To be able to look at the distribution of air pollution from factories and incinerators and its effect on human populations, we must understand the justice of air pollution and how it is a multifaceted topic that can change over time. There has to be a party that is being adversely affected by air pollution. They have to be in a position where, do to various social, and economic issues, are being pushed into being adversely effected. There also needs to be a responsibility by the polluters for air pollution. Air quality makes for and interesting issue of environmental justice. Clean air is necessary for healthy living. As a justice issue, it must be observed in a multidimensional fashion. This is so that it may be understood from the view of those being effected from air pollution, if it is by choice or not. Air pollution is very complex topic you have to look at the distribution of pollution, and the vulnerability and responsibility of people are very important for analyzing air pollution. Different communities may be affected differently than others, and they may have different levels of choice to be in a place that may have pollution or not. It is also necessary that we look at the economy surrounding a polluter, as well as the local and national politics that make up the landscapes surrounding air polluters. Pollution is driven by economics and politics, and it is critical to include those in our multi dimensional analysis of air pollution in northern Utah.
For decade's, areas of northern Utah have been exposed to air pollution. The west desert has long been unfairly deemed as a wasteland with little economic value. Do to this fact; it has been exploited as one of the great-polluted areas of our country. From the weapons testing, hazardous dump, toxic waste dump, and various factories the create high amounts air pollution, the land and people living off it and around it were never given fair chance against polluters in the past, and now it is full of air polluters; All because its initial economic value was set so low. The Salt Lake Valley is home to some of the nation's worst air. This is because a number of pollutants are being released into the air, and then a climate cycle traps the air between the Wasatch and Oquirrh mountain ranges. Pollutions come from a variety of sources, including cars, wood burning, factories, refineries, and incinerators. The dangerous pollutants come from factories and incinerators. Each of these can release toxins such is dioxins/furans, heavy metals like mercury and lead, and HCl. In the case of the military operations in the area of Tooele, for more than a decade, almost half of the government's chemical weapons were incinerated, including the nerve agents' sarin and mustard gas. The EPA has even designated us with our own superfund sites, one of which is at U.S. Magnesium's plant, where for decades dangerous levels of toxins were released into the air and surrounding ground area. We even have a medical incinerator in North Salt Lake, which has the potential to release dangerous levels of pollutants into the air, which can then find themselves into the surrounding land and water table. Each one of these has a different effect on our air, some of which are worse than others, and some of which have to potential to be devastating.
Focusing in on factories and incinerators, we want to look for the effect of pollution on surrounding human populations. Are those people, predominantly poor? Are they of a certain race? Also, it is imperative to look at the economic benefits, and the politics surrounding each case. Economically speaking, what benefits are there from these polluters, is it good for the local economy? What does the political landscape look like surrounding these polluters?
75 miles west of Salt Lake City lay the Dugway Proving Grounds, a military base for test and decommissioning of chemical and biological weapons. It sits on an area of roughly 800,000 acres about the size of Rhode Island. For decade's, the government has used the desolate wastes of Utah's high desert to experiment with the effects of nerve agents. It is the epicenter of a larger area zoned for chemical weapons incineration, a low level radioactive was dump, and hazardous waste dump. The whole region is being heavily polluted with radiation and heavy metals. In the 1960s they experienced a nerve agent released on a heard of nearby sheep, which killed 6000 in a few days. The Sarin hydrolysis's and finds it way into the moisture in the air. When there is enough precipitation, the Sarin becomes trapped in the rain or snow. This was just one of many open-air biological and chemical weapons tests preformed by the U.S. government in our own back yard. Fortunately the use of chemical weapons has been deemed a war crime and been denounced by most of the world powers. This left us with massive stock pills of various nerve agents to dispose of. In was here that 44% of our nations chemical weapons stock was incinerated. Tooele Chemical Agent Disposal Facility was the location of this work. Where tons of nerve gases were incinerated, luckily there were no major releases of gas into the atmosphere do to extremely complex safety measures that trapped the gas in salts after it was burned, which were transported elsewhere to be disposed of. Politically, the local government supported the destruction of the nerve agents; many of the old weapons casings were beginning to leak with posed a threat to local populations in Tooele. The amount of time and research that went into building a massive, automated, state of the art incineration plant cost over a billion dollars. Bringing massive revenue for the local community, and also provided permanent jobs for over a decade while the chemicals were being destroyed. Because this was such a highly regulated operation, the danger towards local populations remained low, and dropped the longer the plant was in operation. That combined with the fact that it was an economically profitable industry for the area, there was no reason for it to stop or move anywhere else. The potential risk may have been low in terms of odds of occurrence, but extremely high in terms of devastation to the human population. AS seen by the effect that the nerve Agent Sarin had on the heard of sheep. Never the less within the area of Dugway the Army has identified nearly 200 sites where toxic materials were released into the environment during WWII and the Cold War. These hazardous waste sites threaten air, land, and groundwater resources. (Davis, 2007) From 1979 to 2000, the Army spent nearly $85 million on assessing and remediating these sites. Future costs are projected at around $235 million, and restoration is not expected to finish until 2062. (Davis, 2007) That is over a century since they started biological and chemical weapons testing, before they can even think about having it cleaned up. For the decades of rom 1942 through the cold war, the people of Tooele, Skull Valley Indians and those in the Salt Lake Valley were exposed to winds carrying various pollutants, with no record of its effects. The price of war always carries more than a dollar sign. In the greater Tooele area in the 1990s there were abnormally high levels of cancer, multiple sclerosis and other various illnesses. (Davis, 2007) Although people have tried to connect that data to Dugway there isn't enough evidence to make a conclusion, do the classified nature of the base. The potential for elevated diseases such as cancer in an area near a major weapons testing site should be a major cause for concern, even if the dots have not been connected yet. This leads to the possibility of current tests, which could be releasing high-level toxins into the air, and water table, which could be affecting the population of Tooele now. Tell the local government seems content with the job creation from these military institutions above all else, without sufficient data to support the health risks the economic value of Dugway it to great to the community.
