Mary Johnson
"We need to have interested people who will research, report, and spread the word to the common people and leaders. We need to call attention to issues, otherwise we have a very limited future."
expertise
Nursing
region
Dayton area
She got involved when the U.S. Army wanted to disassemble chemical weapons at Perma-Fix, a waste treatment plant in Drexel, Ohio. This would have involved using an unproven process to break down hydrolysate, a hazardous by-product of deadly VX nerve agent. The treated hydrolysate would then be dumped into a sewer system that travels into waterways such as the Ohio River. The chemical warfare agent VX, if one is exposed to it, results in sustained muscle contractions and causes death by asphyxiation. It can kill a person with as little as one drop.
Mary joined forces with different pockets of activists to form Citizens for the Responsible Destruction of Chemical Weapons, which she says created a "spontaneous combustion" of people supporting the fight against Perma-Fix. One of her proudest moments was preventing PermaFix from bringing VX hydrolysate to Jefferson Township for further processing, which Mary's group acheived in nine quick months. She believes the reason they won is that it was a serious problem that struck a chord with the community.
Mary is also active in the fight against the food additive Aspartame. With an advanced education is nursing, Mary has noticed a rise in Alzheimer's disease, memory loss, hyperactivity, and nerve damage, which she believes is partially caused by the consumption of Aspartame. She highly supports more research on the chemical.
Mary is very thankful for Ohio Citizen Action. She says, "We need to have interested people who will research, report, and spread the word to the common people and leaders. We need to call attention to issues, otherwise we have a very limited future." With four children and seven grandchildren of her own, Mary has always been very concerned about health issues, and believes that "Healthy people build healthy communities and societies."
Citizens for the Responsible Destruction of Chemical Weapons celebrate their victory.