Large quantities of emissions from a single facility are required by law to be reported to EPA and/or DEQ.

The Georgia-Pacific Toledo pulp mill contributed over 10 million pounds of pollutants to our air in 2004, according to DEQ. Quantifying pollution is not easy, nor is visualizing it. We calculated that just one of the toxic air pollutants emitted, methanol, equaled 14 large tanker truckloadsdissipating into our air every year.

Types of Emissions. There are six “conventional” pollutants that contribute to smog, haze and acid rain; their levels are measured in many parts of the US to calculate the local air quality index. These pollutants contribute to respiratory illness, heart attacks, asthma, and premature death.

Hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) or air toxics are the other major category of concern. These chemicals are known or suspected to cause cancer or other serious health effects, such as reproductive effects or birth defects, or adverse environmental effects. They are calculated for EPA and for DEQ by different methods, therefore the data from these agencies do not always agree.

Both types of pollutants, plus some that do not fit into either category, are emitted from the Toledo pulp mill as shown here:

Some Other Facilities with Air Pollution Permits