SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) - Washington state officials say they’ll look for money to monitor air quality downwind of a Canadian smelter after federal regulators declined to restart the testing.
The Spokesman-Review reports that residents petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency to install air monitors in Northport, about 20 miles south of a lead and zinc smelter.
State modeling showed that Teck Resources Ltd.’s smelter could be sending high airborne levels of arsenic and lead over the border. The Ecology Department said heavy metals wouldn’t pose a short-term risk to area residents but long-term inhalation could increase cancer risks.
Air quality monitoring hasn’t been conducted on the Washington side of the border since 2009.
Local health officials also support the monitoring.
But EPA officials disagree that additional monitoring is needed. They say the risk from outdoor air is low.
Teck officials have said they’ve reduced air and water emissions at the Trail, British Columbia, smelter.
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