Tammy Duckworth wants EPA to start monitoring the high lead levels in Granite City’s air
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth is calling for the federal Environmental Protection Agency to increase lead emission monitoring near a melting and refining facility in Granite City after lead emissions in the area recently hit a six-year high.
Duckworth’s request comes two weeks after the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency said Mayco Industries’ facility violated environmental regulations and referred the case to the state attorney general.
Duckworth’s Dec. 16 letter to Cathy Stepp, Region 5 director of the EPA, states that if excessive lead levels are found, the EPA should require residential soil testing and other actions.
“We are deeply concerned that lead emissions from this facility are at the highest recorded levels in six years and have the potential to do grave public health damage to vulnerable populations, such as children and the elderly, if EPA fails to swiftly act to require mitigation and remediation,” Duckworth wrote.
The BND is seeking comment from the company regarding Duckworth’s letter.
In response to the Illinois EPA two weeks ago, Mayco released a statement saying it was working with the agency and others to investigate and resolve the issues at the Granite City location.
“Mayco values the health, safety and well-being of its employees and the community in which it operates,” the company statement said. “We are working diligently to safely resume operations at the plant and return our employees to work so that they can continue to provide for their families and be productive members in the community.”
According to the EPA, depending on the exposure, lead can “adversely” affect the nervous system, kidney function, immune system, reproductive and developmental systems and the cardiovascular system. Infants and young children are “especially” sensitive to even low levels of lead.
In her letter, Duckworth said additional monitoring and remediation of excess lead is “vital” to safeguard public health.
“Decisive action by EPA will provide confidence to my constituents in Granite City and East St. Louis that you are prioritizing their well-being ahead of corporate profits,” she wrote.
Earlier this month, the Illinois EPA said Mayco Manufacturing, LLC, also known as Mayco Industries, was not following Illinois Pollution Control Board regulations.
According to the state agency, beginning in October 2018, monthly lead emission averages began increasing at a monitor three-tenths of a mile from Mayco’s facility. The concentration of lead emissions was the highest it had been in nearly six years, the agency said.
Kim Biggs, the Illinois EPA spokesperson, said the agency could not comment further on specifics about the case.
Mayco’s Granite City facility voluntarily ceased operations on Nov. 19. It is not clear if operations have restarted.
The National Ambient Air Quality Standards are put in place by the U.S. EPA’s Clean Air Act and are periodically reviewed by state agencies. Lead is considered harmful to public health and the environment.
Those standards require facilities like Mayco’s Granite City operation to monitor and maintain lead emissions under and an average of 0.15 micrograms per cubic meter of air every three months.
The Illinois EPA said it identified lead emissions near or above the standard and cited Mayco for the levels and other compliance issues that the agency has yet to identify.
“We strongly urge you to direct EPA Region 5 to investigate Mayco’s recent violations and determine if further action is needed,” Duckworth wrote.
Last month, the Center for Disease Control announced it would investigate “potential health hazards” from pollution near the Veolia North America-Trade Waste Incineration Facility in Sauget. That investigation came after Duckworth and other senators wrote a similar letter to the CDC.