The rockwool controversy pits WV "beautiful county" against manufacturing.
Expert weighs in on potential effects of Rockwool facility
By CLARISSA COTTRILL
and JOSH KELLEY
RANSON — Since July, concerned citizens from Jefferson County and beyond have spoken out at local government meetings against the impending Rockwool facility and its potential impacts on residents' health and the environment, but one state expert has weighed in on the issue.
According to the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection Air Quality Report, the chemicals to potentially be emitted from the two 21-story tall smoke stacks include formaldehyde, sulfur-dioxide, lead, carbon monoxide, soot, large and small particulate matter and sulfuric acid.
While there has been public outcry, the actual effects of these emissions are up in the air, according to West Virginia University Clinical Associate Professor Dr. Michael McCawley.
"In toxicology we are fully aware that it is the dose that truly makes the poison. In this case we do not know the dose yet," McCawley said. "Therefore, we cannot say with any certainty what the level of alarm should be."
The exact health effects of these emissions cannot be determined without knowledge about the interaction between the emissions, weather and terrain, which according to McCawley, highlights an issue with the Air Quality Permit process.
"The air permit does a poor job of answering the issue," he said. "So there is no wonder that citizens are in an uproar."
Those protesting the Rockwool facility that will produce stone wool used in building insulation for housing and other industrial projects have voiced concerns about the risk of cancer from the emissions and the impact on children's health because of its proximity to North Jefferson Elementary School.
"This is an issue of not only public safety, but environmental safety," said Regina Hendrix of the Eastern Panhandle Chapter of The Sierra Club at a Jefferson County Commission meeting this month. "You're either going to have hundreds of families staying, or hundreds of families leaving. I am not the first one to say it tonight, but I certainly won't be the last."
Expert opinion
Knowing what chemicals are among pollutants and how they are regulated can help the public understand the emissions coming from Rockwool and how people, animals and the environment will be affected, according to McCawley.
McCawley spent more than 27 years as a Public Health Service Officer with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, studying miners' health, occupational respiratory disease, aerosol measurement and ultrafine particles, according to WVU's website. He has experience working with wood dust, volcanic ash, diesel, coal mine dust, silica and beryllium.
"With the majority of these chemicals, these companies must tread carefully with how much of these pollutants they emit," he said. "Some, like formaldehyde, are not regulated by the WVDEP, but are regulated by the federal government."
The chemicals Rockwool will emit are slated to comply with federal regulations, according to a statement the company release earlier this month.
"Once up and running, we will continuously monitor and report on our operations to ensure ongoing compliance with all regulatory requirements," the statement said.
The upcoming Rockwool facility will have to demonstrate compliance to the federal limits for phenol, formaldehyde and menthol within 180 days of being operational, according to a press release from the company.
Rockwool Group North America President Trent Ogilvie said his team has been working with local authorities on establishing the Ranson facility between a series of closed meetings with city, county and state officials Aug. 8.
"We have followed all regulations to ensure that we are well below the regulation standard," he said. "We see the regulation standards and we try to go below those to make sure we have a bugger in case something should happen. With (Volatile Organic Compounds) like formaldehyde, we will only allow 0.23 micrograms per meter cubed. This is 10 times lower than Virginia's standard."
According to information supplied from Rockwool, the company uses "Best Achievable Control Technologies," which are used to keep emissions below federal and state limits.
Other information from the company said although the state of West Virginia does not require "air modeling" – a mathematical simulation of how pollutants are dispersed in the atmosphere – the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency passed the MACT, or Maximum Achievable Control Technology, standards in 2015. These standards placed federal limits on all mineral wool insulation manufacturers, including Rockwool, a company factsheet said.
The response the human body has to these regulated chemicals can come in the form of inflammation and the severity varies based on exposure levels, McCawley said.
"The body produces chemicals in response to irritations, like a bug bite, and in doing so can cause inflammation to occur," he said. "The problem with inflammation is that it is the basis of almost all chronic diseases like heart and lung disease, but it can also greatly affect those that suffer from asthma and other problems."
In addition to the issue of inflammation, McCawley said VOCs provide support for the public's concerns about cancer risks.
"The VOCs are one of the primary sources of cancer risk, especially benzene," he said. "The VOCs, however, are not usually counted among the National Ambient Air Quality Standard criteria air pollutants. Among the NAAQS pollutants, the particulate matter would pose the highest cancer risk, all things being equal, though possibly not have as high a potential as VOCs for potency as a carcinogen."
A carcinogen is defined by the CDC as a cancer-causing agent often either in the environment or in the workplace.
Public concern of cancer risk is coupled with those who have issue with the facility being so close to North Jefferson Elementary School, Wildwood Middle School and T.A. Lowery causing many to protest at Jefferson County Schools Board of Education meetings.
"How (the emissions) affect kids will depend on weather and terrain," McCawley said. "It is fairly complicated to predict. Children's risk of exposure is similar to the risk of cancer … it all depends on the amount of exposure. Too much means they'll get sick fast. A little exposure means they just got exposed to some chemicals … it is still bad regardless."
Protests continue
While the risks of these exact levels of emissions remain questionable, the public outcry to Rockwool in recent weeks has been continuous. Crowds between 30 and 300 showed up at several Jefferson County Commission, Charles Town City Council and JCBOE meetings to voice their concerns. The Sierra Club, Citizens Concerned With Rockwool, Eastern Panhandle Protectors Group and other organizations have come out against the project.
"I speak for many when we say that there will be a lot of families moving out if Rockwool moves in," resident and online group member Leigh Smith said at an Aug. 8 Charles Town City Council meeting. "I am not going to have my kids growing up and going a school 2 miles away from that facility."
Rockwool's plans to open its Ranson location was announced in July 2017, according to Journal reports. This will be Rockwool's second facility in the U.S. The first is located in Byhalia, Mississippi.
Government officials and bodies have also joined the conversation. The JCBOE has asked the facility to conduct a Human Health Risk assessment to learn more facts in order to support or reject the project.
Jefferson County Commissioner Jane Tabb has also come out in opposition to the project.
"After listening to concerned citizens, doing my own research and much soul searching, I can no longer support the Rockwool project due to air quality issues," she said in a statement. "The Rockwool plant location has the potential to impact a large number of school age children and others with health issues. I do not feel that the Clean Air standards are adequate to avoid negative impacts to our citizens and visitors. I acknowledge that Rockwool has met all the legal requirements to proceed with the project. However, the air quality issues are a game changer for me and I will work to turn this around."
While the exact effects of pollution from Rockwool remain unknown, McCawley said this highlights an issue in the permit process and he feels the public is justified in its reaction.
"Until there is political pressure to change how permitting is done, nothing is going to change," he said. "People should; therefore, protest loud and long, throw up roadblocks every change they get and exact a political price from the regulators who allow any new sources of pollution."
Another step forward to McCawley would be to practice transparency and have more sampling sites for projects like this set up, including some run by the WVDEP, Rockwool and oversight groups.
"If the plant is interested in being a good neighbor it should be interested in doing so transparently and openly with the community," he said. "There is no perform solution but there may be, for the time being, ones that are better than what we've got
Harpers Ferry, WV
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