Firms Report 9 Million Pounds of Toxic Emissions : Environment: Chemical discharges into the air in 1989 slightly exceed 1988 figures, with GM citing a 51% increase at its Van Nuys plant.
Manufacturing firms in the San Fernando Valley and adjacent areas legally discharged more than 9 million pounds of toxic substances into the air in 1989, including chemicals that contribute to smog, are suspected of causing cancer and deplete the Earth’s protective ozone layer, according to estimates filed with the government by the companies themselves.
The total of 9,014,296 pounds was nearly the same as the 1988 estimate of 8,812,992 pounds. Although many of the 115 firms reported cuts in their emissions, the total didn’t drop because General Motors in Van Nuys, the largest polluter, registered a big increase.
The giant auto assembly plant vented nearly 4.3 million pounds of toxics into the air in 1989, nearly half the Valley total, according to GM’s report.
Although the emissions seem large, experts say the health implications are uncertain, because chemical releases may not produce significant exposures.
The figures were compiled by The Times from data filed by companies in the Valley, the Glendale area and eastern Ventura County.
Fifteen manufacturers in these areas estimated their toxic air emissions at more than 100,000 pounds, or 50 tons. Topping the list, after GM, were the Rockwell International Rocketdyne plant at 6633 Canoga Ave. in Canoga Park; Lockheed Aeronautical Systems Co. in Burbank; Crown Cork & Seal Co. (formerly Continental Can) in Van Nuys; and Products Research & Chemical Corp. in Glendale.
In a separate tabulation for the Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys, 10 manufacturers reported 709,789 pounds of toxic emissions in 1989, down from 849,098 pounds the year before. The largest polluter was Polycarbon Inc. in Valencia. Polycarbon reported air emissions totaling 387,223 pounds.
The totals were compiled from reports by the companies under the “community right-to-know” law adopted by Congress in 1986 in the wake of the deadly chemical disaster at a Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, India.
The law requires manufacturing firms to provide the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency with annual “toxic release inventory” reports that quantify transfers and releases of about 325 hazardous compounds.
The reports, which estimate emissions into air and water, discharges into public waste-water treatment plants and transfers to hazardous waste sites, are available to the public.
The chemicals were put on the EPA list “because they were considered toxic, so in that sense 9 million pounds is a lot of material, and that would be a concern,” said Dr. Mark Saperstein, an environmental scientist in the air toxics section of the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
But “it’s very difficult to just look at total tonnages and estimate what kind of health impact could result,” Saperstein said. The risk to a specific neighborhood would depend on the toxicity of the compounds, distance to the neighbors and whether emissions came from “a tall stack or just a roof vent on a one-story building,” Saperstein said.
The most commonly emitted chemicals are of low to moderate toxicity and are used because they are safer for workers than alternative compounds. Mainly they are industrial solvents that are also found in such consumer products as paints, varnishes and cleaning fluids. Typically, they can cause skin, eye and throat irritation, and even wooziness or unconsciousness, but only if breathed in high concentrations that would not be found outside the factory gates.
However, some of the chemicals are suspected of increasing cancer risks, helping to form photochemical smog or eroding the ozone shield that filters the sun’s harmful rays.
Because of the amount of time people spend indoors and the potential for fumes, dust and cigarette smoke to build up in the home or office, many authorities see indoor pollution as a potentially greater health risk than emissions from factory stacks.
But in a study three years ago that considered just 13 contaminants, the South Coast air district estimated that up to 200 cancers per year may result from breathing outdoor air in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
Some of the most widely emitted chemicals are regulated by the air district, and others are not. Regulations governing use of toxics, traditionally, have not been based on toxicity concerns but rather the tendency of certain chemicals to form vapors that react with sunlight to create smog.
The regulations reduce, but don’t eliminate, evaporation of these chemicals. And the big emitters aren’t necessarily the sloppiest operations but those that use the largest amounts of these chemicals in the first place.
The right-to-know law was meant to give citizens access to data on local health risks, but it also may be bringing about environmental improvements. Whether or not they believe their operations pose a health threat, many companies feel under the gun to cut emissions to reduce the risk of bad publicity.
