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Fluoride Pollution in Pennsylvania

Toxic Releases of Fluoridated Chemicals

Hydrogen Fluoride (HF) is the 6th most common toxic pollutant as reported to the EPA's Toxic Release Inventory (TRI).

About the Data: TRI data is quite limited and the information on this page only represents what was self-reported to the TRI database. Electric power plants were first required to report to the TRI database in 1998. All data shown below is from 2001-2002 (latest available). All amounts are in pounds.

Where Pennsylvania Stands

Power Plant Emissions

* Source: Full Report: Toxic Power - What the Toxics Release Inventory Tells Us about Power Plant Pollution (By National Environmental Trust for Clear the Air, the National Campaign Against Dirty Power, August 2000)

In 2002 alone, Pennsylvania industries report having released 5,878,251 pounds of fluoridated chemicals into the air, placing Pennsylvania third in fluoride emissions.

PA is 3rd in industrial releases of fluoridated pollutants
StateTotal Emissions
Ohio11,914,903
Kentucky5,924,777
Pennsylvania5,878,251
North Carolina5,563,012
Texas5,417,404
Indiana5,010,501
Georgia4,205,650
West Virginia3,972,573
Alabama3,671,114
Tennessee3,471,660
(Click here for listing of all U.S. states)

Pennsylvania is directly downwind of Ohio, which by far is #1 in fluoride emissions.

What makes Ohio #1 in industrial releases of fluoridated pollutants? (2002 data)
FacilityPoundsMediumChemicalTown, County
Vickery Environmental - WMI waste injection site5,300,00Underground InjectionHydrogen FluorideVickery, Sandusky County
Ohio has 2 coal-fired power plants above 800,000 lbs each and several other rather dirty onesAirHydrogen FluorideStratton, Manchester, Brilliant, New Richmond...
Owens-Corning (Plastics Foam Products)768,075Stack air1-Chloro-1,1-DifluoroethaneTallmadge, Summit County
DOW Chemical Hanging Rock635,900AirCFC-114 (Dichlorotetrafluoroethane), 1-Chloro-1,1-DifluoroethaneIronton, Lawrence County
AK Steel Corp.573,183AirHydrogen FluorideZanesville, Muskingum County

Pennsyvania ranks #2 in fluoridated waste production behind South Carolina (where nearly 90% of their waste is from a single aluminum company - Alumax).

PA is #2 in fluoridated waste production
State (2002 TRI)Total Waste
South Carolina39,875,471
Pennsylvania35,705,237
Texas33,062,363
Kentucky22,932,005
Indiana22,222,720
Tennessee20,059,296
Ohio20,036,402
Maryland14,155,452
West Virginia12,367,934
New York12,204,718
(Click here for listing of all U.S. states)

Unlike South Carolina, Pennsylvania's fluoride pollution is spread out among many facilities.

Highest Fluoride Emitting Facilities in PA, in Pounds, by Industrial Category
Facility NameCity (County)Total Air (2001-2002)Total Waste (2001-2002)Chemicals
Blast Furnaces and Steel Mills
AK Steel - Butler Works Butler (Butler) 30707 6740480 Hydrogen Fluoride
Allegheny Ludlum Corp. Brackenridge (Allegheny) 3855 1578400 Hydrogen Fluoride
Allegheny Ludlum Corp. Vandergrift (Westmoreland) 260 5793570 Hydrogen Fluoride
Allegheny Ludlum Corp. Leechburg (Armstrong) 260 430040 Hydrogen Fluoride
J&L Specialty Steel Inc. Midland (Beaver) 262 626078 Hydrogen Fluoride
Brick and Structural Clay Tile
Glen Gery Brick Shoemakersville (Berks) 79800 79800 Hydrogen Fluoride
Glen-Gery Corp. Bigler Plant Bigler (Clearfield) 42000 42000 Hydrogen Fluoride
Glen-Gery Corp. Hanley Plant Summerville (Jefferson) 34600 34600 Hydrogen Fluoride
Glen-Gery Corp. York Plant York (York) 54200 54200 Hydrogen Fluoride
Watsontown Brick Co. Watsontown (Northumberland) 13240 27057 Hydrogen Fluoride
Electric Services
Allegheny Energy Inc. Armstrong Power Station Kittanning (Armstrong) 150150 150000 Hydrogen Fluoride
Allegheny Energy Inc. Hatfield Power Station Masontown (Fayette) 680680 680000 Hydrogen Fluoride
Brunner Island Steam Electric Station York Haven (York) 530800 530800 Hydrogen Fluoride
Cheswick Power Station Springdale (Allegheny) 193200 193200 Hydrogen Fluoride
Conemaugh Station New Florence (Indiana) 67005 1467000 Hydrogen Fluoride
EME Homer City Generation L.P. Homer City (Indiana) 370005 550000 Hydrogen Fluoride
Keystone Station Shelocta (Armstrong) 1300020 1381000 Hydrogen Fluoride
PP&L -Montour Steam Electric Station Danville (Montour) 493000 493000 Hydrogen Fluoride
Shawville Station Shawville (Clearfield) 220005 234000 Hydrogen Fluoride
Sunbury Generation L.L.C. Shamokin Dam (Snyder) 200000 370000 Hydrogen Fluoride
Other
Air Prods. & Chemicals Inc. Specialty Gas Div.
[Industrial Gases]
Tamaqua (Schuylkill)1,0001,250,790Fluorine
Hydrogen Fluoride
Firestone
[Plastic Foam Product]
Youngwood (Westmoreland) 78083 78083 Chlorodifluoromethane
Dichlorodifluoromethane
Air Prods. & Chemicals Inc. Specialty Gas Div.
[Industrial Gases]
Tamaqua (Schuylkill) 75 13775 Fluorine
Nat'l Refrigeration and Air-Con
[Coolant and Air Conditioning]
Bensalem (Bucks) 4159 4159 1,1-Dichloro-1-Fluoroethane
2,2-Dichloro-1,1,1-Trifluoroethane
Chlorodifluoromethane
Dichlorodifluoromethane
Trichlorofluoromethane
Sunoco Inc. (R&M) Philadelphia Refinery
[Petroleum Refining]
Philadelphia (Philadelphia) 0 387755 Hydrogen Fluoride
Dichlorodifluoromethane
Johns Manville Intl.
[Plastics Foam Products]
Hazleton (Luzerne) 97944 100279 1,1-Dichloro-1-Fluoroethane
Chlorodifluoromethane
Trichlorofluoromethane
Atlas Roofing Corp.
[Plastics Foam Products / Mineral Wool]
Camp Hill (Cumberland) 24768 24768 Trichlorofluoromethane /
1,1-Dichloro-1-Fluoroethane
York Intl. Corp.
[Refrigeration and Heating Equipment]
York (York) 68963 76003 1,1-Dichloro-1-Fluoroethane
Chlorodifluoromethane
Dichlorotetrafluoroethane (CFC-114)
Trichlorofluoromethane
GE Erie Plant GETS
[Railroad Equipment]
Erie (Erie) 26005 26000 Hydrogen Fluoride
Superior Tube Co.
[Steel Pipe and Tubes]
Collegeville (Montgomery) 1330 26020 Hydrogen Fluoride
Cabot Performance Materials
[Primary Nonferrous Metals / Industrial Inorganic Chemicals]
Boyertown (Berks) 15050 4755900 Hydrogen Fluoride