U.S. Magnesium also located in the west desert 30 miles from Tooele and 40 from salt lake, and the shore of the Great Salt Lake. It has been producing magnesium since 1972, extracting the material from the brine of the lake, although producing an economically valuable substance it also produces a variety of harmful waste. It is the only magnesium producer in the country and third largest in the world. Since 1989 Renco group, a company that owned by billionaire Ira Rennart, has owned it. Along with owning U.S. Magnesium, the US's largest air polluter, Rennart also owns the Doe Run company which is the five worst polluted areas in the world, which goes unregulated and releases a massive amount of pollution into the water table and the air. Renco group is not afraid to pollute for the sake of profits, as seen by U.S. Magnesium and Doe Run. U.S magnesium releases an immense amount of pollution. Between the years of 2000 and 2011 it released over 119 pounds of dioxins and dioxin-like compounds, 653 pounds of mercury, 1,364 pounds of PCBs (Polychlorinated Biphenyls), 7,275 tons of hexachlorobenzene, and 51,835 tons of chlorine. (Vallette, 2013) These contaminants have both cancerous and non-cancerous health risks to humans and wildlife and have been released into the air, soil, surface water, and groundwater and are largely uncontrolled. (Vallette, 2013) It has been involved in repeated violations of the EPA, the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), which have involved million dollar lawsuits, and since 2008 has been declared a super-fund site by the EPA. Most recently as of 2014, two employees were injured in a pressurized gas explosion, and highly acid water contaminated with Hydrochloric Acid (HCl) was accidently released into BPL land next to the site. There are areas of uncontrolled wastes on the property, which investigations show are threatening the health of workers and the environment. (Vallette, 2013) Dioxin, PCBs and HCB are present at levels potentially posing both cancer and non-cancer (diabetes and immune system) risks to industrial workers throughout the site. Blood testing of workers in 2002 and in 2004 found elevated levels of dioxin and HCB as compared to the general U.S. population. (EPA) A large reason they are considered such bag polluters is because of the chlorine released into the air they dump on average 9 million pounds into the air. This is down more than 90% from what they dumped in the 1980s and 1990s, which was at about 119 million pounds, Accounting for 90% of the countries total emissions. Chlorine gas is not a nice substance to come into contact with, according to the U.S. Health department, "When chlorine enters the body as a result of breathing, swallowing, or skin contact, it reacts with water to produce acids. The acids are corrosive and damage cells in the body on contact." (Markosian, 2014) It is clear that U.S Magnesium is releasing tons of pollution into the atmosphere, so why is it still able to operate, even while it is a superfund site? It all boils down to the economy. As the country's only producer of Magnesium, it is economically beneficial to have a plant within the country. Magnesium is used in many different products, from weapons to cars, and tons of things in between. Or society needs magnesium; it is the third most commonly used structural metal. Getting rid of the country only source of this metal would have an effect across the economic as a whole drive up the prices of many different items. So Utah and its "wasteland" desert is made as a sacrifice, with receiving nothing more the rest of the country but carrying the burden of its pollution.
