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L/FOG Temp: 45 °F Wind: SSE at 3 mph Saturday, November 23, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend August 25, 2002 Valley’s air called state’s 2nd dirtiest DEQ will turn its attention here in a few years, after it deals with No. 1 Portland By JOHN DARLING for the Mail Tribune The Rogue Valley’s air has been judged the second worst in Oregon for air toxins, and the state Department of Environmental Quality has a plan to fix it over the next decade. Improving air quality The Department of Environmental Quality says local residents can start reducing air toxins by: Driving less, carpooling or using public transportation Using electric mowers and garden tools Using nontoxic paint and insecticides Avoiding wood heat Refraining from open burning Keeping cars tuned up Air quality samples, newly modeled against "health benchmarks" by the federal Environmental Protection Agency, show Jackson County exceeds limits for 12 chemicals, making it the second most polluted metro area in Oregon. Worse, it exceeds the health benchmarks by 10 times for three cancer-causing chemicals — benzene, chromium and formaldehyde. The figures, part of a National Air Toxics Assessment, were released by the EPA in June and were followed by a public hearing here Tuesday in which the DEQ proposed new rules to mitigate the air toxins over coming years. Medford’s air toxins came in second after the Portland area, which, because of the city’s large population, will get the DEQ’s attention first, said Sarah Armitage, DEQ natural resource specialist in Portland who presented the information in Medford this week. The ratings are based on 6-year-old figures, she noted. They will be updated later this year with readings from 1999, which may alter Medford’s second-place ranking. Benzene, "the big one," said Armitage, comes mostly from motor vehicle exhaust and gas fueling and is known to cause cancer and depression of the central nervous system. Formaldehyde comes from vehicle exhaust, forest fires and manufacturing and can cause cancer, respiratory damage and weakening of the immune system. Chromium comes from solid-waste incineration, chrome plating and oil and coal burning and can cause cancer, respiratory damage and immune system disorders. The Rogue Valley’s other chemicals that exceed health limits are as follows. The DEQ did not specify by how much they exceeded in its report, only that the amount was less than 10 times. Acrolein, from vehicle exhaust, oil and coal burning and forest fires; can cause respiratory damage. 1,3-Butadiene, from vehicles and wood stoves; can cause cancer and heart disease. Carbon tetrachloride, from cleaning fluid, propellant and refrigeration fluid; can cause cancer and liver and kidney damage. Chloroform, from paper mills, landfills, water treatment plants; can cause cancer, central nervous system depression and liver damage. Diesel particulate from diesel exhaust; can cause cancer and respiratory damage. Ethylene dibromide, pesticide and former gasoline additive; can cause cancer and reproductive disorders. Ethylene dichloride, from chemical production, cleaning solvents; can cause cancer. Nickel, from metals production and solid waste burning; can cause cancer and nickel sensitivity. Polycyclic organic matter, from vehicles, wood stoves, asphalt and slash and field burning; can cause cancer, respiratory damage. Most of the 12 chemicals exceed health limits in all five Southwestern Oregon counties: Josephine, Douglas, Coos, Curry and Jackson. However, no county in the region but Jackson exceeded by 10 times the health benchmark for a toxin. "Jackson County is an area we are very concerned about since we got this EPA information," Armitage said. "These chemicals have been around for a long time and we’re just getting more information now because the EPA is using computer modeling to determine which affect health." John Becker, DEQ air quality spokesman in Medford, said, "Jackson County is probably at significant risk because of the benzene because of wood stoves, vehicles and population growth. This draft report is just the first step of the first steps." The DEQ now will develop a new Oregon Air Toxics Program to reduce air toxins not already managed by state and federal air quality regulations, Armitage said. The last major federal rule revisions were 12 years ago, and technology has advanced significantly to identify and resolve such toxins, she said. New rules have been developed with input from advisory committees composed of representatives from local governments, business, state and local health departments, environmental groups and the public — and addressed at public hearings around the state. The DEQ will move forward, "relying on sound science" to determine the rate of cumulative exposure to the toxic chemicals. It will work with communities to implement emission reduction plans and reduce emissions below unhealthful levels within 10 years, Armitage said. Community input will help selectively target the most extreme sources. The DEQ hopes to have its rules in place by the end of the year, work with Portland over the next three or four years, then get to Medford in the fifth year, Armitage estimated. Compliance could be mandatory or voluntary, she said. A copy of the proposed rules is available on the Internet at: www.deq.state.or.us/aq/notices/AT_ProposedRules.pdf Public comment will be accepted on the air toxin rules until Sept. 13. Call 800-452-4011, Ext. 5186, or mail comments to: Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, Attn: Sarah Armitage, 811 S.W. Sixth Ave., Portland, OR 97204. Comments may also be e-mailed to [email protected] , or faxed to 1-503-229-5675. On the Internet: www.deq.state.or.us/aq/factsheets/nata-wrsprofile.pdf John Darling is a free-lance writer living in Ashland. E-mail him at [email protected] . 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