Officials with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Kentucky Division for Air Quality led a meeting in far western Kentucky on Tuesday to inform Calvert City residents about long-term health risks caused by chemical emissions in the area.
The meeting at Marshall County Public Library’s Calvert City branch followed the recent release of the results of an emissions study that found elevated levels of volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, originating from Westlake Vinyls in the Calvert City Industrial Complex.
Environmental experts with the EPA were on hand to answer attendees’ questions and explain some of the science behind the environmental report.
“We as EPA are focused on ensuring that you – that all of you – see that we are committed to communicating clearly, frequently and as transparently as possible,” said Sarah Taft, the acting director for EPA Region 4’s Air & Radiation Division. “Our number one priority is to protect the health of your community.”
The chemical compound creating the biggest risk for Calvert City residents living near Westlake Vinyls is ethylene dichloride (EDC) – a man-made, clear, oily liquid used in industrial processes like the production of vinyl chloride, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), solvents and other chemicals.
EDC has been identified by the EPA as a “probable human carcinogen” that can harm people’s liver and kidneys after long-term exposure. Vinyl chloride, which was also detected in high amounts, has also been identified as a cancer-causing substance that can cause liver and kidney damage in humans.
Jake Carpenter – an environmental engineer for the EPA – said the study showed 96% of the EDC emissions originated from Westlake Vinyls, though other plants operate in the area. According to Carpenter, most emissions from chemical plants fall under the category of “fugitive emissions.” These emissions are accidental and come from sources like leaky pipes.
A 2020 federal emissions inventory found that the site was the largest single source of EDC emissions in the United States – emitting more than 36 tons of the compound.
Cancer is the main concern of the EPA’s medical experts – not short-term effects like nausea, dizziness or breathing problems.
Rhonda Fratzke was one of the many concerned area residents to attend the meeting. Though she now resides in Livingston County, she said she had lived in Calvert City – just a quarter of a miles from the plant – for nine years. She was diagnosed with angiosarcoma a little more than two years ago, and claims her condition is a direct result of her long-term exposure to the emissions.
“I didn’t know at the time, but I found out later it’s directly linked to the vinyl chloride,” she said. “I know I’m not the only person that’s got it. They say it’s one in a million; it’s probably one in a million in Utah, but it’s not one in a million in Calvert City.”
The elevated risk of cancer documented in the air study was calculated to be as high as 60 persons per million at the Calvert City Elementary School site; 100 persons per million at the Johnson-Riley Road site; and 1,000 persons per million at a monitor set up next to Westlake Vinyls.
Fratzke said she hopes screenings and other healthcare services will be offered to those in affected areas.
Some called for harsh penalties to be levied against Westlake Vinyls and other chemical offenders.
While other area residents, including Gary Largent, raised concerns about whether EDC being heavier than air could result in the chemical being found in local water sources. Largent said he came to the meeting because he was concerned about “the odors that are in the air all the time” around his Sharpe residence.
“So it's getting in the air, and it's also getting on the ground, what's to keep it from getting into the water system as well?” Largent said. “And, if it's getting into the water supply, then you're drinking this stuff. And if it's settling on the ground and you're raising garden stuff or you got cattle that's eating grass and you turn around and eat the cattle, then you're eating the chemicals.”
Some concerns about the health of local students were put to rest by a state official. Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection deputy commissioner Amanda LeFevre. LeFevre said that state funding is available to put carbon filters in the HVAC system at Calvert City Elementary School – which served as one of the monitoring sites for the study – in an effort to lower the risk there.
KDAQ director Michael Kennedy said the next step is his agency and the EPA working with Westlake Vinyls on a long-term plan to mitigate the level of emissions.
“We don't know exactly what this will look like,” said Michael Kennedy, the Director of the KDAQ. "We've already had some conversations, but we will continue those down the road. This is not something that can happen overnight. Those things take time because it's a complex process with multiple federal rules and things that we have to take into account.”
A pair of local families recently filed suit in Marshall County Circuit Court against Westlake Vinyls and other defendants, claiming the manufacturer committed gross negligence, intentional trespass and nuisance. They are seeking damages for “diminished” property value and the cleanup of one of the testing sites.