|
May 15, 2023
Media contacts: Jonathan Modie, 971-246-9139, PHD.Communications@oha.oregon.gov
Release caps years-long effort to determine health risks related to company’s emissions
PORTLAND, Ore.—Oregon Health Authority (OHA) has published its final draft of the public health assessment on southeast Portland’s Bullseye Glass Co., capping a years-long effort to document emissions and their potential effect on the surrounding community.
OHA’s Environmental Health Assessment Program posted the final Bullseye Glass Company Public Health Assessment on its website after reviewing public comments on a draft of the report that were submitted between June 2021 and June 2022. The website also includes a link to a summary fact sheet on the key findings of the report. The assessment explains the extent and severity of emissions, and what is known about how people in the surrounding community were affected.
Work on the assessment started in March 2016, weeks after the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) released air sampling results that found elevated levels of heavy metals in the air near the site. DEQ had conducted the air monitoring in October 2015 after a U.S. Forest Service study located possible sources of cadmium emissions using tree moss samples collected around Portland between 2013 and 2015.
Among other conclusions, the assessment found long-term exposure to that air could have harmed the health of people breathing it, had steps not been taken to reduce emissions.
The assessment also found that DEQ’s October 2015 air monitoring represented too short a time to know the exact health risks for people who lived, worked and attended school in the area before Bullseye Glass reduced its emissions in February 2016.
In addition, the assessment confirmed that the contaminants posing the greatest risk around the company’s site were cadmium and arsenic, although there was insufficient information about hexavalent chromium levels prior to February 2016. Bullseye was known to use chromium in its production, but DEQ’s October 2015 air monitoring did not produce reliable results for chromium.
Bullseye’s February 2016 actions to limit emissions, including installing emissions control devices, reduced current and future cancer risk for those exposed over 50 times and non-cancer risk over 100 times.
Finally, the assessment found that exposure to the air, soil and garden produce around Bullseye Glass since February 2016 will not harm health.
Discovery of the metals in Bullseye’s emissions highlighted a gap in federal industrial air toxics rules implemented by Oregon that has since been addressed by the adoption of state rules known as Cleaner Air Oregon.
Cleaner Air Oregon regulates emissions based on health risks to neighbors to prevent situations like this from happening again. OHA works closely with DEQ to ensure that the standards used in the program are protective of the most vulnerable people in Oregon.
For background about the Bullseye Public Health Assessment, visit OHA’s Environmental Health Assessment Program Bullseye Glass Co. page. Learn more about Cleaner Air Oregon at the program website.
###
 You are subscribed to Oregon Health Authority News Releases. View all OHA news releases.
|
