Sierra Club Indian Peaks Group Newsletter Article October 2, 2002

CEMEX PLANT WANTS TO BURN TOXIC TIRES
By Mary Dobbs

Cemex Cement Corporation, based in Monterrey Mexico, has proposed burning 700,000 tires per year in their cement kiln as a supplemental fuel at their Lyons Plant in Boulder County. In doing this they will net substantial savings for their billion dollar corporation. They claim burning tires for fuel is safe.
Many community residents and environmental groups strongly disagree.

Tires are made of rubber which contains many suspected carcinogens such as styrene and butadiene. Other hazardous materials contained in tire derived fuel include sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, particulate matter, chlorine, Dioxins, PCBs, hexavalent Chromium, lead, mercury, cadmium and many more. These chemicals are reportedly cause cancer and reproductive toxicity. The emissions of these toxins bio accumulate in the community's soil and threaten the health of the county's gardens and agricultural interests.



Alarming Toxic Emissions

Cemex's annual emissions are already alarming; carbon monoxide 185 tons and 635 tons of Particulate Matter along with lead, mercury and other toxic substances. One of the greatest concerns is that cement kilns are not state of the art incinerators. They have no secondary after burners to protect the community from the serious toxic emissions during an uncontrolled upset at the plant. There were eight upsets in the first half of 2002!



A Major Source of Particulate Pollutants

The Natural Resources Defense Council's 1996 reports, "Cement kilns are large air polluters. They are major source of particulate matter (soot and dust) which is toxic to humans in its own right. When waste is burned in cement kilns, this particulate matter acts like a magnet for the unburned toxic metals such as lead, arsenic, cadmium, chromium and products of incomplete combustion emitted from their stacks. This "toxic enrichment" of the tons of particulate matter the cement kilns release into the air creates a public health hazard we believe should not be imposed up us or our children."



According to Dr. Neil Carman PhD, "people who live down wind of cement plants already carry unhealthy burdens of toxic dioxin and heavy metals". These toxins also threaten our children because their bodies are smaller and they ingest greater amounts of food and drinks thereby increasing their exposure and risk. There are two elementary schools down wind of Cemex. According to the EPA, there are no safe levels of exposure to hazardous materials for children. Help us oppose Cemex's dangerous plan!



Mary L. Dobbs

Visit the Environmental Justice Project Website at

www.theglobalpeacefoundation.org or call Mary Dobbs, 303 823 6383