Residents of Niagara Falls can expect some relief - albeit not enough - from toxic air pollution as the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has approved new pollution control measures for the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Chemical Plant. These measures are scheduled to be implemented by April 10th and aim to reduce emissions of ortho-toluidine, a known carcinogen.
The approval follows a consent order issued in January after the DEC discovered that Goodyear was violating its air pollution permit. The plant was releasing ortho-toluidine at levels seven times higher than the state's guidelines. This chemical, used in tire production to prevent cracking, poses serious health risks including skin and eye irritation in addition to having carcinogenic properties.
As part of the new plan, Goodyear will decrease its production of antioxidant products by 40% and install an air pollution control system on an elimination tank. This system is expected to reduce ortho-toluidine emissions by a factor of three. However, even with this reduction emissions may still exceed state health guidelines for the toxin.
Local activists have expressed concerns that the measures approved by the state are insufficient. They argue that the safety of the proposed changes has not been adequately demonstrated.
While the new pollution control measures are a step forward, the DEC has not mandated that Goodyear conduct stack testing to verify the effectiveness of these measures. Stack testing, which measures the levels of toxins released into the air, will occur only after Goodyear installs permanent pollution control systems, which are required to be in place by October 31st, 2026.
Previous stack testing conducted in November 2022 revealed that Goodyear was emitting ortho-toluidine at concentrations of up to 0.14 micrograms per cubic meter, which is significantly above the state's health-based limit of 0.02 micrograms per cubic meter. The new plan indicates that emissions could still reach up to 0.05 micrograms per cubic meter even after the implementation of the new controls.
New Control Measures to Limit Toxic Emissions at Goodyear Plant in Niagara Falls