Aluminum smelter photo courtesy of International Rivers.
Showing that the federal and state governments won’t sit idly by while the aluminum industry pumps pollutants into the environment, the U.S. Justice Department in conjunction with 11 states have negotiated a consent decree with Aleris International Inc., requiring the Beachwood, Ohio-based aluminum recycler to pay a $4.6 million civil penalty to resolve violations to the Clean Air Act.
As part of the settlement, Aleris and 13 of its subsidiaries have committed to implementing environmental improvements and controls projected to cost about $4.2 million in the 11 affected locations (Goodyear, Ariz., Post Falls, Idaho, Chicago Heights, Ill., Wabash, Ind., Lewisport and Morgantown, Ky., Coldwater and Saginaw, Mich., Uhrichville, Ohio, Sapulpa, Okla., Loudon and Shelbyville, Tenn., Richmond, Va., and Friendly, W. Va.)
“This settlement, including the significant penalty, will help to protect human health and the environment by brining one of the country’s largest aluminum companies into compliance with the Clean Air Act’s rules for the industry,” said John C. Cruden, acting assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s environmental and natural resources division.
“It will also serve as a notice to the rest of the industry that we will vigorously enforce the Act and rules,” added Mr. Cruden.
The complaint filed with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio alleged that Aleris failed to design and install adequate systems to capture emissions of pollutants, as well as to demonstrate compliance with federal emission standards through adequate performance testing, monitoring, recordkeeping, and reporting.
Aleris uses recycled beverage cans, scrap, and other materials to produce aluminum in liquid and ingot form (a material that’s cast into a shape suitable for further processing). Part of the aluminum production process causes emissions of pollutants such as hydrogen chlorine, particulate matter (various potentially dangerous tiny particles suspended in a gas or liquid), and both dioxins and furans (created during incineration).
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency lists the following potential health effects from the preceding pollutants:
- Hydrogen Chloride: The chemical is potentially corrosive to the eyes, skin, and mucous membranes, which may cause coughing, hoarseness, inflammation, and ulceration of the respiratory tract. In addition, chest pain and pulmonary edema can result from exposure.
- Particulate Matter: Short term exposure can aggravate lung disease, cause asthma attacks, and acute bronchitis. In addition, exposure may increase susceptibility to respiratory infections and has been linked to heart attacks.
- Dioxins and Furans: Exposure can cause a number of effects including hormone changes, skin disease, and it’s classified as a probable human carcinogen.
In addition, the EPA finds that dioxins and furans can accumulate to high levels in human food sources such as fish, which can disrupt brain development and hormone systems in humans, particularly in developing fetuses.
The consent decree requires Aleris to better enclose its furnaces to improve the capture of emissions; retest every furnace using model test protocols; adopt model recordkeeping and reporting documents; and install pollution control or monitoring equipment at facilities, according to the Justice Department.
“This will ultimately result in cleaner air for the people living near Aleris facilities throughout the country,” said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator of the EPA’s office of enforcement and compliance assurance.
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