Less Pollution a Silver Lining in Cloud of Toxic Output

Manufacturers reported releasing more than 7.9 million pounds of toxic emissions into the air in the Southeast/Long Beach area in 1990, with companies in Long Beach, Commerce and Santa Fe Springs accounting for most of that pollution.

The amount of toxic air emissions, which include substances that cause cancer, damage the body’s organs and erode the Earth’s protective ozone layer, was a little less than the previous year, when 8.2 million pounds were emitted, according to the firms’ own estimates.

Toxic emissions add to the health risk posed by more-common pollutants that damage the lungs and deprive the body of life-sustaining oxygen.

The manufacturers are required to provide estimates of their toxic emissions to the government under a “community right-to-know” law, which was adopted by Congress in 1986. More than 300 toxic substances are covered by the reporting program, which does not regulate toxic pollution or analyze the health risk it presents.

Local air pollution officials said the drop in toxic emissions is encouraging, but they also noted that the reporting program does not provide a complete picture. The program does not cover major sources of pollution such as chemical and fuel storage yards, industrial dry cleaners and government facilities.

In addition, further study is needed to predict the cumulative health risk posed by the myriad of toxic pollutants, officials said. The level of exposure, which is affected by distance from the source of pollution, wind direction and geography, is the key factor, they added.

A 1988 study by the South Coast Air Quality Management District predicted that residents spending a lifetime in the Long Beach area have a chance of 1,086 in 1 million of contracting cancer as a direct result of toxic pollutants in the air. Theoretically, if 1 million people were to spend 70 years in the area, 1,086 would develop cancer. The cancer risk in Bell Gardens and Maywood was placed at 902 in 1 million.

But that study may have understated the risk, officials said. It included 20 especially toxic pollutants, but there are hundreds of other pollutants as well.

“The bottom line behind air toxics is exposure. What are people being exposed to?” said Robert R. Pease, planning manager of the AQMD’s toxics section. “We can’t get a picture of that (yet).” The AQMD is the local agency that regulates air pollution from factories and other stationary sources.

Douglas Aircraft Co. in Long Beach was the largest single source of toxic emissions in the Southeast/Long Beach area in 1990. With 1.37 million pounds of toxic pollution, the airplane manufacturer was the fourth largest emitter of toxic air pollution in California in 1990, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s reporting program.

The second largest emitter in Southeast/Long Beach was Hickory Springs of California, a City of Commerce firm that discharged 1.02 million pounds of toxic emissions in 1990. The firm manufactures polyurethane foam for furniture and other products.

Because of Douglas Aircraft, Long Beach accounted for the most toxic emissions among Southeast area cities in 1990. Manufacturing firms in the city discharged 1.74 million pounds of toxic substances.

Commerce was next at 1.13 million pounds, with Hickory Springs as the major source.

Manufacturers in Santa Fe Springs discharged 1.07 million pounds of toxic emissions. Le Fiell Manufacturing Co., which produces boat and aerospace parts, was Santa Fe Springs’ largest source of toxic emissions, discharging 221,000 pounds.

Manufacturing firms within the Compton city limits put out about 572,000 pounds, but the emissions climb to 1.52 million pounds when a firm in the unincorporated area near Compton is included. Crain Industries, which manufactures polyurethane foam for furniture and other products, accounted for more than 950,000 pounds.

Officials from the four cities said they are concerned about toxic air pollution, but they defer to the AQMD and to state and federal agencies to regulate such emissions.

Long Beach Councilman Ray Grabinski, who has been active in environmental issues, said many manufacturers are trying to reduce emissions, but more improvement is needed.

“Clearly the public and business, in general, has been acting fat, dumb and happy about putting out emissions,” Grabinski said.

The toxic emissions are from chemicals considered essential to manufacturing items ranging from commercial jetliners to camper shells and printed flyers.

The solvent 1,1,1-trichloroethane, TCA for short, accounts for a good deal of the local emissions. TCA is used as a cleaner and as a degreaser of metal. Printers, for example, use it to wipe down press rollers, and manufacturers of aerospace parts use it to leave high-tech parts sparkling clean. TCA made the government’s toxic list because it depletes the Earth’s ozone layer, which protects against the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays.

Another common toxic pollutant is methylene chloride, a clear liquid used as a paint stripper and metal degreaser. It also is used to produce plastics and foam. Methylene chloride irritates the skin and in high concentrations affects the heart and central nervous system. It is considered a potential cause of cancer in humans.

