Belews Plant Releases Tons of Toxins in Triad

By ELYSE ASHBURN Staff Writer

The Duke Power plant in Stokes County spewed more toxic pollutants in 2004 than any other power plant in the state, and no one knows how the chemicals affect Triad residents health.

The Belews Creek Steam Station emitted 6,832 tons of toxic air pollutants — including more than a ton of carcinogens — in 2004, according to new data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Duke Power is in the process of installing pollution control equipment at the plant that should cut down on certain types of toxic emissions, including mercury.

That equipment isnt scheduled to be fully operational until 2008.

The Dan River Steam Station in Rockingham County, which is also owned by Duke Power, typically is another top contributor to toxic air.

In 2004, it emitted about 383 tons of toxins.

Still, its emissions are low compared with those at the much larger Belews Creek plant.

In addition to causing cancer, several of the chemicals the plant emits are known to cause birth defects and developmental problems in children.

And though more research is needed, doctors suspect many of the chemicals can trigger a host of disorders that afflict the nerves, kidneys, liver, heart, lungs and bones. The toxins can travel for miles.

State and federal officials say most of them dont exist in high enough concentrations in the air to harm people living in the Triad – - but nobody knows for sure because the air has never been tested.

Testing isnt required by the EPA or the state. The state can test the air for toxins, but the process can take years and often is cost prohibitive, said Tom Mather, spokesman for the N.C. Division of Air Quality.

So, the state relies on federal guidelines, which estimate that toxic emissions at most power plants in the United States arent great enough to harm people.

Dr. John Spangler, a physician at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, said he isnt sure what risk the toxins pose to Triad residents without having actual data on the amounts in the air they breathe.

A combination of carcinogens is always going to increase your risk, he said.

But Spangler, an associate professor specializing in cancer prevention, agreed with the EPA that at the levels they estimate are present in the Triad, most of the individual toxins wouldnt pose a threat.

The one exception is emissions of mercury, which can cause neurological problems and severe development problems in fetuses and children.

To me, mercury is the most concerning of these, Spangler said.

Your individual risk is pretty small. As an epidemiologist, though, Id say the risk is not negligible. There are children in the Piedmont Triad area who will be affected.

Prodded by findings that mercury in the air is harming health, the EPA instructed states to find ways to cut emissions of the toxic metal.

Rules proposed by the state this month would require power plants to cut mercury emissions by about 60 percent by 2018.

Equipment installed at the Belews Creek plant to cut emissions of nitrous oxide and sulfur dioxide, which contribute to smog and acid rain respectively, should cut mercury emissions significantly before 2018.

The equipment to reduce nitrous oxide is already online, and the equipment to scrub sulfur dioxide emissions is scheduled to come online in 2007 and 2008.

Combined, the equipment cuts mercury emissions.

But Duke Power spokesman Tom Williams said the company isnt sure whether the plant is on track to hit the mercury target.

Were still looking at parts of the rule, he said.

Companies that couldnt meet the target can buy mercury allowances from those that did . For example, Duke Power could buy mercury credits from a power company in New York.

But h ealth advocates say the rule doesnt go far enough.

Breanna Peterson, a field organizer for the N.C. Public Interest Research Group, said 12 years is too long to wait for mandatory cuts in mercury emissions.

Wed like to see cuts all along the way, she said.

The consumer advocacy group would also like to see power plants reduce their mercury emissions by 90 percent or more. The technology exists to do so, Peterson said.

Williams, the Duke Power spokesman, said the plant has already taken steps to reduce its emissions.

While the plant is a large source of toxins, it is more efficient than smaller plants, he said. That means that pound for pound, coal processed at Belews Creek produces fewer toxins than coal burned at smaller plants.

Contact Elyse Ashburn at 373-7090 or eashburn@news- record.comNEWS & RECORD

EXCLUSIVE