Eugene weekly., March 22, 2007, Page 13, Image 13

BY CAMILLA MORTENSEN
Acidic Air
Hynix wants to emit tons more
H
ydrofluoric acid is nasty stuff. It
melts glass, can penetrate concrete
and is listed by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention as a possible
agent for use in chemical terrorism. Hynix
used 103 tons of hydrofluoric acid in 2005 in
its west Eugene chip plant to etch silicon
wafers, according to the Eugene Toxics-
Right-to-Know database.
Hydrogen fluoride (HF) is a pollutant that
is a byproduct of hydrofluoric acid use. The
debate continues over Hynix’s permit request
to increase its emissions of HF into the air
from 1.8 to 5 tons a year. Even at low levels,
HF can irritate the skin, eyes and respiratory
tract. A strong concentration of HF on a small
patch of skin can penetrate deeply through
tissues and cause decalcification of bones and
fatal damage to the heart.
The concentration that would be released
by Hynix, even at the increased rate of 5 tons
per year, is 4.1 micrograms per cubic meter of
air. That is well below the 14 micrograms per
cubic meter said to pose “significant risk” to
humans with chronic exposure, according to
the Lane Regional Air Protection Agency
(LRAPA). To establish the level of risk,
LRAPA consulted the California Office of
Environmental Health Hazard Assessment,
the only source for health standards for
chronic exposure to HF. The Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) has not established
an estimate of the effects of continuous in-
halation of HF over a lifetime.
Hynix contends the increase in the release
of HF is due in part to its efforts to reduce the
greenhouse gases implicated in global warm-
ing. These perfluorocompounds (PFCs) re-
main in the atmosphere for up to 50,000
years. But the permit states the increase in re-
lease of HF is also due to an increase in pro-
duction.
In an effort to allow the public as much
input as possible on the permit request,
LRAPA has extended the public comment pe-
riod, which now ends March 31.
Hynix. The letters and emails express fears of
the effects of HF on children and on those
with conditions ranging from breast cancer to
autism. And the cause of fatal pulmonary fi-
brosis in three men living within two miles
Hynix has never been determined (see EW
5/4/06 and 12/14/06).
In addition to the possible effects upon the
plant’s human neighbors, Monk and UO
chemistry professor Paul Engelking are con-
cerned with the effects of HF on plant life.
The nearby Ridgeline Trail, West Eugene
Wetlands and the Nature Conservancy’s
Willow Creek Preserve could all be affected
by HF after its release into the air, they said.
Engelking said HF can combine with
clouds and precipitation, enter the environ-
ment as acid rain and enter waterways.
be affected are “high quality natural re-
sources,” and the HF could potentially irrev-
ocably damage three endangered species of
wildflowers found only in the Willamette
Valley: Bradshaw’s lomatium, the Willamette
daisy and Kincaid’s lupine. Kincaid’s lupine
is the main food source for Fender’s blue but-
terfly, also an endangered species, which is
primarily found in the Willow Creek
Preserve.
Doug Erwin, LRAPA’s permit writer, said
he is taking Engelking’s concerns into ac-
count. He stressed that, “Hynix really wants
to cooperate and will do what it takes.” Hynix
spokesperson Bobby Lee, asked if Hynix
plans to add mechanisms for reducing the
amount of HF released by the plant, deferred
to the LRAPA report.
UO chemistry professor Paul Engelking pointed out
that these areas that will be affected are ‘high quality
natural resources’ and the HF could potentially irrevocably
damage three endangered species of wildflowers.
David Monk, president of Oregon Toxics
Alliance and a member of the LRAPA board,
wants to know: If the HF increase has bene-
fits, why has Hynix not tried to explain its
case to the public more clearly? “It is incum-
bent upon any business owner,” he argues,
“to show what’s in it for the community.”
LRAPA has already received more than
100 public comments on the permit, many
from residents of neighborhoods close to
Engelking’s Instrumental Analysis class re-
cently took water samples from the 18th Ave.
ditch in the vicinity of the Hynix plant and
discovered that surface water fluoride levels
are already elevated.
According to Engelking, LRAPA did not
make an adequate attempt to quantify the ef-
fects on vegetation, and plants are far more
sensitive to the effects of HF than humans
are. He pointed out that these areas that will
The public may give written comments by
mail at LRAPA, 1010 Main St., Springfield
97477 or via email at lrapa@lrapa.org
The draft permit, as well as LRAPA’s
review report, are available online at
www.lrapa.org/permitting/draft_permits/ and
at the reference desk of the Eugene Public
Library or at the LRAPA office. LRAPA will
make a decision on the permit within 45 days
of the end of the comment period.
ew
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