Stericycle Medical Incinerator is operated with the city limits of North Salt Lake. It accepts waste from all over the intermountain west, and the pacific coast. The waste they are permitted to accept include non-hazardous medical waste, surgical specimens and tissues, infectious waste, pharmaceuticals, just to name a few. In 1999 when the plant opened the area was zoned for industrial purpose, then in 2001 was rezoned for mixed purpose, including residential use. Creating an interesting dynamic from an economic and political viewpoint. Had a neighborhood already been there, Stericycle would have never set up shop so close, but it got lost in the rezoning process. Incineration of medical waste produces a number of potentially hazardous pollutants, and Stericycle is required to comply with all relevant Federal and State regulations regarding air emissions as outlined in their Title V operating permit issued by DAQ. (LaCross, Dietrich, 2014) Currently, Stericycle is required to monitor the emission levels of nine pollutants: cadmium, carbon monoxide (CO), dioxins/furans, hydrogen chloride gas (HCl), lead, mercury, nitrogen oxides (NOx), particulate matter (PM), and sulfur dioxide (SO2). (LaCross, Dietrich, 2014) The release of these pollutants is kept under a close watch and is tested every 3 to 5 years, depending on the chemical. The Stericycle incinerator utilizes several types of air pollution control systems, including a multi-pass dry reactor to control potential emissions of dioxins/furans and mercury by injection of carbon, an electrostatic precipitator to remove particulate matter, and a wet absorber tower using sodium hydroxide to remove acid vapors. (LaCross, Dietrich, 2014)In May of 2013, Stericycle committed multiple violations of release of toxins into the air, including emissions exceeding limits for release of dioxins/furans, NOx on multiple occasions, and HCl, as seen in table 1. They also failed to report such releases and failed to comply with normal operating procedures during DAQ testing (LaCross, Dietrich, 2014); This show a lack of responsibility of the facility when it comes to the health of those living nearby. These chemicals have various effects on humans that come into contact with them, but with the exception of Cadmium, all effects are not reached under the current limits set but the DAQ. Even when the limits are breached, like they were in 2013, there isn't an immediate danger when it comes to people’s health. Cadmium on the other hand can reach debilitating levels under the current limit set by DAQ. There is a current policy that is lowering this limit so it will not be allowed to reach those levels. It was the findings of the EEP that stericycle was not harming peoples health do to air pollution, but was concerned about what may have been absorbed into the ground, as it can stay for a longer period. (LaCross, Dietrich, 2014) Stericycle is currently been approved to move to Tooele, even though they are not releasing dangerous levels of chemicals. This raises an interesting topic of Tooele harboring many of the nation's waste disposal and polluting industries.
In conclusion to this paper, I have found some interesting results that I did not think I would find. Firstly in the case of Stericycle, they were operating within the means of public safety in mind, for the most part, and the current policy outcry for their removal was for the most part, not fitting for their emissions. Nonetheless, the politics do not favor them existing so close to a residential area was not ideal for a company or the city. The local government has taken the public concern into account and is with the people in having the company move to Tooele this of course will have negative economic effects on North Salt Lake but will add to Tooele's economy. This sets up the picture of what Tooele is and is furthermore becoming. The nations dumping grounds for anything that could be considered and danger to public health when being disposed of, with the exception of high level radioactive waste; which in light of researching this paper, I do not think they would mind if it brought in enough revenue. With U.S. Magnesium, Tooele County is home to some of the highest levels of polluters, creating an economic that is building of the weakening back of the environment. With the Dugway proving grounds, Tooele houses one of the nations most experimental biological and chemical weapons testing facilities, which could have the potential of devastation on local health, from the past and possibly in the future.
This brings up the idea of sustainability within this industry. How can we make suck heavily polluting industries sustainable? As of right now we don’t really have sustainable solutions being implemented. For waste incineration of any kind there is going to be a release of pollution into the air. To make a positive impact using incineration we cold start harvesting the energy that is produced and use that as a source of renewable energy. Yes the energy would be dirty but with it is already going to be produced, why not harness the waste energy to lower the amount of energy being harvested elsewhere. Of course in the big picture of things incineration is not a viable and sustainable solution to waste disposal. According to the Global Anti-Incinerator Alliance (GAIA), three to four times more energy is saved by recycling the same materials as burned. (Connett) Incineration is in the short term saves us energy but in the long term is devastation to the environment. The best solution is always to recycle as much as we can, obviously for the destruction of chemical weapons that is not an option. To reach a sustainable solution to incineration we much find new ways to recycle our waste, without that we will continue down a destructive path.
As for the case of U.S. Magnesium, sustainability might be out of the picture. For a mining industry that creates such a large amount of pollution with out having another positive byproduct, it is hard to imagine a sustainable solution with out implementing new extraction techniques that are easier on the environment. For this to happen on its own, it would take a more efficient and profitable process. This is always the driving force for innovation and can bring change to this industry with the help of a political hand.
Politically our state is torn on the idea of carrying the weight of pollution. In Tooele, it is expected and even welcomed, and they are the ones who have the highest risks od being affected by it because they are the nearest. In Salt Lake, the people would pretty much be happy to see it all gone from our state. One can conclude that local economies greatly influence these differences of opinions in these two areas. Those who have the most injustice welcome it, and choose to support it. This brings up the idea that air pollution as a justice issue has high complexity. Those most affected are not always trapped but sometimes choose, and those least affected are more concerned, not for those who are greatly affected, but more some for themselves.