ATLANTA, GEORGIA – Exposure to dangerous toxic pollution from
industrial facilities threatens communities in Georgia and across the country,
according to a new report released today by Environment Georgia.
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 Georgia.
In 2004, Georgia
ranked 6th for total air and water releases of toxic pollution known to cause
cancer. The largest sources of this
pollution came from the Great Southern Paper Company in Cedar Springs, which
released more than 184,000 pounds of Carcinogens to the air and water and Rayonier
Performance Fibers in Jesup, which released 167,414 pounds of Carcinogens. Seven other companies located around the
state released more than 100,000 pounds of carcinogens each. The companies that release the highest amount
of carcinogens are primarily paper mills and manufacturers.
In the same year, Georgia
ranked 3rd for total air and water releases of suspected
Neurotoxicants, falling behind only Texas and Tennessee. The largest sources of this pollution came
from Pcs Nitrogen Fertilizer, LP in Augusta, which released more than 3,800,000
pounds of suspected Neurotoxicants. Nine
other companies located around the state released more than 1,000,000 pounds of
suspected Neurotoxicants each. Coal power
plants, paper mills, and manufacturers are among the biggest polluters in this
category.
Lastly, Georgia
ranked 6th in air releases of suspected Respiratory Toxicants in
2004, with over 86,000,000 pounds released overall. The largest source was the Bowen Steam-Electric Generating Plant in Cartersville, which released over 15,000,000
pounds of suspected Respiratory Toxicants to the air. 16 other companies around the state released
more than 1,000,000 pounds of suspected Respiratory Toxicants each. Power plants release the most suspected
Respiratory Toxicants, but paper mills also rank high on the list of polluters
in the category.
“This report confirms that communities across Georgia
are routinely put at risk by toxic pollution linked to serious health impacts,”
said Jennette Gayer, Policy Advocate with Environment Georgia. “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 Gayer. “Unfortunately,
EPA’s attack on the public’s right-to-know means that Georgia communities
will be left in the dark about toxic pollution.”
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Environment Georgia is a statewide non-profit, non-partisan
environmental group that works to protect Georgia’s air, water and green
spaces. To view a full copy of the report, please visit Environment Georgia’s
website at www.EnvironmentGeorgia.org.
