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From Tonawanda, N.Y. to Hayden, Ariz., hundreds of U.S. communities are still exposed to pollutants, which can cause cancer, birth defects and other health issues — more than 20 years after passage of the Clean Air Act.
Catch up on the entire Poisoned Places series , use an interactive map to find toxic polluters in your area or read more about the reporting process behind the investigation.
726 complaints
Regarding ‘carbon black,’ a fine, carbon-based dust and possible carcinogen, from the residents of Ponca City, Okla., over an eighteen-year period. Most complaints were closed after inspectors couldn’t physically see carbon black coming out of a plant.
2,000 acres
Size of the tailings, or mining waste, pile from a copper smelter in Hayden, Ariz. Huge dust clouds from the ore pile, which spans more than 3 sq. miles, have at times obscured visibility for the town’s residents.
464 facilities
High-pollution plants the EPA placed on their internal ‘watch list,’ which includes serious or chronic violators of the Clean Air Act.
3,000 ˚F
Heat necessary to incinerate the hazardous waste of the Ash Grove Cement Company, a plant in Chanute, Kan., whose cement kiln falls into a loophole of EPA’s air pollution standards, and emits hundreds of pounds of mercury into the air.
270 days
The minimum delay between the discovery of a Clean Air Act violation, and inclusion on EPA’s ‘watch list.’
20 %
Percentage of reported leads of hazardous air pollution the EPA actually investigates — from there, roughly one-third of those leads result in criminal charges.
74 %
Percentage of increased birth defects in the three counties surrounding ‘Refinery Row,’ in Corpus Christi, Texas, as compared to the rest of the state.
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