HAZARDOUS AIR POLLUTANTS
Residents of Clairton and Glassport, Pa., endure record-high cancer risk from hazardous air pollutants

The Clairton coke works facility in Allegheny County emits hazardous air pollutants that are causing record-high levels of cancer among residents, according to a new EPA study.

Protect your family’s future today. Consider filing an environmental lawsuit with the help of a Clairton lawyer from Weitz & Luxenberg, long recognized by the legal establishment for securing record-setting verdicts and settlements for clients and communities harmed by environmental pollutants.

EPA report on hazardous air pollutants in Clairton, Pa.

October 8, 2009 - Pennsylvania residents living in the towns of Clairton and Glassport are exposed to toxic air pollutants that make their risk of getting cancer 20-times greater than the national average, according to a new report by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The USX Clairton Works facility in Allegheny County, Pa., is the largest coke processing facility in the nation. The top three hazardous air pollutants emitted by the plant in 2007 were nitrates, ammonia and benzene.

Residents in the area record some of the highest cancer rates in the country, the EPA reports. For example, the cancer risk for Clairton, Pa., residents is 762 in 1 million; and for nearby Glassport, Pa., 700 in 1 million. These figures represent the third- and fourth-highest cancer risk rates in the United States. The national average cancer risk is 36 in 1 million.

Particulates, organics and heavy metals

In Clairton, U.S. Steel’s coke works facility remains one of the biggest air pollution sources in the country, despite the company’s multimillion-dollar expenditures over the last 20 years to reduce air pollution.

“We know there are risks associated with industrial pollutants in the Mon Valley, including particulates, organics and heavy metals,” said Dr. Bruce Dixon, director of the Allegheny County Health Department, which monitors coke works emissions. “You wouldn’t build a coke works in a river valley today, but that’s how they did it back then.”

A U.S. Steel spokesperson reportedly declined to comment on the EPA study and the facility’s effect on the health of local residents, saying only that the company is reviewing it.

Weitz & Luxenberg for Allegheny County families

If your health has been adversely impacted by the air pollution in your neighborhood, we encourage you to contact us for a free legal review.

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see also:

Health Risks Clairton Coke Works Cancer Legal Review | Weitz & Luxenberg
Clairton Coke Works air quality issues: Pittsburgh residents at risk

Benzene Exposure Benzene Pollution Cancer | Weitz & Luxenberg
Benzene air pollution from Clairton Coke Works linked to cancer risks

Pollution Risk Nitrates And Cancer Clairton, PA | Weitz & Luxenberg
Free consult for Mon Valley residents injured by nitrates and cancer