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OSPIRG pushes for
right to know toxins
Many people fish and
swim in the Willamette
and don’t realize the
hazards, OSPIRG says
By Tricia Schwennesen
Oregon Daily Emerald
Oregon industries dumped
more than 4 million pounds of
toxic waste into the Willamette
River, according to Grassroots
Connection and the United States
Public Interest Research Group in
a report released Sept. 10.
The report, titled “Troubled
Waters,” says that the large
amount of toxic chemicals re
leased into the
Willamette Riv
er over a 4-year
time span from
1992 to 1996
make it the most
polluted river in
Oregon.
“Oregon is
known as a
clean and green
state,” said Ben
Prochazka, an
O S P I R G
spokesman. I think the river has
the potential to continue being on
the nations top-10 list of most pol
luted waterways.”
People fish and swim in the
Willamette River every day and
don’t realize they could be ingest
ing lead or mercury or any other
toxic chemical, he said.
“Many of the chemicals being
discharged into our rivers and
streams are known to cause can
cer, birth defects, reproductive
disorders and other serious health
effects,” Prochazka said.
The National Heritage Rivers
Act redesignated the Willamette
River as a river that needs federal
funding to clean up the river, he
said.
Wah Chang was the number
one polluter, the report said. The
Albany company unloaded more
than 3 million pounds of toxic
chemicals into the Willamette
River, according to the report. The
15
number two and three polluters
were Wacker Siltronic Corpora
tion in Portland, which released
883,350 pounds of pollutant, and
Pope & Talbot Inc. in Halsey,
which released 254,431 pounds.
Oregon ranks 23rd for the most
polluted waterways out of 55
states and districts, including
Guam and American Samoa.
There are more than 72,000
chemicals on the market, but only
about 600 have to be reported by
companies to the Toxics Release
Inventory, according to Prochaz
ka.
“It’s almost like we have one
pound of chemicals per person in
((It’s almost like we
have one pound of
chemicals per person in
our state. That’s in the
Willamette alone.
Ben Prochazka
OSPIRG spokesman
our state.
That’s in the
Willamette
alone,” Proc
hazka said.
OSPIRG is
pushing for
legislators to
expand the
1986 Emer
gency Plan
ning and Com
munity Right
to Know Act to
reduce pollution in Oregon water
ways.
Prochazka said 21 state repre
sentatives in the legislature al
ready support strengthening the
Right to Know Act.
OSPIRG recommends four
ways to expand the Right to
Know:
• Information provided to the
public should include an expla
nation of how toxic chemicals are
used in the workplace, transport
ed through communities and con
tained in consumer products.
• Companies should be re
quired to report any use of highly
toxic substances such as lead,
dioxin and mercury.
• Sewage treatment facilities,
medical and solid waste incinera
tors, and oil and gas industries
should also be required to report
their toxic waste.
• Strengthen the Clean Water
Act.
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