Document G5NBRByOkz3GNn1NdRwVNJBY7

Emissions^ ' . !,?. "'*` v;---V-, ByROBINTONER -V' ;^:V^V,-''f'::\.oftheIC*nawh?' Valley's air: y ; . "" Of The Daily Mail . - At least two chemical workers, who . " - iT ~^'Y-YY' ~cf'V ~requested anonymity, attended the .. The West 'Virginia Citizen Action"/ meetwg.TTj/^^T? Group has identified 29 suspected or 7/f One chemical worker reported that ` known cancer-causing chemicals and 94 //most co-workers feared environmental * other ''highly toxic" chemicals in the/"'groups as threats to their livelihoods. ' emissions of nine KanawhaValley/"Tbe biggest fearjs that the company . . chemical plants. will close down andleave. The com- \ ; CAG's findings were based on a 1977 /' panyTs threatening that all the time/1 " chemical inventory compiled by the \tbe worker said.^'T/p:'- 7.:.^ / West Virginia Air Pollution Control/'^ / The' worker said chemical plantem- 7c ' Commission from emissions data sub^ ployees are often overcome by chemi-4 " ? mittedby area chemical companies, v cals on the job. "The tendency of envi- ' ' . - In a letter to APCC Director Carl '~ ronmental groups'has been to emphas- Beard, the environmental group said ize long range effects. Chemical work- ' " * several of the companies had in many .. ers are more concerned with the day- " cases failed to indicate to APCC that ' to-day effects. You should focus on the -Y ' chemicals they were emitting were car;, ` immediate health and safety of the ' cinogens -- cancer causing agents- , . 7 worker," the worker said. CAG also found that the EMC Nitre'1 " 'Lee Neilan, a Charleston physician, ' plant had failed to list any of the pollu-/ said she had requested the county board tants It emits, as'requested by the J of education to take action on the con APCC. Beard said today that the plant ditions at South Charleston Junior High reported it was "super-clean," or not School, where her daughter is a student emitting any chemical pollutants. She argued the children at the school The environmental group urged^ were exposed to-considerable health Beard to' set emission standards on the ;risks because'of their proximity to the toxic and carcinogenic chemicals with South Charleston FMC plant. .v-* =.*-: out waiting for the U.S. Environmental Much of the concern expressed by. ^fctProtection Agency, which has set such citizens at the meeting revolved around ^^standards for only a'few pollutants. ' the FMC plant at South Charleston. The . An EPA study, released in draft form group, chaired by Mary Kay Cole, is' in June, identified 43 known or suspect planning to prepare and distribute a ed carcinogens in the air of the Kana leaflet on air pollution problems. The wha Valley. It identified a total of 135 leaflet, to be distributed in St. Albans, volatile organic compounds in the air" South Charleston and Nitre, will include here which could have health effects at the names and telephone numbers of t certain levels.' : 7 ' '= ; However, EPA officials said at the chemical plant management to contact when citizens wish to lodge complaints, time that none of those chemicals were*' organizers said. V,7 v found at concentrations high enough to The'chemical plants included in the endanger health, based on current re APCC survey and CAG's study included search. ' Diamond Shamrock, Belle; Dupont, Beard said today his agency "hasn't Belle; Union Carbide, South Charleston; forgotten" the problems of chemical FMC, Sou th Charleston; Union Carbide pollutants, "but there's just not enough Technical Center, Union Carbide, Insti hands to push on that right now." tute; Monsanto, Nitre; Fike Chemicals, His agency is currently struggling to Nitre; and Avtex, Nitre. ' prepare a plan to comply with federal clean air standards imposed by the ' 1977 amendments to the Clean Air Act The state runs a danger of losing feder Hot al funds unless the plan is submitted ' within three months. *c - - T "As soon as we get breathing room,' we're going to get moving (on chemical pollutants)," Beard said. CAG's report was released at a publ -Q, Is Arch Moore for or against the ic meeting on air pollution Thursday Davis Power Project, in the Canaan night at the West Virginia Lung Asso- Valley? * ,' : , tion headquarters in Charleston/' i ' . Mi. Kiut 20 people attended the meeting, ' 7 . Winfield77 wmch was organized by CAG to form a A. A spokesman at Moore's campaign coalition of chemical workers and envih eadquarters says the former governor ronmentalists to work for improvement is for the project. - : UCC 100226