New EPA rule says over 200 US chemical plants must reduce toxic emissions linked to cancer

More than 200 chemical plants nationwide will be required to reduce toxic emissions linked to cancer under a new rule from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The new regulation advances the Biden administration’s commitment to environmental justice by implementing protections for vulnerable communities burdened by toxic air pollution from petrochemical plants. The new standards are also part of President Joe Biden’s initiative to lower cancer rates in the United States.

According to EPA assessments, about 104,000 people in the United States live within 6 miles of facilities that make synthetic organic chemicals and various polymers and resins, including neoprene. Those living near these facilities have cancer risks above 1 in 10,000 people.

Previous assessments from the EPA and public health experts have also noted that people living near polluting industrial facilities are disproportionately poor and more likely to be Black.

"President Biden believes every community in this country deserves to breathe clean air. That’s why I took the Journey to Justice tour to communities like St. John the Baptist Parish, where residents have borne the brunt of toxic air for far too long," EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a statement Tuesday. 

"We promised to listen to folks that are suffering from pollution and act to protect them. Today we deliver on that promise with strong final standards to slash pollution, reduce cancer risk, and ensure cleaner air for nearby communities."

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Toxic emissions can increase risk of lymphoma, leukemia

The new rule primarily targets industry plants that emit ethylene oxide and chloroprene, according to the EPA. Ethylene oxide is used as a sterilizing agent for medical equipment, and chloroprene is used to make synthetic rubber.

The two chemicals are mostly produced by facilities in Texas and Louisiana, where minority communities have elevated rates of cancer and other health problems. According to the EPA, long-term exposure to these two chemicals can increase the risks of certain types of cancer, such as lymphoma, leukemia, breast cancer and liver cancer.

Under the new rule, cancer risk for people living in these communities will be reduced by 96%, the EPA said, and more than 6,200 tons of toxic pollutants will be cut each year.

Once implemented and combined with another EPA rule issued last month restricting ethylene oxide emissions from commercial sterilization facilities, the new rule will reduce ethylene oxide and chloroprene emissions by nearly 80%, according to the agency.

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Patrice Simms, vice president of the environmental law firm Earthjustice, called the new rule "a victory in our pursuit for environmental justice." The rule also requires fence-line monitoring for covered processes and equipment that make, use, store or emit pollutants.

Fence-line monitoring will help chemical manufacturers identify possible leaks from their facilities, which they will have to find and make repairs if annual average air concentrations are higher than the threshold, according to the EPA.

Chemical plants will also be required to reduce emissions of other dangerous chemicals, such as benzene, 1,3-butadiene, ethylene dichloride, and vinyl chloride.

"By cutting emissions of these chemicals, the rule will reduce the risks of developing cancer from breathing in toxic air pollutants," the EPA said. "In addition, the rule will reduce smog-forming volatile organic compounds by 23,700 tons a year."

Minority communities most impacted by pollutants

Tuesday's announcement comes after the EPA filed a complaint against neoprene maker Denka in 2022 to force the company to cut chloroprene emissions at its facility in LaPlace, Louisiana. The Japanese company said this year that the EPA overstepped its authority when it sought rapid reductions of carcinogenic chloroprene emissions.

Since purchasing the facility in 2015, Denka said it has already invested over $35 million to reduce the facility’s chloroprene emissions. The company told USA TODAY it will review the EPA's new rule and technical documents once they are available.

"After addressing EPA’s unrealistic compliance deadline, (Denka Performance Elastomer) expects to join the ethylene oxide manufacturers across the U.S. in opposing the substantive requirements of this rule," Denka said in a statement Tuesday.

USA TODAY has reported that in 2018, the Denka plant released the highest amount of toxic chemicals − more than 75,000 pounds of chloroprene, which is about 42 times the amount of the next-highest emitter, according to EPA records. 

The plant is located in the Mississippi River Chemical Corridor, an 85-mile industrial region between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. The region is also known as "Cancer Alley" because of its high number of petrochemical plants.

Cancer Alley "continues to have a disproportionate number of Black citizens compared to the rest of the nation (forty percent of the population living in the Alley are Black, compared to twelve percent nationwide)," according to Keele University.

For several years, Black residents in the region have lobbied local and state officials to take action against petrochemical plants emitting toxic pollutants into the air.

Contributing: Reuters