Louisiana Air Pollution
Air pollution presents a serious environmental concern for Louisiana, the state that is already struggling to contain the damage caused by the rapid erosion and destruction of the coastal wetlands. Louisiana is one of the highly industrialized states in the nation and houses more than 25% of all the chemical plants in the U.S. The emissions from the numerous oil refineries, chemical industries and other production units have clearly contaminated the air quality. At least some of the chemical plants do not adhere to the emission standards. A case in point is the Exxon Mobil refineries in Chalmette.
Exxon Mobil poses grave environmental threat for the St. Bernard Parish and the New Orleans area in Louisiana. The emission test samples conducted between April and August 2003 showed glaring violations (more than 41) of federal and state standards. [Louisiana Bucket Brigade] The company uses hydrofluoric acid (HF), one of the highly dangerous chemicals and that too in very large quantities of up to 2.4 million pounds for a single process. (Highest in the whole of U.S.). According to the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) data released in 2001, Exxon Mobil releases more than 1,307lbs of HF into the air annually. [Anne Rolfes]
If exposed, HF can immediately vaporize and contaminate the air by forming an acid cloud for miles. Fluoride ion is very powerful and can penetrate human tissues and cause pulmonary edema and death due to suffocation. As the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety states, "Even a concentration as low as 30 ppm of hydrofluoric acid in the air is considered 'immediately dangerous to life and health,' [SBCEQ] The Hydrofluoric Acid usage by the Exxon Mobil refinery is definitely an ominous threat to the lives of over one million people in the locality.
Bibliography
Designed by SBCEQ ('Saint Bernard Citizens for Environmental Quality'), "Exxon Mobil's Hydrofluoric Acid and Chalmette, Louisiana - Unnecessary Risk," Accessed on April 24th 2004, http://www.exxonmobildoublestandards.com/
Anne Rolfes, Darryl Malek, Ken Ford, Aaron Viles and Rick Hind, "Exxon Mobil's Chalmette Refining Leads Refineries Nationwide in Use of Hazardous Acid," Accessed on April 24th 2004, http://www.labucketbrigade.org/communities/chalmette/press/3.16.04%20HF%20Press%20Release.pdf
Louisiana Bucket Brigade, "Chalmette's Exxon Mobil Skips Deadline to Provide
Air Monitoring Results," Accessed on April 24th 2004, http://www.labucketbrigade.org/communities/chalmette/press/20031120.shtml
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