Chemical plants across the country will need to slash the amount of toxic air pollution they release under a rule finalized Tuesday by the Environmental Protection Agency.
A local resident looks from a vehicle window at a refinery in Lake Charles, La., on Oct. 1, 2023. The rule, the first update to national standards in nearly two decades, aims to prevent cancer in low-income and minority communities that are disproportionately located near chemical plants.
The regulation specifically targets ethylene oxide, which is used to sterilize medical devices, and chloroprene, which is used to make rubber. Long-term exposure to these two chemicals can increase the risk of certain types of cancer, including lymphoma, leukemia, breast cancer and liver cancer.
The final regulation, Regan added, will “slash pollution, reduce cancer risks and ensure cleaner air for communities across the country.”The rule will reduce more than 6,200 tons of toxic air pollution each year, according to the EPA. Once fully implemented, it will curb both ethylene oxide and chloroprene emissions from covered facilities by nearly 80 percent, the agency said.
The limits will apply to roughly 200 chemical plants that make synthetic organic chemicals, polymers and resins. They will target a facility owned by Denka Performance Elastomer, a synthetics maker in Laplace, La. Air monitors near the facility have shown chloroprene concentrations reaching up to 15 times the level that EPA considers safe for a lifetime of exposure, according to the agency.
The EPA last year sued Denka in an effort to force the company to curb these emissions. The company said at the time that concentrations of the chemical did not pose a public health emergency, and that they had declined significantly since 2015.Capitals stalwarts T.J. Oshie, John Carlson share more than an NHL legacy
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