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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. David Levdansky |
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Levdansky: Health Department should further investigate chemical permit
ELIZABETH, May 2 – Thursday’s naming of Pittsburgh as the sootiest city in the nation by the American Lung Association coincided with state Rep. David Levdansky’s call for the Allegheny County Health Department to further investigate potential environmental and health ramifications associated with proposed changes at Eastman Chemical.
The West Elizabeth company recently filed for a permit, now under county review, to expand capacity and release at least 32 additional tons of additional volatile organic compounds into the air.
"I appreciate the needs of businesses like Eastman Chemical to expand and grow, but it must be accomplished in an environmentally sound manner," said Levdansky, D-Allegheny/Washington. "This expansion could further degrade the air quality of the Mon Valley and that alarms me greatly. The Allegheny County Health Department must do everything within its power to reduce the impact of further emissions on the residents of our valley."
Levdansky said the county relied on data from the company’s impact analysis in the draft permit and said the department should conduct its own analysis to ensure accuracy.
He added that the company’s permit fails to list the specific compounds and pollutants, and the amounts of each, that would be released under the permit.
"Certainly some of these compounds and pollutants are more harmful than others, and that’s why the county should investigate further," Levdansky said. "I understand the company may believe that listing these toxins may be proprietary, but once they are in our air, the ‘trade secret’ is no longer a secret. Once we breathe in these toxins, it becomes our right to know."
Levdansky added that the emissions calculation in the company’s permit request assumes the new unit will replace an old unit; however, there is no guarantee that both units will not be operating simultaneously, which would lead to increased emissions. He said the matter should be clarified so that either the old unit will shut down immediately upon startup of the new unit, or new emissions figures should be determined to take into account the impact of both units operating concurrently.
"The Mon Valley’s air quality has been compromised for many years," Levdansky said. "With the technology available today, we are making inroads to clean up our air. I cannot support any effort to increase emissions of volatile organic compounds and hazardous air pollutants unless I am convinced they will not further exacerbate the problems with air quality already affecting residents of the Mon Valley."
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