Toxic Waste Being Reduced In Cuyahoga, Across Ohio

CLEVELAND, OH — Toxic waste releases are at a seven-year low in Cuyahoga County, according to the EPA's Toxics Release Inventory study (TRI). Ohio is also seeing a trend toward less toxic waste being disposed of, hitting new low in releases statewide.

There are more than 21,600 sites across the United States in the toxics release inventory. In general, chemicals covered by the program are those that cause cancer and other chronic health problems or pose significant environmental threats.

Ohio is the state with the fifth most toxic waste releases per square mile. Still, the state is making efforts to reduce the amount of toxic waste being disposed of and is seeing a trend downward. There was 102 million pounds of toxic waste disposed of in the Buckeye State in 2016, the lowest total since at least 2003. That's down from 113 million in 2015 and 121 million pounds in 2014 for comparison.

Cuyahoga County has been making similar strides to curb its toxic waste production and disposal. Cuyahoga County had about 7 million pounds of waste to dispose of in 2016. More than 47 million pounds of waste was either disposed of, recycled, treated, used for energy recovery or source reduction.

The county hasn't had that little toxic waste since 2009, when there was about 4.5 million pounds of toxic waste disposed of. With 6.9 million pounds of toxic waste disposed of in 2016, it's the second lowest amount of waste since 2003, according to EPA data.

The largest toxic waste producer in the county is ArcelorMittal, the steel plant. The company had more than 4.3 million pounds of toxic waste to dispose of in 2016, the majority of it disposed of by ground. The majority of the releases took place on-site, according to EPA data.

The majority of the chemicals being released into the water in Cuyahoga County are nitrate compounds. Cornell University said that excess nitrates in drinking water can lead to "blue baby" syndrome, though they won't have the same impact on older children and adults. Water is regularly tested for its nitrate levels.

More ominously, the EPA said the majority of compounds being released into the air in the county fall into the "other" category. The largest identified compound being released into the air is zinc. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry says very little is known about the long-term effects of exposure to zinc.

To see the full report for the county, click here.

Photo from Rick Uldricks, Patch