AL.com
By Dennis APillon
dpillon@al.com
Alabama industrial facilities released more than 84 million pounds of toxic material in 2016, according to data released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
That figure includes emissions to the air, land and water from manufacturing operations, electric utilities, as well as hazardous materials landfills that accept certain toxic substances.
(Dennis Pillion | dpillion@al.com)
A note on the data
All facilities that release certain quantities of potentially hazardous substances are required to report those releases to EPA or state environmental agencies.
The EPA compiles all those reports in a massive database called the Toxics Release Inventory, which is available and searchable on the EPA web site.
But that database is so big, it can be hard to use. Also, the toxic substances included vary wildly, so it can be a bit like comparing apples to oranges… or to anvils.
Here, we’ll attempt to parse some useful information about Alabama’s 84 million pounds of reported toxic releases from 2016, the most recent year available.
You have the right to know
The data on toxic releases in Alabama and elsewhere are available because Congress passed a law to ensure all citizens have the right to know the types and amounts of toxic substances being released into the air, land and water around them.
That knowledge provides incentive for polluters to reduce emissions and allows local communities to be better prepared for emergency situations that might arise.
That law, called the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act, was passed in 1986, and the EPA has published its Toxics Release Inventory every year since.
Alabama’s toxic waste has decreased over time
Though the total amount of toxic material released fluctuates from year to year, it is on a downward trend, as more sophisticated pollution controls and recycling practices become more common.
The above chart shows the total amount of toxic material released in Alabama each year from 1988 to 2016.
Data: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Alabama 10th nationally
Though the total amount has declined, Alabama still had the 10th most toxic releases of the 56 states and U.S. territories included in the TRI program.
Alabama jumps to No. 8 in total releases per square mile.
On supported devices, you can hover the cursor over each state in the map above to see its total. The darker red colors indicate higher totals.
Not all waste is equal
Alaska (not included in the map because it throws off the scale) was far and away the top state in terms of releases, with almost 834 million pounds. That’s more than twice the amount of the No. 2 state, Nevada and nearly 10 times Alabama’s total.
Most of Alaska’s releases came from mining operations, which tend to produce waste that is very heavy.
One criticism of the TRI data is that almost all releases are measured in pounds, so the heavy mining waste looks huge when compared to airborne emissions which could be more likely to cause human health problems but don’t weigh as much.
That’s worth keeping in mind as we examine Alabama’s data.
Two counties among top 50 nationally
This map shows all toxic releases reported in Alabama by county. The darker green colors represent counties with the most total releases.
Alabama had two counties among the top 50 in the country in terms of total releases.
In supported browsers, hover the cursor over the county on the map to see details on the most released chemicals in that county. Hold the Shift key and use a mouse to move the map.
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Mobile County has highest total
Mobile County had the most toxic material released among Alabama counties with more than 13.2 million pounds in 2016.
Mobile County was No. 35 on the nationwide list of counties with the most total releases.
Mobile County has 47 facilities reporting data to the TRI program, with the largest contributors coming from the metals industry, chemical plants, or electric utilities.
The Outokumpo Stainless Steel facility was the top producer in the county, with more than 8.2 million pounds of total releases. It was followed by Alabama Power’s Barry Steam Plant, and the SSAB Alabama steel mill.
Photo by Christopher Harress
Sumter County
Sumter County had the second highest amount of toxic releases in Alabama and was No. 37 nationally.
But while Mobile County had 47 different facilities that reported toxic releases in 2016, Sumter had only two, one of which reported less than 1000 pounds total.
The largest reporting facility in Sumter County — with more than 12.8 million pounds of releases — was the Chemical Waste Management hazardous materials landfill in Emelle, shown in the photo above.
Metals, paper industry are largest contributors
The pie chart shows Alabama’s total releases divided by the industry sector that produced them. Industry sector is determined by EPA and included in the published data.
Operations classified as “primary metals” just edged the paper sector as the top producers of toxic substances in Alabama. Primary metals operations released substances like chromium compounds, zinc compounds, manganese compounds, ammonia and nitrates.
Paper sector releases were dominated by methanol, and most facilities reported higher levels of air emissions than land or water releases.
Hazardous waste was third (driven by the facility in Emelle), followed by chemical industry and then electric utilities. Food was next, followed by a wide range of “other” sources.
Emelle landfill reported most releases in Alabama
The list shows the top 15 emitting facilities in Alabama, measured by weight of total releases. The facilities include a range of operations, including coal-fired power plants, chemical facilities, paper mills, and other industrial operations.
Hovering over the bar linked to each facility will show how much of the reported releases were made to air, land, water, or shipped off-site.
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Second largest in the country
The Chemical Waste Management facility in Emelle (Sumter County) reported more toxic releases than any other facility in the state, and has for decades been among the largest receivers of hazardous waste in the country.
The national EPA data lists the Emelle facility as releasing the second most toxic material among all hazardous waste landfills in the country, behind the Buick Resource Recycling Facility in Missouri, which recycles lead-acid batteries and other products.
Photo courtesy Mobile Baykeeper
Coal ash looms large in release facilities
The Barry Steam Plant in Mobile County (pictured here) is one of three coal-fired power plants listed among the top 15 emitters in Alabama.
Most of the releases are to the land in the form of coal combustion residuals, or coal ash. The largest portion of those releases are classified as barium compounds according to the TRI data, with smaller amounts of lead compounds, arsenic compounds, copper compounds, sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid and more.
Many coal power plants around the country are in the process of transitioning from the wet, lagoon-style storage of coal ash pictured here to dry storage to comply with new EPA regulations.
Paper sector dominates air emissions
This chart shows the top 15 individual sources of air emissions in Alabama. Hovering the cursor over the blue bar will show additional information about the facility and a breakdown of the top five chemicals released into the air at the facility.
Seven of the top eight facilities on the list are categorized as part of the paper industry.
Food, metal and chemical facilities top water list
This chart shows the top 15 individual sources of water emissions in Alabama from facilities that are required to file TRI reports.
Hovering the cursor over the blue bar will show additional information about the facility and a breakdown of the top five chemicals released into the air at the facility.
Facilities releasing the largest amount of toxic substances into water varies more than most of the other media. The top 15 water emitters include metal operations, chemical manufacturers, paper mills and agricultural producers.
Hazmat landfill tops land emissions list
The Emelle landfill checks in as far and away the top facility for placing toxic material in the land. Regular municipal landfills are not included in the TRI data.
Coal-fired power plants are also prominent on the list, mostly for coal ash, as are primary metals facilities.
Carcinogens released in Alabama
The EPA data also breaks out certain substances that are known human carcinogens. Each bubble represents a different chemical, with the largest bubbles corresponding to larger volume.
Hovering the cursor over a chemical will show the top five facilities (if applicable) that released each chemical in Alabama in 2016.
Lead was the largest carcinogen emitted by weight, with nearly all the state’s reported total coming from the Sanders Lead Company in Pike County. Nearly all of the Sanders Lead Co.’s emissions were categorized as land releases, meaning the material was likely buried in a landfill.
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For more information
For more details on specific facilities, pollutants or additional county or state-level information, visit the EPA’s TRI web portal.
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