Harmful Chemicals: Closer than You May Think

Located on Old Chemstrand road, in Cantonment, Fla., Huntsman Petrochemical Corporation is in close proximity to many residential areas and schools in Escambia County. Huntsman, which is a manufacturer for many of the nation’s leading chemicals, including clothing dyes, foam materials, lubricants and many others, is reported as one of the county’s biggest polluters.

The United States EPA, or Environmental Protection Agency, Toxics Release Inventory shows a report of the number of chemicals released into the environment each year, by a number of businesses. The TRI report was based on the 2010 national analysis data set, and was released to the public in October 2011.

The Huntsman Petrochemical Corporation is sited to dispose of, on-site and off-site, over 32 million pounds of chemicals each year into the environment.

The list of chemicals being released each year, range from seemingly harmless chemicals like Chlorine, to large amounts of dangerous toxicants like Copper, Nickel, Ammonia, and many others.

According to Scorecard, a website that evaluates and explains chemical compounds and the effects that they have on the human body, Copper is ranked as “more hazardous than most chemicals in 9 out of 9 ranking systems.” According to the TRI report, Huntsman releases over 42 thousand pounds of Copper and Copper compounds each year.

Scorecard lists Copper as a potential cardiovascular, blood, developmental, respiratory, kidney, and reproductive toxicant.

A release of Nitrate compounds, a less harmful chemical, totals over 5 million pounds a year from the same plant.

The Huntsman Corporation, which was originally centered on packaging and plastics, is now a manufacturer for many other products and differentiated chemicals. It’s operating companies, located in several states throughout the nation, produce chemicals for the health care, plastics, automotive, personal care, construction, paint, technology, and furniture industries, according to their website.

The corporation has more than 12 thousand employees.

Huntsman was mentioned in the USA Today special report titled, “The Smokestack Effect: Toxic Air and America’s Schools”, for operating and emitting chemicals closely to multiple area schools. The report lists Maleic anhydride and Acrylic acid as two of the most harmful chemicals the company emits.

It states that, Maleic anhydride is a uses to produce agricultural resins, dyes and pharmaceuticals. It is more harmful to children, than to adults and it can irritate the respiratory system and induce asthma. More than 9 thousand pounds are emitted each year.

Acrylic acid is used in production of plastics, paints and other products. It is a skin, eye, and mucus membrane irritant that can cause burns or more harmful effects. 3,724 pounds are reported to have been released each year.  

The number of chemicals released into the air each year is a surprisingly large number for many residents that have lived in the area for any period of time. It is something that many don’t seem to notice, but it might be something to start to look for when choosing a neighborhood in which to reside. 

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