The Sierra Club, a well-known environmental organization, released its second annual “Terrible Ten” report Saturday and conducted a “toxic tour” of some of the sites on the list. The report was released as part of the Sierra Club’s Gulf Coast Regional Conservation Committee, made up of Sierra Club representatives from eight states across the southeast region. This report lists the top ten most active polluting industries in Shelby County. The Sierra Club compiled the data from the 1999 Toxic Release Inventory (TRI). “This report is significant because it not only lists these local companies, but it lists the chemical substances that the Environmental Protection Agency has deemed toxic to human health,” said Rita Harris, director of the Sierra Club Memphis Environmental Justice Program.
Because the TRI is a self-report by the industries themselves, the actual pollution released into the counties’ water and air may be even higher than the estimates, according to Harris. The “Terrible Ten” report is published to raise awareness about pollution issues, as well as to make the public think about the negative health impact of the substances released, Harris said.
“Research shows that our children and the elderly are the hardest hit by toxic pollutants,” Harris said.
Many of the chemicals the “terrible ten” industries release are carcinogens. Miscarriages, birth defects, breast cancer, and liver and kidney disease are just some of the problems caused by toxic pollution, Harris said.
Shelby County is ranked 17th among the 50 U.S. counties with the worst-case disaster potential in industry, according to a U.S. Public Interest Research Group report.
Velsicol Chemical Corp, located in the north Memphis Douglas community, had a chemical explosion in February. “When there was an explosion at Velsicol February 8th, the community had no warning or exit plan,” Moore said. “We are concerned about what would happen to our north Memphis community if we were to have a terrorist attack at one of these highly unguarded plants.” Many of the industries on the “Terrible Ten” list are located close to parks and residential neighborhoods. Number 11, Penn Chemicals is located directly across from Douglas Park, and Number 12, Williams Refining, is located in Martin Luther King Park by the Mississippi River.
Often the people living next to these toxic industries have no idea that pollutants are being released into the air and water around them, Harris said. Seven of the “terrible ten” polluters are located in predominantly black neighborhoods.
“This is by no means an African-American problem,” said John McCown, director of the Sierra Club National Environmental Justice Campaign. “It’s important for all Memphians to come together in holding polluting corporations accountable.”
The Environmental Justice Campaign hopes to empower communities by providing them with tools like the “Terrible Ten” report, which will give them the knowledge to participate in the political process, McCown said.
The “Terrible Ten” report includes contact information for environmental government agencies, as well as contact information for the top polluting industry.
