Montco Facility Lands On National 100 'Super Polluters' List

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA — A Montgomery County processing center has landed on a recently released list of the nation's 100 "super polluters" which identifies where toxic and potentially hazardous. chemicals are being released into the air.

Custom Processing Services, Inc., a manufacturing facility in East Greenville, was named in the list. According to EPA statistics, the company had 993 "on-site releases" of all chemicals in 2018, which covers emissions into air, water, and land.

Patch has reached out to Customer Processing Services for comment on this study.

The study was put together by the Environmental Integrity Project, in partnership with the United Church of Christ. Called "Breath to the People," the project notes the following releases for Custom Processing:

• Total reported air releases (tons): 0.49
• Inhalation toxicity-weighted air releases (million tons): 7.23
• Population within 1 mile: 2,951
• Number of children under age 5 within a mile: 210

The 80,000 square foot plant runs coarse processing operations, hammer milling, blending, and other services in two warehouse buildings, according to their website.

“This report is our latest attempt to draw attention to the many threats posed by industrial pollution—especially to those living in close proximity the emission sources—and to provide common-sense and long-lasting solutions," Courtney Bernhardt, research director for the Environmental Integrity Project, said in a statement.

The study includes 100 industrial facilities which it says contribute the most to toxic air pollution in heavily populated areas around the country. The Environmental Integrity Project, a research firm, analyzed self-reported data from 15,500 facilities around the nation.

A total of 39 percent of all toxic air emissions in the country are released by the 100 facilities on this list, according to researchers.

The list includes facilities in 28 states. Eight of the 100 polluters are in Pennsylvania. Outside of Montgomery County, there are also two other major polluters in eastern Pennsylvania: B. Braun Medical Inc Manufacturing Division in Allentown, and Carpenter Technology Corp. in Reading.