By industry, 85% of fluoride releases in Pennsylvania are from coal power plants, 5% is from brick manufacturing and 4% from plastic foam manufacturing.

Top Fluoride Emitting Industries in PA, in Pounds
Industrial CategoryTotal Air (2001-2002)Percentage
Electric Services4,975,39485%
Brick and Structural Clay Tile286,5365%
Plastics Foam Products200,7954%
Travel Trailers and Campers94,5312%
Primary Nonferrous Metals87,6561%
Machinery78,8131%
Fabricated Metal Products
39,2161%
Chemicals18,896
Lumber84,839
Others71,3811%

Hydrogen Fluoride (HF) emissions are 8% of toxic releases from U.S. power plants in 2001.

By State: PA has more power plants reporting to TRI, and more power plants reporting HF emissions than any other state.

Power plants reporting HF emissions to TRI in 1999
StateNumberPercentage
Pennsylvania277.3%
Ohio215.7%
Illinois205.4%
Indiana195.1%
North Carolina164.3%
Florida154.0%
Kentucky154.0%
Texas154.0%

By State: PA is #2 in hydrogen fluoride releases from power plants and #1 in fluoridated wastes

Top States in Hydrogen Fluoride Releases from Power Plants, 2002
StateTotal HF ReleasesTotal HF Waste
Ohio5,427,9277,143,570
Pennsylvania4,975,3948,352,009
North Carolina4,230,6274,592,139
West Virginia3,359,8745,813,000
Indiana3,271,5095,601,618
Georgia3,037,8873,037,887
Kentucky2,821,2395,476,639

By Chemical: 92% of reported fluoridated chemical emissions in PA are Hydrogen Fluoride (HF) (most is from coal plants)

Fluoridated Chemical Air Releases in Pennsylvania
ChemicalTotal Air Releases
in pounds (2001-2002)
Hydrogen Fluoride5,438,092
1,1-Dichloro-1-Fluoroethane284,955
Chlorodifluoromethane151,995
2-Chloro-1,1,1,2-Tetrafluoroethane4,752
Boron Trifluoride2,459
Total5,882,253

By Facility: 9 of the top 10 fluoride emitters in PA are coal plants.

Top 10 Fluoride Emitting Facilities in PA, in Pounds
Industry TypeFacility NameCity (County)Total Air (1998-99)Total Waste (1998-99)Chemicals
Electric Services Keystone Station Shelocta (Armstrong) 1300020 1381000 Hydrogen Fluoride
Electric Services Allegheny Energy Inc. Hatfield Power Station Masontown (Fayette) 680680 680000 Hydrogen Fluoride
Electric Services Brunner Island Steam Electric Station York Haven (York) 530800 530800 Hydrogen Fluoride
Electric Services PP&L -Montour Steam Electric Station Danville (Montour) 493000 493000 Hydrogen Fluoride
Electric Services EME Homer City Generation L.P. Homer City (Indiana) 370005 550000 Hydrogen Fluoride
Electric Services Shawville Station Shawville (Clearfield) 220005 234000 Hydrogen Fluoride
Electric Services Sunbury Generation L.L.C. Shamokin Dam (Snyder) 200000 370000 Hydrogen Fluoride
Electric Services Cheswick Power Station Springdale (Allegheny) 193200 193200 Hydrogen Fluoride
Electric Services Allegheny Energy Inc. Armstrong Power Station Kittanning (Armstrong) 150150 150000 Hydrogen Fluoride
Plastics Foam Products Johns Manville Intl. Hazleton (Luzerne) 97944 100279 1,1-Dichloro-1-Fluoroethane
Chlorodifluoromethane
Trichlorofluoromethane

Top 10 Fluoride-polluting Counties in Pennsylvania

Top 10 Fluoride Emitting Counties in PA, in Pounds
CountyAmount
Armstrong 1450170
Greene 680680
York 666514
Indiana 524015
Montour 493000
Northampton 286982
Berks 275609
Clearfield 269524
Allegheny 200480
Snyder 200000


Last modified: 6 February 2005

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