DENVER—Exposure
to dangerous toxic pollution from industrial facilities threatens
communities in Colorado and across the country, according to a new
report released today by Colorado Public Interest Research Group
(CoPIRG).
The report, Toxic Pollution and Health,
uses information from the federal Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) to
analyze toxic pollution linked to serious health problems such as
cancer, birth defects or neurological damage. Due to a recent EPA
action restricting the public’s right-to-know, today’s report may
provide one of the last complete pictures of toxic pollution in
Colorado.
In 2004, Colorado
ranked 13 th for total land releases of recognized carcinogens,
developmental toxicants, and reproductive toxicants in the nation. The
largest source of this pollution came from Climax Molybdenum’s
Henderson Mill in Parshall, Colorado ( Grand County). The total
emissions of 3,204,045 pounds consisted of chromium, lead compounds and
nickel. Chromium is a recognized carcinogen and a suspected respiratory
toxicant. Lead compounds are recognized carcinogens and developmental
and reproductive toxicants. Nickel is a recognized carcinogen and a
suspected neurological and respiratory toxicant.
The
second leading facility is CC & V Gold Mine located in Victor,
Colorado ( Teller County) with 2,938,622 pounds in land releases. The
land releases at that facility consisted of: ammonia (a suspected
neurological and respiratory toxicant), arsenic compounds (recognized
carcinogens and developmental toxicants), cyanide compounds (suspected
neurological and respiratory toxicants), hydrogen cyanide (a suspected
neurological and respiratory toxicant), lead compounds (recognized
carcinogens and developmental and reproductive toxicants), manganese
compounds (suspected neurological and respiratory toxicants), and
mercury compounds (a recognized developmental toxicant).
“This
report confirms that communities across Colorado are routinely put at
risk by toxic pollution linked to serious health impacts,” said Kirpal
Singh, Staff Attorney for CoPIRG. “These toxic pollutants are the worst
of the worst and pose tangible threats to public health that must be
addressed.”
The
federal Toxic Release Inventory is a public right-to-know program that
requires industrial facilities to publicly disclose their toxic
releases. In 2004, EPA reported that the TRI has helped to reduce toxic
pollution by 57% nationwide since its inception in 1988. Despite this
success, the EPA recently weakened the program by authorizing
industrial facilities to withhold previously reported pollution
information.
“To
address the potential health threats from toxic pollution, we need full
information about what toxics are being released, where, and in what
amounts,” said Mr. Singh. “Unfortunately, EPA’s attack on the public’s
right-to-know means that Colorado communities will be left in the dark
about toxic pollution.”
Representatives
Pallone (D-NJ) and Solis (D-CA) and Senators Lautenberg (D-NJ) and
Boxer (D-CA) recently challenged EPA’s rollbacks by introducing the
Toxic Right-to-Know Protection Act (H.R. 1055 and S. 595). This
legislation would reverse the rollbacks to restore the lost data and
ensure that communities have full and complete access to toxic
pollution information.
“We call on Colorado’s Congressional Delegation, specifically
Congressmen Mark Udall and Doug Lamborn, whose districts these sites
are found, to support the public’s right to know and protect
communities by cosponsoring this legislation.”
