Poisoned Places: By the numbers

by Sarah Whitmire November 25, 2011June 26, 2023

By the numbers

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.

Tagged: Content ok, Legacy, Title ok

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Poisoned Places: By the numbers

by Sarah Whitmire, Center for Public Integrity
November 25, 2011

					<h1>Poisoned Places: By the numbers</h1>
<p class="byline">by Sarah Whitmire, Center for Public Integrity <br />November 25, 2011</p>
					
<p>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.</p>
<p>Catch up on the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120204034251/http://www.iwatchnews.org/environment/pollution/poisoned-places">entire Poisoned Places series</a>, use an <a href="http://www.iwatchnews.org/2011/11/07/7277/interactive-whats-your-potential-risk-air-pollution">interactive map</a> to find toxic polluters in your area or read more <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120206110313/http://www.iwatchnews.org/2011/11/03/7280/epas-internal-clear-air-act-watch-list">about the reporting process</a> behind the investigation.</p>
<aside class="relation packaged">
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<hgroup>
<h2><a href="/2011/11/25/7487/numbers" target="_self" title="By the numbers" rel="noopener">By the numbers</a></h2>
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<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="PP_table" width="auto">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
<h2>726 <span style="font-size:18px">complaints</span></h2>
</td>
<td>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 <a href="http://www.iwatchnews.org/2011/11/07/7297/community-coated-black-mist-until-citizens-fought-back">couldn’t physically see</a> carbon black coming out of a plant. </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<h2>2,000 <span style="font-size:18px">acres</span></h2>
</td>
<td>Size of the tailings, or mining waste, pile from a <a href="http://www.iwatchnews.org/2011/11/17/7430/smelter-town-decades-dirty-air-disease-and-bureaucratic-dawdling">copper smelter</a> 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. </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<h2>464 <span style="font-size:18px">facilities</span></h2>
</td>
<td>High-pollution plants the EPA placed on their internal ‘watch list,’ which <a href="http://www.iwatchnews.org/2011/11/03/7280/epas-internal-clear-air-act-watch-list">includes serious or chronic violators</a> of the Clean Air Act. </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<h2>3,000 <span style="font-size:20px">˚F</span></h2>
</td>
<td>Heat necessary to incinerate the hazardous waste of the Ash Grove Cement Company, a plant in Chanute, Kan., whose cement kiln <a href="http://www.iwatchnews.org/2011/11/10/7338/town-divided-over-major-employers-permission-pollute-air">falls into a loophole</a> of EPA’s air pollution standards, and emits hundreds of pounds of mercury into the air. </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<h2>270 <span style="font-size:18px">days</span></h2>
</td>
<td>The minimum delay between the discovery of a Clean Air Act violation, and <a href="http://www.iwatchnews.org/2011/11/22/7481/impact-epa-posts-secret-watch-list-includes-chronic-polluters">inclusion on EPA’s ‘watch list.’</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<h2>20 <span style="font-size:18px">%</span></h2>
</td>
<td>Percentage of reported leads of hazardous air pollution the EPA actually investigates — from there, roughly one-third of those leads <a href="http://www.iwatchnews.org/2011/11/09/7337/few-criminal-cases-target-big-air-polluters">result in criminal charges.</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<h2>74 <span style="font-size:18px">%</span></h2>
</td>
<td>Percentage of <a href="http://www.iwatchnews.org/2011/11/07/7267/many-americans-left-behind-quest-cleaner-air
">increased birth defects</a> in the three counties surrounding ‘Refinery Row,’ in Corpus Christi, Texas, as compared to the rest of the state. </td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</section>
</div>
</aside>

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