Many of the manufacturing firms emitting toxic substances are in industrial areas, a good distance from residential neighborhoods. But in some cases, rows of homes border the plants. The greatest potential risk is posed to residents who live or work near the sources of emissions, according to health studies. But toxic pollution from a single plant may also spread over miles.

For example, emissions from Douglas Aircraft increase the cancer risk to nearby residents by as much as 620 in 1 million, according to a recent study under review by the AQMD. But those emissions also increase the cancer risk by as much as 1 in a million for residents as far north as Downey and more than 20 miles to the east, past Anaheim Hills in Orange County, the study said.

The AQMD is currently requiring nearly 400 firms to produce such studies to assess the health risk their emissions pose to area residents. The firms hire independent consultants to produce the studies, which are reviewed by the AQMD for accuracy.

Under state law, firms that present significant health risks will be required to notify nearby residents of those risks. The AQMD has yet to establish criteria for notification, a spokesman said.

Final results of those studies are months away, and it will take more time for officials to assess the cumulative impact.

More than 180 firms in the Southeast/Long Beach area reported toxic emissions to the EPA. Of those, 57 released a larger amount of toxic pollution in 1990 compared to 1989, and 91 posted reductions.

Many firms have been prodded into making reductions by local and state clean-air regulations. In addition, the Montreal Protocol, an environmental accord among 53 nations, and the federal Clean Air Act have forced companies to begin seeking substitutes for ozone-depleting chemicals.

Saving money is another factor. The AQMD imposes fees for excessive emissions. In addition, most of the toxic emissions are from cleaners and other increasingly costly chemicals. What is discharged into the air is waste to the manufacturer.

Many manufacturers are cutting emissions by simply fixing leaks in their equipment. Others are installing expensive equipment to cut air pollution. Some firms are switching to water-based paints and cleaners, and to other chemicals that are not on the federal “toxics list.”

But the area’s two largest sources of toxic emissions did not follow the trend.

Toxic emissions from Douglas Aircraft jumped by about 227,000 pounds in 1990, a 20% increase over the previous year. Increased aircraft production accounted for the additional emissions, spokesman John Thom said.

Douglas Aircraft has sought to curb toxic pollution by installing equipment to reduce emissions from solvents, among other measures, said Thom, who declined to reveal the cost of those improvements.

“The aim is to reduce (toxic pollution) . . . but there also will be a higher level of activity at our plant for ‘91,” Thom said.

Hickory Springs, the area’s second largest source, also increased emissions because of more production, General Manager Bobby Bush said. The firm discharged about 30% more toxic pollutants--235,000 pounds--into the air in 1990 than in 1989.

But at the direction of air quality officials, Hickory Springs has begun cutting back its use of methylene chloride because it is a probable carcinogen. The plant emitted 518,744 pounds of methylene chloride into the air in 1990, compared to 754,758 pounds in 1989.

Bush is one of many managers who are not happy about increasingly stringent pollution-control regulations. Those regulations may force manufacturers to use chemicals that are less effective and more costly, several plant managers said.

And as far as Bush is concerned, some of the regulations are simply overly protective.

“I’ve been around foam plants all my life,” Bush said. “I think methylene chloride has gotten a bad rap as a possible carcinogen.”

Myers Container Corp. in Huntington Park is one firm that reduced emissions by more than half--from 198,975 pounds in 1989 to 90,745 pounds in 1990.

Myers cut its toxic emissions by switching to a new water-based paint and a new interior lining for the 55-gallon steel drums it manufactures, said spokesman Kyle Stavig.

Stavig said increasingly stringent environmental laws drove his firm to use the new coatings, which are a little more costly and must be applied with greater precision.

“We would have had to cut down production or shut down the facility,” he said.

Stavig said he did not know the additional cost to his firm. But he and other managers said such costs would be passed on to the consumer.

Metal Surfaces Inc. in Bell Gardens reduced its emissions by 47% in 1990 compared to 1989. That meant about 80,000 fewer pounds of toxic chemicals went into the air around the plant.

The firm applies copper, gold, silver and other metal platings to parts for cars and military aircraft, among other things. Most of its emissions come from solvents that are used to degrease parts before delivery.

In all, Metal Surfaces Inc. has spent about $40,000 in the last two years to fix leaks, modify production and install new equipment to reduce toxic emissions, President Sam Bell said. Further reductions are expected this year, he said.

Congress passed the toxic emissions reporting law after the deadly chemical disaster at a Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, India, in 1984. More than 3,000 people died and 150,000 others were injured in that disaster.

