Federal officials in the US have sued a Louisiana chemical maker on Tuesday, over allegations that its operation presents an unacceptable cancer risk to the nearby majority-Black community and demand cuts in toxic emissions.
According to the federal complaint, Denka Performance Elastomer LLC makes synthetic rubber that emits the carcinogen chloroprene and other chemicals in such high concentrations that it poses an unacceptable cancer risk, especially children.
Although the former DuPont plant has reduced its emissions over time, the Justice Department who is filing the lawsuit on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency, is arguing that the plant still represents “an imminent and substantial endangerment to public health and welfare,″ including elevated cancer risks.
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“The company has not moved far enough or fast enough to reduce emissions or ensure the safety of the surrounding community,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan was quoted as saying in a statement.
Denka’s facility makes neoprene, a flexible, synthetic rubber used to produce common goods such as wetsuits, laptop sleeves, orthopedic braces and automotive belts and hoses. Chloroprene is a liquid raw material used to produce neoprene and is emitted into the air from various areas at the facility.
According to Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta, every community, irrespective its demographics, should be able to breathe clean air and drink clean water amd the lawsuit is with the aim to stop Denka’s dangerous pollution.
The lawsuit wants Denka to eliminate dangerous emissions of chloroprene after air monitoring consistently shows long-term chloroprene concentrations in the air near Denka’s LaPlace plant, as high as 15 times the levels recommended for a 70-year exposure to the chemical.
The complaint is the latest move by the Biden administration that targets pollution in the region that contains several hot spots where cancer risks are far above levels deemed acceptable by the EPA as the White House has prioritized environmental enforcement in communities overburdened by long-term pollution.
Story was adapted from AP.
