A longtime Jefferson Hills environmental activist has told officials in neighboring Pleasant Hills that they should have health concerns about the on-going work there to shore up properties affected by mine subsidence.

Lisa Marcucci is president of the Jefferson Action Group and has successfully campaigned against the dumping of fly ash and other coal combustion waste materials in her community.

During a meeting last week, she urged Pleasant Hills to adopt the newly released standards of the National Academy of Science about the use of fly ash in mine reclamation efforts. She urged the borough to incorporate the study in planning future projects.

A NAS report released March 1 said that fly ash contains arsenic and other toxins, which can contaminate surface waters and pose human and ecological concerns, and raised questions about its continued use in reclamation or stabilization efforts.

In Pleasant Hills, as part of the $1 million remediation effort by the U.S. Office of Surface Mining, fly ash in being added to a cement mixture and is being pumped into holes drilled into mines, where recent subsidence affected properties along Old Clairton Road and on Toura and Tel-Star drives, to stabilize the area.

Ms. Marcuuci urged council to consult with independent health experts as well as hydroengineers to assure that public health will be protected.

"The decision you make today will affect future generations," Ms. Marcuuci said. "The responsibility to protect people lies with state and local officials."

Council President Theresa Fowler said that at least a half dozen agencies are working on the borough's subsidence problem.

Borough Engineer Andy Banfield, who said that he had not seen the NAS study, also said that the borough has required contractors to truck the cement and fly mixture into the borough instead of mixing it in an open site.

"There is no above ground exposure," Mr. Banfield said.

Solicitor Fred Jug said the borough has a very limited role in the ongoing remediation effort and that the state will be notified about Ms. Marcucci's concerns.