Chemical plant emissions driving cancer risk near Western Kentucky elementary, EPA says

Toxic air emissions, primarily from Westlake Chemical Corp., are driving "elevated chronic cancer risk" for residents of one Kentucky town, according to more than a year of air monitoring data and a new risk assessment released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency late Monday.

At all three of the agency's air monitoring locations, levels of toxic emissions were above the state's acceptable levels of lifetime cancer risk — including one location at Calvert City Elementary School, in the heart of the Marshall County town.

Ethylene dichloride, used in the production of plastic and vinyl products, like PVC, was "the leading driver of carcinogenic risk" at all three monitoring sites. Exposure can also "cause nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, difficulty breathing, liver or kidney problems, or death," according to federal guidelines.

Westlake's vinyl plant, to the north of town along the Tennessee River, is the biggest source of ethylene dichloride, not only in Calvert City but for the entire United States, EPA data shows.

Westlake’s Calvert City operations have a notable history of noncompliance with emission regulations. In 2022, a group of Westlake subsidiaries settled allegations of Clean Air Act violations in Calvert City and at two other plants in Louisiana, agreeing to invest $110 million in plant improvements and pay a $1 million penalty.

The EPA's announcement this week does not amount to regulatory action against Westlake or any other facilities, but based on the assessment's findings, "further steps to characterize and reduce cancer risks are warranted," the agency said.

Chemical plants hug Calvert City's riverfront, located east of Paducah. The companies sponsor events around town, and an anthropomorphic turtle mascot, Wally Wise Guy, advises schoolchildren on how to safely shelter from a chemical emergency.

And now, with a new set of findings that Westlake's operations are putting residents at risk, state officials and the EPA have arranged a February public meeting in the town of 2,500 — where the chemical industry upholds a significant portion of the economy, and employs several of its elected officials.

As of 2014, when the city published its most recent comprehensive plan, the chemical industry made up nearly half of Marshall County’s total employment. The town's mayor and multiple city council members work in the chemical industry, according to their bios on the city's website.

Mayor Gene Colburn did not immediately return requests for comment on the EPA’s Monday report, nor did any city council members.

Next steps in addressing chemical risk

In its release of findings, the EPA announced plans to work with state officials in "developing short- and long-term strategies to reduce" exposure to ethylene dichloride in Calvert City, "including working with Westlake Vinyls and potentially other facilities to explore voluntary actions to reduce (ethylene dichloride) emissions."

In the meantime, local air monitoring will continue, officials said.

The agency has also proposed revisions to the rules governing emissions and monitoring of ethylene dichloride and other toxins, which would apply to Westlake's Calvert City operations and several other Kentucky facilities.

Kendra Glenn, principal of Calvert City Elementary School, said she's been in contact with state officials about whether installing air filtration systems in school buildings is necessary. She added she has not heard concerns from parents in the past regarding air quality.

EPA's findings are part of a pattern

Officials monitored for an array of toxic chemicals in 2020 and 2021 and found the highest levels at the station closest to industrial operations to the north.

But levels at all three stations were estimated "above the target cancer risk level" accepted by the Kentucky Division for Air Quality, and officials estimated ethylene dichloride emissions were the primary cause of that risk.

The EPA also identified "the majority" of the ethylene dichloride emissions as fugitive emissions, meaning they likely escaped a facility through leaks, rather than up through the stacks or intended processes.

In 2022, ProPublica highlighted officials' air monitoring efforts in Calvert City in its investigation of how regulators often “pull their punches” against companies like Westlake, even when offenses have been identified.

Previous air monitoring, between 2011-17, also indicated elevated risks of cancer and other health hazards, largely due to ethylene dichloride and the related chemical vinyl chloride.

Westlake did not immediately respond to The Courier Journal's request for comment.

The company has received tens of millions of dollars in incentives from the state, and has also had a significant lobbying presence in Frankfort, according to previous Courier Journal reporting.

In its most recent annual report to shareholders, Westlake reported a “monumental” year in 2022, with record sales of $15.8 billion and record net income of $2.2 billion.

Connor Giffin is an environmental reporter for The Courier Journal and a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues. The program funds up to half of corps members’ salaries, but requires a portion also be raised through local community fundraising. To support local environmental reporting in Kentucky, tax-deductible donations can be made at courier-journal.com/RFA.

Learn more about RFA at reportforamerica.org. Reach Connor directly at cgiffin@gannett.com or on X @byconnorgiffin.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Westlake Chemical vinyl plant emissions raise Calvert City cancer risk