“Certainly, no industry is going to want to see itself as front-page news,” said Kathy Goforth, regional manager of the toxic release inventory program for the EPA in San Francisco.
The law may also be a consciousness-raiser for firms previously unaware of what they were putting in the air. “ ‘We’re doing what ? We’re putting out 20,000 pounds of what?’ ” some executives must be asking, said Bud Ward, head of the Environmental Health Center in Washington, a branch of the National Safety Council.
Yet for those trying to gauge the extent of toxic emissions, the data has enormous limitations, and local totals--such as the 9 million pounds reported for the San Fernando Valley area--don’t tell the whole story.
For one thing, the law covers only manufacturing businesses with at least 10 employees that manufacture or process at least 25,000 pounds a year, or use at least 10,000 pounds a year, of any compound on the list.
Thus, a manufacturer using 10,000 pounds of one chemical, and 9,000 pounds of each of 10 other chemicals, reports only on releases of the first one.
Manufacturers make the estimates themselves, and the accuracy is uncertain. Some firms may overstate their toxic releases by failing to subtract wastes captured by pollution control devices. But there is also the temptation to understate releases, according to a Valley executive who asked not to be identified.
“The manager of a business would not be anxious to report significant releases of methyl ethyl death,” he said.
Moreover, an unknown, but probably large, number of firms simply aren’t filing the reports. Nationwide, EPA officials peg the rate of noncompliance at roughly one-third. There are no estimates of the number of area companies failing to report their emissions.
Perhaps the biggest limitation is that the law applies only to manufacturers who use these chemicals. Toxic emissions from commercial businesses, agriculture, and local, state and federal agencies--not to mention vehicle exhaust--simply are not counted.
Among those exempted are dry cleaners, which typically use large amounts of perchloroethylene, or PCE, a cleaning solvent suspected of causing cancer. According to air district figures, about 6,500 pounds of PCE per year is emitted by the average dry cleaner, which as a non-manufacturer is not required to file a report.
The law provides “a very valuable snapshot” of toxic emissions, but “it’s a far cry from being the whole thing,” said Ward of the Environmental Health Center.
“I don’t think there’s any doubt that the numbers are underestimates,” said Joel Reynolds, a senior attorney in Los Angeles for the Natural Resources Defense Council, a national environmental group.
“Be that as it may . . . it’s one more piece of information that we have about air quality in the area,” Reynolds said. “If I live in the San Fernando Valley, I certainly want to have some idea what the level of toxics might be . . . and ideally those numbers . . . should result in regulatory and legislative response.”
The totals show that, even in Los Angeles, which has some of the nation’s toughest pollution controls, large volumes of toxics are routinely vented into the air.
The chemical that turns up most prominently in inventory reports of Valley firms--and of manufacturers throughout Los Angeles County--is 1,1,1-trichloroethane, or TCA for short. TCA is a cleaning solvent of fairly low toxicity. It is not considered a major contributor to smog and has become a popular substitute for other solvents that are.
It depletes the ozone, though it is not as damaging as the chemicals known as chlorofluorocarbons. There are some suspicions that TCA may cause cancer, but that has not been proven in limited animal tests.
Other commonly discharged chemicals include PCE and methylene chloride, both suspected cancer-causing solvents, and Freon 113, which badly depletes the ozone.
The Valley’s biggest polluter, General Motors, estimated its ’89 toxic emissions at 4,279,188 pounds--51% more than its ’88 estimate of 2,840,362 pounds. The giant assembly plant discharged mainly TCA, xylene, acetone, methylene chloride and methyl ethyl ketone--compounds used mainly in paints, paint thinners and strippers.
Most of the top Valley emitters cut their pollution estimates for 1989, and GM officials said they didn’t know all the reasons for their huge increase.
One factor, they said, was increased reliance on TCA, which is heavier than most solvents, so more pounds of emissions would result from the same number of gallons.
“We’re not denying that it’s . . . a problem, and it’s something we’re working to reduce,” said Kathy Tanner, manager of civic affairs for General Motors’ Chevrolet-Pontiac-Canada group.
