Governor Brown Orders Cease and Desist to Bullseye

Governor Kate Brown has directed the state's Department of Environmental Quality to order Bullseye Glass to stop using several "hazards air pollutants" - including lead.

For 10 days.

The move came after air monitoring at a daycare facility near Bullseye Glass in Southeast Portland showed "an immediate, short-term health risk from lead levels that were four times above the 24-hour benchmark."

The order from DEQ requires Bullseye to stop using lead, arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, all chromium compounds, cobalt, manganese, nickel, and selenium in any uncontrolled furnace.

The lead levels are of such concern that Multnomah County Health Officials will conduct screenings on Friday May 20 from 2 p.m. - 6 p.m. at the Southeast Health Center at 33rd and Powell.

There will be more lead testing next week at a site and times to be determined.

The concerning air results were from tests done May 9th but it takes several days to get them processed, officials said.

They were able to use weather data to determine that winds had carried the lead from the plant to the daycare center.

The air monitoring has been taking place since earlier this year when The Portland Mercury broke the story of how alarming levels of arsenic and cadmium had been found near the factory.

Since then there have questions about what DEQ knew and when did they know it.