Friday, March 05, 1999
Big companies spew few toxic wastes, chamber says
Many are being recycled or otherwise disposed of
BY BEN L. KAUFMAN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Few toxic wastes generated by major Hamilton County companies are released into the environment, according to an analysis to be released today by the Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce.
The chamber examined 1997 data reported by about 100 major firms to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its annual toxic-release inventory.
The analysis showed that 5 percent of the listed chemicals were released into the air in 1997, but none was released into water or disposed of on industrial-facility land.
Of the other 95 percent, the chamber said, 30 percent of toxic wastes were recycled, 27 percent were treated on-site, 24 percent were sent to the Metropolitan Sewer District under discharge permits, and 12 percent were burned for energy recovery. Other treatment and disposal accounted for the rest.
Total releases to air, land and water have declined for a decade, in part because of conservation efforts, production changes, and because the EPA has removed some chemicals from the annual reporting requirement.
In 1997, the toxic-release inventory covered 37.6 million pounds of chemicals. That figure includes 82 chemicals.
Other firms emit the same chemicals but fall below the reporting threshold of 10,000 pounds to 25,000 pounds a year. No numbers were given for them.
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