Toxic Chemical Releases in California Drop

California manufacturers released nearly 172 million pounds of toxic chemicals into the air, water and land in 1989, according to an analysis of government figures released Monday by a national environmental organization.

The analysis by Citizen Action ranks California eighth in the nation in the release of chemicals known or suspected to cause cancer and 11th in the nation in the release of chemicals that cause birth defects.

Los Angeles County led the state in the amount of toxic chemicals released, according to the group, a national organization that deals with consumer and environmental issues.

Overall, the California figures indicate releases of toxic chemicals fell 18% from the prior year. But the organization said that the actual reduction may not be as great because of changes in how some companies reported toxic releases.

The disclosures come at a time when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has been attempting to enlist manufacturers in a drive to voluntarily slash their toxic emissions by 33% next year and by a total of 50% by 1995.

Last week, EPA Administrator William K. Reilly said more than 200 companies have joined. Known as the “33-50” program, the plan is considered to be a direct outgrowth of the 1986 congressional requirement that larger manufacturers publicly disclose discharges of one or more of 332 toxic chemicals.

Environmentalists, manufacturers and government regulators believe the disclosure law as well as mounting concern over liability and public relations will usher in a new environmental ethic that will place more emphasis on preventing pollution than controlling it.

“By identifying companies and facilities that release dangerous and poisonous toxic chemicals into our air, water and land in our communities, we are taking the first step in a public process that must lead quickly to the reduction and elimination of these emissions,” said Nora Benavides, Citizens Action program director in Fresno.

In the interim, however, Citizens Action officials said industry has been slow to respond. Last month, the General Accounting Office reported that one out of every three manufacturers required to report toxic releases failed to do so in 1988. The GAO report was based in part on 1990 EPA figures.

“These voluntary efforts are not being successful,” said Tom Pollock, a Washington research analyst for Citizen Action.

Benavides said “we want citizens to know who their polluters are and we want citizens to come forward and demand ‘good neighbor’ agreements” under which manufacturers commit to voluntarily reduce their toxic emissions.

But Pollack said the EPA should step up its en forcement of the reporting law, as well as strengthen it.

“They can do more than they’re doing currently,” he said.

Citizens Action said that based on its analysis of figures supplied by manufacturers to the EPA, the largest releases of toxic chemicals took place in Los Angeles, Orange and Humboldt counties.

The five largest polluters in the state in 1989, the group said, were Filtrol Corp. of Vernon, Union Oil Co.’s Unocal Chemicals Division at Brea and the Louisiana Pacific Corp. pulp mill in the Northern California community of Samoa.

Total releases of air toxics, carcinogens and chemicals that cause birth defects were 171.8 million pounds in 1989, the latest year for which figures are available.

That amount included 81.4 million pounds of air toxics, 20 million pounds of carcinogens and 51.5 million pounds of chemicals causing birth defects. Because several of the chemicals fall into more than one category, the numbers do not add up to 171.8 million pounds.