The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "toxic emission" ...
-
C-HIT: Toxic Laundry Emissions
Industrial laundries in New England have recently come under intense scrutiny by the EPA, ever since the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) found that volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) were being released at a facility in Waterbury, CT. According to Steve Rapp, Chief of the Air Technical Unit, EPA Region 1, the problem is widespread and significant. “The industrial laundries are grossly under-reporting their VOCs,” said Rapp. “It’s a total sleeper.” The problem stems from the process of laundering shop towels, which are often contaminated with toxic solvents. When improperly cleaned, the solvents are vaporized and emitted to the surrounding air. This article investigated this little-known source of air pollution, shedding light on the industry’s practices and its impact on air quality and public health.
Tags: Volatile organic compunds; VOC's; DEEP; air quality; public health
-
Poisoned Places: Tonawanda
It's difficult to definitively link any one person's illness to air pollution from a particular plant. But the concerns about the health effects of Tonawanda Coke's toxic pollution rallied a small group of people in Tonawanda -- most of them sick -- to force complacent regulators to clean up the air. The case highlights the risks posed to communities around the country by an environmental regulatory system that largely entrusts companies to voluntarily disclose how much toxic pollution they emit and that can take years to act once violations are discovered.
Tags: air pollution; toxic emission; Tonawanda; Coke; health effects;
-
"A Toxin in the Air"
Toxic emissions have been found near natural gas facilities in the Barnett Shale in Texas, an area that spreads out over 15 counties. Originally, the emission were believed to be non-harmful, but recent testing reveals "high level of benzene, a cancer-causing toxin." WFAA also reveals a major "lack of oversight" of "drilling in the Barnett Shale."
Tags: Barnett Shale; Fort Worth; environmental agency; benzene; natural gas; Texas Commission on Environmental Quality; TCEQ; North Central Texas Communities Alliance; Al Armendariz
-
Industries clean up act -- and OC
The Orange County Register analyzed EPA records for 221 businesses to find an overall decrease in toxic pollution, though emission of one particular suspected carcinogen increased. Lists the newspaper compiled show the biggest toxic sources in California, a ranking of toxic emissions by zip code, and the biggest toxic sources in Orange County. One story in the package discusses the limitations to the federal law that requires businesses that use one of 310 toxic chemicals to report any releases.
Tags: toxic pollution; Toxic release inventory; environment; toxic chemicals; Environmental Protection Agency
-
"Toxic air: Lingering health menace"
This ongoing series uncovered the extent of hazardous air pollution in Louisville, the health risks, the source of pollution, and the failure of federal and local regulators to better address the problems. The newspaper's own independent analysis of air sampling data, published months before the EPA's own official assessment was released, showed pollutants in some areas at concentrations hundreds of times higher than established health thresholds. The series also includes a detailed look at the impact of toxic wastes from industrial plants.
Tags: air pollution; smog; EPA; environment; health; CAR; computer-assisted reporting; industrial pollution; emissions
-
Smoke Screen
New Times investigates the government smog fighting program, which attempts to clean the air by junking old cars. The story finds that the program is "an ineffective farce." The reporter quotes a top inspector for Southern California's smog-fighting agency, who says the project is mostly "a car-disposal program for people who have many cars, not an emissions reduction program." People who bring their cars to scrap yards, often use the newfound cash to fix other cars they have, or they come back and buy cheap parts of the car they have just turned in. "Meanwhile, industrial polluters are able to dodge any serious smog controls," The publication reports.
Tags: automobiles; cars; government; South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD); smog; industrial pollutants; environment; health; toxics; Northrop Corp.
-
Raising a Stink
Residents of Blue Island are convinced toxic releases from the nearby Clark oil refinery are causing cancer and respiratory ailments. The reporter documents the refinery's troubled history of explosions, toxic emissions and safety violations.
-
No title (id: 13735)
WXII-TV revealed the identities of the largest industrial polluters in the area. The investigation looked solely at toxic air emissions since chemical releases into waterways doesn't occur to as large a degree in the area. The report also included the health risks associated with these chemical emissions. (November 4 & 5, 1996)
-
No title (id: 7914)
Plain Dealer (Cleveland) examines polluted neighborhoods and finds high rates of cancer and birth defects; Ohio ranks No. 2 in the nation for toxic air emissions and No. 3 in total toxic releases, Jan. 27, 1991.
Tags: None
-
Without a Trace
Technology Review studies substandard medical-waste incinerators at hospitals which spew tons of toxic emissions into the air.
Tags: Pollution; medical-waste; toxic emissions