“We expect the ’90 figures to show significant improvement as a result of the efforts that are being undertaken at the Van Nuys plant,” Tanner said.
The second largest emitter in 1989 was Rockwell’s Canoga Avenue plant, which discharged an estimated 460,405 pounds of toxic chemicals, including TCA, Freon 113 and PCE. That is 7% below the ’88 total of 493,515.
Two other Rockwell plants were also among the area’s top 25 polluters--the firm’s De Soto Avenue plant in Canoga Park, with emissions of 94,613 pounds; and its Santa Susana Field Laboratory west of Chatsworth, with 76,946.
Emissions from the three plants combined fell from an estimated 692,079 pounds in 1988 to 631,964 last year, according to Rockwell’s reports.
Four employees are working full time to reduce solvent use, and significant decreases in air emissions are expected in 1990, said Steve Lafflam, director of environmental control and energy conservation for Rockwell’s Rocketdyne Division.
In the meantime, Lafflam said, the company is “very comfortable that we’re not impacting community health at all.” He said air tests three years ago at the Canoga Avenue plant found no significant amounts of airborne chemicals at the boundary of the plant.
Lockheed, the third largest emitter in 1989, also registered the biggest reduction--from 1,054,400 pounds in 1988 to 350,190 pounds last year. PCE and TCA were the main chemicals discharged.
Lockheed spokesman Ross Hopkins attributed most of the decrease to reduced business at the Burbank complex, which is shifting most of its operations to Marietta, Ga., and Palmdale.
Products Research & Chemical Corp., a Glendale manufacturer of adhesives and sealants, came in at fifth place with an estimated 223,372 pounds--a huge increase from the 8,485 pounds in its 1988 report.
Asked about the large increase, Mel Young, health, safety and environmental director for Products Research, said the 1988 report was in error. He said TCA, which accounted for most of the emissions, was inadvertently omitted from the report, a fact he noticed after being asked about the apparent increase. Young said he will file an amended report correcting the ’88 estimate.
Manufacturers are required to file their toxic inventory reports by July 1 for the preceding calendar year. Thus, the most recent filing covered 1989, and 1990 data are due next July 1.
The law provides penalties of up to $25,000 per day for firms failing to file required reports.
The EPA has issued more than 200 civil complaints for failure to report for one or more years--28 of them to California firms.
Altogether, $1.66 million in proposed penalties have been assessed against the California firms. Twenty-three of the cases are still pending, but five ended in negotiated settlements involving a total of $79,500 in penalties.
Two of the pending cases are against San Fernando and Santa Clarita valley firms.
In a complaint issued Sept. 27, the EPA is seeking $68,000 from Novacap, a Valencia manufacturer of ceramic chip capacitors, for failing to file toxic inventory reports for 1987 and 1988.
The company says it wasn’t aware of the law and filed reports for those years, and for 1989, soon after being contacted by the EPA earlier this year.
“We will be requesting the Environmental Protection Agency to waive the fine, since the company had no knowledge of these reporting requirements when they failed to submit the forms,” said Novacap lawyer Malissa H. McKeith.
Diceon Electronics’ Chatsworth plant also was cited, along with two other Diceon plants in the city of Irvine. The EPA is seeking $59,000 in penalties for the Chatsworth plant and $118,000 for the two Irvine plants for failure to file reports for 1987.
Diceon filed the reports after being contacted by the EPA, and the company doesn’t believe it was in violation, said Diceon attorney Arthur Fine. The dispute is before an administrative law judge.
Los Angeles Times researcher Janet Lundblad contributed to this report.
CHEMICAL GLOSSARY
Following are some of the toxic substances commonly emitted in the valleys:
1,1,1-Trichloroethane (TCA for short) is a clear liquid used to degrease metal and clean electronic parts. Fairly low in toxicity, in high concentrations, the substance can irritate the skin, eyes and lungs. May be an animal carcinogen, but this has not been proven in limited tests. A depleter of stratospheric ozone.
Methylene Chloride is a clear liquid used as a paint stripper, degreaser and in adhesives and plastics processing. Can irritate the eyes and skin and, in high concentrations, affects the central nervous system and heart. It has been found to increase the incidence of cancer in test animals and is considered a probable human carcinogen.
