. Senator Tom Udall, a Democrat from New Mexico, argued that former EPA head Scott Pruitt was undermining a bipartisan push to reform the TSCA that began under President Obama. “Congress worked hard in bipartisan fashion to reform our nation’s broken chemical safety laws, but Pruitt’s E.P.A. is failing to put the new law to use as intended,” he said in a statement. President Trump spoke on the topic of asbestos long before his election to the White House. In his 1997 book The Art of the Comeback, Trump argued that the chemical is actually safe once applied and suggested that the link to health problems was manufactured by mob-connected companies which perform asbestos removal: “I believe that the movement against asbestos was led by the mob, because it was often mob-related companies that would do the asbestos removal. Great pressure was put on politicians, and as usual, the politicians relented.” While it is true that the uses of asbestos discussed in the 2018 SNUR are currently legal, their health and litigation risks have rendered them effectively dead. The current administration has established a process for some of those uses to be granted formal approval by the EPA if they pass a safety review many scientists find flawed. For these reasons, we concur with the leaked opinion of EPA lawyer Mark Seltzer, an attorney advisor to the EPA Chemical Risk and Reporting Enforcement Branch who worked on the SNUR and concluded that: “This new approach allows asbestos-containing products that are not currently used to be used in the future.”

A: The Environmental Protection Agency will allow new asbestos products to enter the market.
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Q: She says she scheduled a follow-up visit and a geriatric psychiatrist gave her a list with names for local mental-health care providers. “Many of the counselors weren’t even in practice anymore or their numbers didn’t work,” Romeo said. “Not one person mentioned Mind Springs,” a major mental health organization that comprises 12 locations across the Western Slope. Romeo, a 77-year-old Medicare and Medicaid recipient, says she continued to struggle with finding a mental health counselor as well as other affordable services in the area. The former author and Glenwood Springs resident is now working with local government agencies to create a brochure for other seniors who are aging in Western Colorado. She says the booklet will include information on “who to call (and) when.” “When you’re on Medicare and you’re low income, there are services available, right down to toenail clinics, because the elderly can’t reach their feet,” she said. “If my doctor had known to tell me about these programs and these services, I would have been better off,” she said. GOLDEN YEARS Romeo is one of the growing number of senior citizens in Garfield County, a segment of the population that’s expected to grow exponentially in the coming decade or so as the baby boomer generation ages into its late 60s, 70s and 80s. On the one hand, western Colorado’s active lifestyle and healthy environment attracts and retains those entering their senior years, offering numerous outlets to get outdoors, exercise and socialize. Various senior fitness organizations in Garfield County range from Glenwood Springs’ highly-active couples and singles of the “100 Club,” to the more laid back hiking ladies of the “Wednesday Wanderers.” Eighteen years ago, Rochester, New York transplants Ray and Shirley Limoges arrived in Glenwood Springs for a family visit and a little skiing. “My brother said there’s something called the ’100 Club’ here,” Ray Limoges said of the summer hiking and winter skiing group that caters to couples whose ages add up to 100 or more, as well as older singles who’ve maybe lost their spouse or are no longer married. “So on Monday, I went to the chamber and asked the lady if she knew anything about it,” Limoges said. “She said, ‘I know they ski up on Sunlight on Wednesdays.’ So, Shirley and I went up on that very Wednesday. And we still do that — after almost 25 years.” Study after study shows active seniors live longer, and the counties of western Colorado have among the highest life expectancy rates in the United States. But an aging population also brings many challenges for rural mountain communities when it comes to catering to health-care needs, creating and providing access to senior services, coming up with affordable housing options for seniors, and keeping up with the demand for in-home caregivers and nursing care when the time comes. Then there’s the cost-of-living reality in Garfield County and neighboring mountain areas that can make it hard to make ends meet on a fixed income, requiring many seniors to work into their 70s or move to places where it’s more affordable to stay retired. BOOMING POPULATION Colorado’s senior population is expected to grow at an unprecedented rate by 2030, according to state officials. Aging experts and government officials nationwide are experiencing a similar trend with scores of baby boomers turning 65 on a daily basis. Several organizations in Colorado and locally are working to prepare for this seismic shift, which officials say will ultimately affect the state’s economy, health-care system, transportation systems, and the housing market. Organizations including the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) say municipalities must brainstorm ways to promote “livable communities.” These neighborhoods are safe and secure, offer affordable housing, transportation, health care, and other services for seniors, regardless of age, income, physical ability and race. The Strategic Action Planning Group on Aging (SAPGA), based in Denver, advises that each of Colorado’s counties develop a strategic action plan to help with this widespread demographic shift. Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper hired a senior adviser on aging in January, to focus solely on planning for an aging population. In a 2016 report, SAPGA’s board members recommended communities rethink policies and regulations that would affect sidewalks, parks, shopping areas, and transportation systems. The need for informal caregivers will become more prevalent and districts may consider building additional independent living communities, nursing homes and assisted living facilities, officials say. “Now we live 20 to 40 years longer after we retire,” said Karen Brown, chair of SAPGA. “It requires more planning on where you’re going to live, how you’re going to save, and how will you manage if you become disabled.” According to the National Institute on Retirement Security, 45 percent of households have no retirement savings at all. Half of those households are headed by a person aged 45 to 65, and the site says by that time, a person may have too few years to catch up. “As people age, their medical needs change,” said Dr. Jules Rosen, chief medical officer of Mind Springs Health, which is based in part in Glenwood Springs and has facilities throughout a multi-county region. Cognitive changes are expected, but it’s hard to know what kind of decline is natural for an elderly person and how much is due to other factors like living at high altitude, medical conditions, and possible head traumas, he said. “I think the thing that we see most is we start seeing patients with more chronic conditions or we call it comorbidity, so multiple chronic conditions,” said Sandy Hurley, chief nursing officer at Valley View Hospital in Glenwood Springs. CHALLENGES AHEAD Hurley and other staff are preparing for Garfield County’s senior population, those age 65 and older, to increase from about 6,500 currently to around 14,000 people by 2030, according to the state demographer’s office. Hurley says she’s noticed many older adults have trouble with chronic health issues, transportation, understanding medications, and scheduling appointments when they use the hospital’s services. Hospital staff recently expanded by incorporating social workers and care coordinators, who help with the aforementioned tasks, she said. Zona Hays, 84, of Glenwood Springs, says she walks to many of her destinations. It keeps her active, but it can be inconvenient at times, she said. “It’s important to me, because it’s the only way I can get around,” she said. “If I’m riding the city bus I can’t go anywhere in the evening because the bus stops running at 7:30 and I can’t get home after,” she added. Judy Martin, manager of senior programs in Garfield County, said night transportation and income levels remain a major concern for the elderly using her services. She oversees various programs, including a fall prevention course, exercise classes, lunch programs, and more. “We could use more resources but the reality is where do those resources come from,” she asked. “Most people are asking for more hours of service.” Most of Garfield County’s senior services are free or low cost, but 53 percent of the seniors who used services last fiscal year received an annual income of less than $14,000 a year, Martin said. “Often, by the fifth of the month they don’t have any money left,” Martin added. The Area Agency on Aging conducted an elder research survey on July 31 of this year, Martin said. She and other county officials are waiting on the results. The findings will be discussed at the next Garfield County Council on Aging meeting, and Martin says she will use the data to gauge what services are needed most and which can be cut. Garfield County does not currently have a strategic action plan to address elder population growth, but Martin says the aforementioned survey will help her and others plan. “Some regions are doing better than others,” said Elizabeth Garner, Colorado state demographer. “A person aging anywhere in the state probably looks at the same things, it’s just that the scale and scope may be different,” depending on the county, she said. The Area Agency on Aging for Northwest Colorado conducted a community assessment survey for older adults this year and the data suggests most of Garfield County’s seniors are content and plan to remain in their communities. Transportation, cost of living, health care, and affordable housing remain an issue, according to the data. “I feel optimistic that we will, that we are making gradual changes,” Brown, the SAPGA chair, said. “If we give it a little more thought, it will be better for ourselves, for our children, for society as a whole,” she added. The senior population also helps power the state’s economic engine. Coloradans aged 50 plus accounted for 45 percent of the state’s GDP in 2013, and supported 48 percent of the state’s jobs, according to the group. Seniors in Colorado have lower rates of obesity and are more physically active, according to SAPGA, and the state’s demographer says in many mountain communities, the aging population is wealthier. SAPGA’s board members maintain Colorado should capitalize on these trends and improve opportunities for seniors in the state. ___ Information from: Post Independent, http://www.postindependent.com/

A:
Senior citizen wave coming to Garfield County.
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