Heavy Metals Continue to be Found Near Glass Factories

State officials said Thursday afternoon that they have found evidence of heavy metals in the air near two Portland glass manufacturers.

Monitors found hexavalent chromium, cadmium, arsenic, and other heavy metals in the air during the last week of March, they said.

An official from the Oregon Health Authority said the levels are at a low risk of causing short term health problems but, officials added: "long-term effects of these metals are not known."

Officials added that the levels are still well below what they were found to be last October.

On Wednesday, officials with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality announced that the glass manufacturers - Bullseye in Southeast Portland and Uroboros in North Portland - would be subject to stricter regulation.

The use of heavy metals such as arsenic and chromium hexavalent became an issue when it turned out that traces of the metals were being found in moss growing in the neighborhood around the plants.

That led to the disclosure that the plants were not doing all that they could to limit emissions.