[Vision2020] Toxic releases rose 16 percent in 2010, EPA says

[Art Deco]

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   Toxic releases rose 16 percent in 2010, EPA says By Juliet
Eilperin<http://www.washingtonpost.com/juliet-eilperin/2011/03/02/ABZpz6M_page.html>,
Published: January 5

The amount of toxic
chemicals<http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/epa-finalizes-tough-new-rules-on-emissions-by-power-plants/2011/12/16/gIQAc2WTzO_story.html>released
into the environment nationwide in 2010 increased 16 percent over
the year before, reversing a downward trend in overall toxic releases since
2006, according to a report released Thursday by the Environmental
Protection Agency<http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/environmental-protection-agency-issues-new-regulation-on-mercury/2011/12/21/gIQACNyOAP_story.html>
.

The spike was driven largely by metal mining, but other sectors — including
the chemical industry — also contributed to the rise in emissions,
according to the new analysis from the annual federal Toxics Release
Inventory.

Air releases of dioxin, which is linked to cancer as well as neurological
and reproductive problems, rose 10 percent from 2009 to 2010, according to
the report. Other releases, such as landfill disposal, increased 18 percent.

Dioxins are formed as a byproduct of some processes with intense heat, such
as smelting and recycling metals. The 2010 increase stemmed largely from
the hazardous-waste-management and mining industries, according to the EPA.

In a statement Thursday, EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson did not address
the specific sources of emissions but said that the public reporting “has
played a significant role in protecting people’s health and the environment
by providing communities with valuable information on toxic chemical
releases.”

According to EPA officials, a handful of metal mining operations helped
drive the overall increase in toxic emissions.

“In this sector, even a small change in the chemical composition of the ore
being mined — which EPA understands is one of the reasons for the increase
in total reported releases — may lead to big changes in the amount of toxic
chemicals reported nationally,” the statement read.

Some environmentalists said the new data show why the EPA should swiftly
move to release a long-anticipated environmental assessment of dioxin, the
first installment of which the agency plans to issue this month. EPA
officials say they will issue a report addressing dioxin’s non-cancerous
effects first and then later release a cancer-related report.

Some industry groups, including the American Chemistry Council, have urged
the EPA to hold off issuing the report in what the trade association’s
president and chief executive, Cal
Dooley<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/govt/leadership/stories/gephardt111798.htm>,
has called “a piecemeal fashion.” Chemical manufacturers accounted for
nearly 64 percent of total disposal of dioxins in 2010, though they
reported a 7 percent decrease from 2009 to 2010.

In a letter<http://www.americanchemistry.com/Policy/Regulatory-Reform/Cal-Dooley-Letter-to-Administrator-Jackson-Fix-Dioxin-Reassessment.pdf>dated
Dec. 20, Dooley wrote Jackson that “it is worth noting that the
Agency’s efforts to manage dioxin emissions have been successful. Indeed,
as a result of both regulatory and voluntary initiatives, U.S. dioxin
emissions from man-made sources have dramatically declined and
environmental levels of dioxin have plummeted.”

ACC spokeswoman Anne Kolton noted in an e-mail: “U.S. emissions of dioxin
have declined more than 92 percent since 1987 [through 2009] to the point
where backyard trash burning is the primary source of dioxin emissions.”

Mike Schade — a campaign coordinator for the Center for Health, Environment
and Justice — said the fact that emissions are now on the upswing makes it
important for the EPA to release a report it started working on in 1985.

“Communities across America have been exposed to dioxin for decades as EPA
has continued to work on this study. Every American has measurable levels
of dioxin in their body,” Schade said in an interview, noting that most
humans are exposed by eating meat or dairy products from animals that have
accumulated the chemical in their bodies. “It’s critically important for
EPA to finalize this study so the EPA can protect Americans from this toxic
chemical.”

* *

© The Washington Post Company


-- 
Art Deco (Wayne A. Fox)
art.deco.studios at gmail.com
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