Poisoned Places: By the numbers

by Sarah Whitmire November 25, 2011June 26, 2023

Some residents of Hayden, Ariz., believe that emissions of toxic metals from the Asarco copper smelter have caused cancer and other maladies. The EPA has accused Asarco of underreporting such emissions. Emma Schwartz/iWatch News

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From Tonawanda, N.Y. to Hayden, Ariz., hundreds of U.S. communities are still exposed to pollutants, which can cause cancer, birth defects and other health issues — more than 20 years after passage of the Clean Air Act.

Catch up on the entire Poisoned Places series, use an interactive map to find toxic polluters in your area or read more about the reporting process behind the investigation.

By the numbers

726 complaints	Regarding ‘carbon black,’ a fine, carbon-based dust and possible carcinogen, from the residents of Ponca City, Okla., over an eighteen-year period. Most complaints were closed after inspectors couldn’t physically see carbon black coming out of a plant.
2,000 acres	Size of the tailings, or mining waste, pile from a copper smelter in Hayden, Ariz. Huge dust clouds from the ore pile, which spans more than 3 sq. miles, have at times obscured visibility for the town’s residents.
464 facilities	High-pollution plants the EPA placed on their internal ‘watch list,’ which includes serious or chronic violators of the Clean Air Act.
3,000 ˚F	Heat necessary to incinerate the hazardous waste of the Ash Grove Cement Company, a plant in Chanute, Kan., whose cement kiln falls into a loophole of EPA’s air pollution standards, and emits hundreds of pounds of mercury into the air.
270 days	The minimum delay between the discovery of a Clean Air Act violation, and inclusion on EPA’s ‘watch list.’
20 %	Percentage of reported leads of hazardous air pollution the EPA actually investigates — from there, roughly one-third of those leads result in criminal charges.
74 %	Percentage of increased birth defects in the three counties surrounding ‘Refinery Row,’ in Corpus Christi, Texas, as compared to the rest of the state.

Poisoned Places: By the numbers

726 complaints

2,000 acres

464 facilities

3,000 ˚F

270 days

20 %

74 %

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