Freon 113, one of the chlorinated fluorocarbons, is used as a cleaning solvent, drying agent and blowing agent in foam manufacture. It is widely used because of its low toxicity but can irritate the eyes, nose and throat and cause asphyxia at high levels. It destroys stratospheric ozone.
Perchloroethylene, also known as PCE or tetrachloroethylene, is a solvent used in dry cleaning, and metal drying and degreasing. It is moderately toxic and, at high concentrations, can irritate the skin, throat and eyes and cause lightheadedness and damage to the liver. It has caused liver cancer in test animals and is a suspected human carcinogen.
Acetone is a flammable liquid that is the main ingredient in fingernail polish remover and is used in chemical manufacture, paint cleanup and to clean and dry precision equipment. It is of relatively low toxicity but can irritate the nose and throat and cause lightheadedness in high concentrations. Acetone is reactive, meaning it reacts with sunlight to form photochemical smog.
Ammonia is a colorless gas or liquid with an irritating odor that is used as a refrigerant, in metal treating and refining, in fertilizers and making synthetic fibers. Concentrated fumes are extremely toxic.
Xylene is a liquid used in fuels, lacquers, coatings and rubber cement. It can irritate the eyes, nose and throat and, at high levels, can cause dizziness and loss of consciousness. Xylene vapors react in sunlight to form smog.
Methyl Ethyl Ketone is a solvent used in paints and paint removers, cements, adhesives and cleaning fluids. Poses an explosion hazard, but toxicity is fairly low. Exposure to high levels can cause dizziness, headaches and blurred vision.
Glycol Ethers are a group of chemicals used in resins, paints, dyes, cosmetics and brake fluids. High exposures can cause nausea, headaches, vomiting and kidney damage, and research suggests the chemicals may harm the human fetus.
n-Butyl Alcohol is a flammable liquid used as a solvent for resins, varnishes, and in manufacture of detergents and lacquers. It can cause skin, eye and throat irritation.
Map shows location of manufacturers with estimated 1989 toxic air emissions of 5,000 lbs. or more.
LARGEST INCREASES & DECREASES
Largest reported increases/decreases in toxic emissions in San Fernando, Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys and Glendale area, 1989
INCREASES
Est. ’89 emissions ’88 Company in lbs. emissions Increase General Motors, Van Nuys 4,279,188 2,840,362 1,438,826 Polycarbon Inc., Valencia 387,223 232,080 155,143 Fortin Industries 154,700 47,500 107,200 5428 Cleon St., North Hollywood Nelson Name Plate Co. 134,144 40,435 93,709 3191 Casitas Ave., LA Crane Co., Hydro-Aire Div. 80,400 41,200 39,200 Burbank
DECREASES
Est. ’89 emissions ’88 Company in lbs. emissions Decrease Lockheed Aeronautical 350,190 1,054,400 704,210 Systems Co., Burbank Crown Cork & Seal Co. 297,811 741,999 444,188 (formerly Continental Can) Van Nuys Lockheed Aeronautical 4,000 181,050 177,050 Systems Co., Palmdale Easton Aluminum, Van Nuys 151,600 281,000 129,400 Ward Engineering Inc. 11,250 118,600 107,350 North Hollywood The Marquardt Co., Van Nuys 162,926 266,239 103,313 Valley-Todeco Co. 54,250 142,650 88,400 Sylmar
LARGEST EMITTERS OF AIRBORNE TOXIC CHEMICALS
San Fernando Valley-Glendale Areas for 1989