But the “right-to-know” law has drawn criticism because it extends only to manufacturers and does not include other large polluters.

There are other holes as well. Manufacturers with fewer than 10 employees are not required to file. And emissions from chemicals do not have to be reported unless a manufacturer uses more than 10,000 pounds of the chemical in a given year.

Officials of the congressional Office of Technology Assessment have estimated that the reporting law may reveal as little as 5% of the toxic emissions released by U.S. industry.

But Steve Newburgh-Rinn, chief of the public data branch for the EPA’s office of toxic substances, has said the data is more comprehensive. Newburgh-Rinn said he could not estimate the portion of toxic emissions covered.

Community correspondent Connie Simonian and Times researchers Dan Malcor and Janet Lundblad contributed to this story.

How to Obtain Toxic Air Data

Toxic emission data for specific manufacturers--or all manufacturers within a particular ZIP code, a city or an entire county--can be obtained from the California Environmental Protection Agency in Sacramento.

Data seekers can call the Cal EPA help desk at (916) 327-1848, or write: Cal EPA, Office of Environmental Information, 555 Capitol Mall, Room 525, Sacramento, Calif. 95814.

Floppy discs containing a full year of data for the entire state may also be purchased for $50 each. Discs are available for 1987, ‘88, ’89 and ’90.

Top Polluters in the Southeast/Long Beach Area

Manufacturing firms are required to provide statistics on emissions of about 340 chemicals as part of a “community right to know” law passed by Congress in 1986. The numbers on the map correspond to the ranking of the companies according to the amount of toxic emissions generated. Company: 1. Douglas Aircraft Co. Address: 3855 Lakewood Blvd., Long Beach Main product: Airplanes Estimated emissions in 1990 (in pounds): 1.37 million % change ‘89-’90: +20 Main pollutants emitted: Methylene chloride, TCA Company: 2. Hickory Springs of California Address: 4542 E. Dunham St., Commerce Main product: Polyurethane foam for furniture and other products Estimated emissions in 1990 (in pounds): 1.02 million % change ‘89-’90: +30 Main pollutants emitted: Methylene chloride, TCA Company: 3. Crain Industries Address: 19201 S. Reyes Ave., Compton Main product: Polyurethane foam for furniture and other products Estimated emissions in 1990 (in pounds): 951,775 % change ‘89-’90: -4 Main pollutants emitted: Methylene chloride Company: 4. CMC Printed Bag Co. Address: 2615 Pacific Park Drive, Whittier Main product: Plastic bags Estimated emissions in 1990 (in pounds): 578,500 % change ‘89-’90: +49 Main pollutants emitted: TCA Company: 5. Golden Hill Wood Products Address: 2540 Industry Way, Lynwood Main product: Dressers, drawers and other wood products Estimated emissions in 1990 (in pounds): 345,250 % change ‘89-’90: +6 Main pollutants emitted: Methyl ethyl ketone, TCA Company: 6. Le Fiell Manufacturing Co. Address: 13700 Firestone Blvd., Santa Fe Springs Main product: Boat and aerospace parts Estimated emissions in 1990 (in pounds): 221,000 % change ‘89-’90: -14 Main pollutants emitted: TCA Company: 7. Lewis Industries Inc. Address: 10035 Geary Ave., Santa Fe Springs Main product: Polyurethane foam for bedding and other products Estimated emissions in 1990 (in pounds): 212,273 % change ‘89-’90: -9 Main pollutants emitted: TCA Company: 8. TABC Inc. Address: 6375 Paramount Blvd., Long Beach Main product: Truck beds Estimated emissions in 1990 (in pounds): 169,220 % change ‘89-’90: +5 Main pollutants emitted: Xylene Company: 9. PMC Specialties Group Address: 10051 Romandel Ave., Santa Fe Springs Main product: Bulk chemicals by recycling industrial waste Estimated emissions in 1990 (in pounds): 150,779 % change ‘89-’90: +62 Main pollutants emitted: Methyl isobutyl ketone Company: 10. AAA Plating & Inspection Address: 424 Dixon St., Compton Main product: Protective coatings to aerospace parts Estimated emissions in 1990 (in pounds): 130,000 % change ‘89-’90: -28 Main pollutants emitted: TCA Company: 11. Golden West Refining Co. Address: 13539 E. Foster Road, Santa Fe Springs Main product: Gasoline and related petroleum products Estimated emissions in 1990 (in pounds): 122,709 % change ‘89-’90: -49 Main pollutants emitted: Xylene, toluene Source: California Environmental Protection Agency