Toxic by the Tons
With TXI Leading the Way, Midlothian Once
Again Wins Title of Most Polluted City in North Texas
Toxic Releases By City in 2000
Midlothian: 1403 tons or 2,806,176 pounds
Dallas: 424 tons or 847,871 pounds
Ft. Worth: 287 tons or 574,614 pounds
Richardson:.3 tons or 755 pounds
You might have missed the announcement in early July that the municipal
powers-that-be in Midlothian, Red Oak, Waxahachie and Ennis were forming
their own marketing coalition to tout Ellis County for “development,
industrial users and retailers.”
At last report, the group was still looking for a name and theme. Our
humble suggestion: “ The Prevailing Wind Cities Welcome You to Ellis County,
The Houston Ship Channel of DFW.”
For the umpteenth year in a row, the federal government recently reported
that Ellis County and Midlothian were, by far, home to more toxic chemical
releases in 2000 than any other single county or city in the 12 county north
Texas census grouping known as a Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area
(Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Henderson, Hood, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman,
Rockwall, Parker, Tarrant).
And again for the umpteenth year, the Midlothian Industrial Complex -
TXI, Holcim and North Texas cement plants plus Chaparral Steel - are the
primary culprits, TXI accounting for the majority of releases.
Called the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI), the report is based on annual
self-estimates by facilities of how much of what the EPA deems “toxic”
chemicals (as opposed to just plain hazardous, poisonous or flammable
chemicals) they emitted into the land, air or water around us. There’s
usually a year and a half lag time between industry reporting to EPA and EPA
making it public.
Some cocktail party factoids from the 2000 TRI:
* The toxic releases from TXI’s one plant in Midlothian totaled more than
all toxic releases by all sources in either Dallas or Tarrant Counties.
* Between TXI, Chaparral and Holcim, Midlothian saw combined annual
Mercury releases larger (1397 pounds) than all but one Texas power plant.
* TXI admits to dumping over a million pounds of lead into its on-site
landfill (which does not have a liner), in the last two years.
* For the sixth year in a row, Chaparral released more toxic air
pollution through unplanned “fugitive” emissions –30,000 pounds - than
through permitted stack emissions – 7,760 pounds. During the last six years
fugitive emissions have outnumbered stack emissions at Chaparral 4 to 1.
* The three cement plants reported a total of 1.6 grams of dioxin
released in the first year reporting for the chemical was required. That
amount is capable of giving thousands cancer.
* For the first time since the TRI began in 1987, the Holcim (formally
Holnam) cement plant actually submitted a report. Does any Downwinder really
believe that 2000 was the first year the plant actually produced toxins
required to be reported? Not a chance.
In total, Ellis County toxic releases in 2000 were 3, 580, 310 pounds -
2,276,256 in air emissions, 1,303,712 in land disposal and 341 in water.
That’s the highest it’s been since 1988 and it’s more than a million pounds
higher than the total in 1999.
TXI accounted for two-thirds of Ellis County’s total.
From 1987, when TRI began, to 2000, industries in Ellis County have
reported a total of 34,145,871 pounds of toxic releases. 12,332,742 pounds
of that total was toxic air emissions alone, most since 1996.
These figures do not reflect the fact that Ellis County and Midlothian
also lead DFW by a wide margin in air emissions of “conventional” pollutants
such as Particulate Matter, Sulfur Dioxide, Carbon Monoxide and Nitrogen
Oxides. Although not officially classified as “toxic”, their effects can be
the same.
Lest any of you living in the rest of DFW forget, all this pollution from
Midlothian blows north into your lungs most of the year.
North Texas Cement
Air Emissions
Sulfuric Acid 96,922 pounds
Manganese 303 pounds
Chromium 165 pounds
Mercury 33 pounds
On-Site Landfilled Wastes
Manganese 280,246 pounds
Chromium 6,092 pounds
Holcim/Holnam
Air Emissions
Sulfuric acid 58,605 pounds
Toluene 34,581 pounds
Chromium 1 pound
On-Site Landfillled Wastes
Zinc 4,412 pounds
Chaparral Steel
Air Emissions
Zinc 27,418 pounds
Manganese 5,030 pounds
Lead 3,923 pounds
Mercury 741 pounds
Copper 361 pounds
Chromium 156 pounds
Nickel 77 pounds
Water Releases
Zinc 277 pounds
Chromium 23 pounds
Copper 40 pounds
Mercury 1 pound
Off-site Disposal
Zinc 8,678,232 pounds
Manganese 668,947 pounds
Lead 596,628 pounds
Copper 104,862 pounds
Chromium 94,014 pounds
Nickel 7,955 pounds
Mercury 163 pounds |