Est. emissions Rank Company Main business in lbs.* 1 General Motors Automobile 4,279,188 Van Nuys assembly (+) 2 Rockwell Intl. Defense/ 460,405 Rocketdyne Div. aerospace (-) 6633 Canoga Ave. Canoga Park 3 Lockheed Aeronautical Defense/ 350,190 Systems Co.,Burbank aerospace (-) 4 Crown Cork & Seal Co. Aluminum cans 297,811 (formerly Continental (-) Can), Van Nuys 5 Products Research Sealants 223,372 & Chemical Corp. (N/A) Glendale 6 American National Aluminum cans 210,103 Can Co., Chatsworth (-) 7 Menasco Inc. Landing gear, 167,373 Burbank aircraft *** components 8 The Marquardt Co. Defense, 162,926 Van Nuys aerospace (-) 9 SFE Technology Filters, 162,917 San Fernando capacitors (-) 10 Fortin Industries Laminates for 154,700 5428 Cleon St., circuit boards (+) North Hollywood 11 Price Pfister Brass Plumbing 151,673 Mfg. Co., Pacoima fixtures (-) 12 Easton Aluminum Inc. Aluminum 151,600 Van Nuys sporting (-) goods 13 Nelson Name Plate Name tags, 134,144 Co., etching (+) 3191 Casitas Ave. Los Angeles 14 Mepco-Centralab Ceramic chip 133,765 Inc., 4561 Colorado capacitors (-) Blvd., LA 15 New Hampshire Ball Ball bearings 133,488 Bearings Inc. (-) Chatsworth 16 Fortin Industries Laminates for 94,700 12950 San Fernando circuit boards (-) Road, Sylmar 17 Rockwell Intl. Defense, 94,613 Rocketdyne Div. aerospace (+) 8900 DeSoto Ave. Canoga Park 18 Wambold Furniture Oak furniture 91,000 Simi Valley (-) 19 Crane Co., Hydro-Aire Aircraft 80,400 Div., Burbank components (+) 20 Rockwell Intl. Energy, 76,946 Rocketdyne Div. aerospace (-) Santa Susana Field research Laboratory, Simi Hills 21 HR Textron Aircraft parts 76,856 Pacoima (+) 22 SCI Mfg. Inc. Computer boards 66,885 Chatsworth (N/A) **** 23 Active Supply Co. Screen doors, 63,463 5431 San Fernando windows (-) Road West, LA 24 Valley-Todeco Co. Aircraft 54,250 Sylmar fasteners, (-) bearings 25 Diceon Electronics Circuit boards 54,236 Chatsworth (+)
Main compounds Rank emitted** 1 TCA, xylene, acetone, methylene chloride 2 TCA, Freon 113, PCE 3 PCE, TCA 4 Glycol ethers, n-butyl alcohol 5 TCA 6 Glycol ethers, n-butyl alcohol 7 TCA 8 TCA 9 TCA 10 Acetone, ethylene glycol, monomethyl ether 11 TCA, methylene chloride 12 TCA 13 TCA 14 Methylene chloride, Freon 113 15 Freon 113 16 Acetone, ethylene glycol monomethyl ether, methyl ethyl ketone 17 TCA 18 TCA 19 Freon 113, TCA 20 TCA, Freon 113, methylene chloride, trichloroethylene 21 Freon 113, TCA 22 Freon 113 23 TCA, methyl ethyl ketone, methylene chloride 24 PCE 25 Ammonia, isopropyl alcohol, TCA, methylene chloride
* (+) means emissions rose in 1989 from 1988 levels. (-) means emissions fell.
** Listed in order of volume emitted
*** This is Menasco’s 1988 emissions estimate. Company has yet to file report for ’89 but said its 1989 estimate will be virtually the same as 1988.
**** Did not file 1988 report
N/A Not available
LARGEST EMITTERS OF AIRBORNE TOXIC CHEMICALS
In Santa Clarita & Antelope Valleys for 1989 (top five all in Santa Clarita Valley)
Est. emissions Rank Company Main business in lbs.* 1 Polycarbon Inc. Carbon graphite 387,223 (+) Valencia products 2 Gruber Systems, Inc. Molds for 86,222 (-) Valencia cultured marble 3 American Cyanamid Aerospace 85,331 (-) Santa Clarita composites 4 Novacap Ceramic chip 59,722 (+) Valencia capacitors 5 HR Textron Aerospace 37,607 (-) Valencia products
Main compounds Rank emitted** 1 PCE, TCA 2 Acetone, styrene 3 Acetone, methylene chloride 4 Trichloroethylene TCA 5 TCA, Freon 113
* (+) means emissions rose in 1989 from 1988 levels. (-) means emissions fell
** Listed in order of pounds emitted
