SALINAS,
For years, toxic ash and noxious chemicals from coal-fired and thermoelectric power plants have enveloped this community, and residents have complained about health problems ranging from cancer to Alzheimer’s.
Then last year, a bombshell: Officials with the
“We’re fighting a lot of battles,” said
Emboldened by the attention that the federal government has put on Salinas, Santiago and others are demanding a huge clean-up and penalties for those contaminating the region.
“I will keep fighting until I die,” said
Salinas also has one of the highest incidence rates of cancer in
"Medical doctors who work in the southeast area of
The level of contamination has prompted the EPA for the first time to test air and groundwater in Puerto Rico’s southeast region, with Administrator
Salinas is a town of nearly 26,000 people — of which 28% identify as Black — with a median household income of
The town is nestled between the coal-burning power plant, two of the island’s largest thermoelectric plants and other industries, including a company that produces thermoset composites, a material used in major appliances like refrigerators. That company,
Overall, styrene and ethylene oxide, a carcinogenic gas, are the top two chemicals released into the air and water in Salinas, officials say. Salinas and Guayama also have sulfur dioxide levels that exceed new standards.
Meanwhile, a study by Puerto Rico’s
Scientists doing that study were forced to collect samples from individual homes because the government's water and sewer company at the time blocked access to aquifers that residents in the southeast rely on, environmental activist
Salinas also is home to Steri-Tech, the company that uses ethylene oxide to sterilize medical equipment. It is a colorless, flammable gas that has a slightly sweet odor and is used to clean about 20 billion sterile medical devices a year. The EPA says short-term exposure to the gas does not appear to pose risks, but long-term or lifetime exposure can cause lymphoma, breast cancer and other illnesses.
Steri-Tech reported two explosions — one in October and the other earlier this month — that frightened residents and raised concerns about whether any toxic chemicals were released.
“My house shook!” said
Meleroe said she wants answers from federal officials about the contamination in her town. “They write down a lot of things, but I haven't seen any changes,” she said.
Hoping to lessen his exposure, Santiago, the retiree who lives a few blocks from Steri-Tech, not only closes his windows but also has planted avocado trees, small palm trees and a bougainvillea with bright orange and fuchsia flowers seeking to prevent ethylene oxide and other contaminants from seeping into his home.
Those measures have a limited effect, however, and residents continue frustrated that their complaints about contamination have been ignored for years.
Tired of fighting pollution at a local level and getting no response, community leader Wanda Ríos sought help from higher up.
“I stop this at a federal level,” she said. “I don’t waste my time here in Puerto Rico.”
She said that several people in La Margarita, a neighborhood of some 100 people sitting next to Steri-Tech, have died of cancer, including a married couple and others who formed part of the association of residents she founded in recent years. Ríos added that Steri-Tech has organized recent health workshops for residents.
On Wednesday evening, some two dozen residents of Salinas gathered to hear the results from air samples that the EPA took last year, announcing that it found extremely high concentrations of ethylene oxide in some areas. One area had 121 micrograms per cubic meter of air — more than 400 times higher than the
Officials said the company is working on installing equipment that will filter 99.9% of emissions, but it’s not clear when that will occur. Ruvo added that other measures to reduce emissions are part of confidential discussions with the company.
As the conversations behind closed doors continue, the EPA has pledged stricter regulations of toxic air emissions nationwide by the end of the year. That has been hailed by many in
“It’s been a struggle of many years,” she said.
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