CEMEX Lies Put People at Risk

It's one thing to poison the air that families and children breath. It's another thing to lie about it.

Yet that's exactly what CEMEX is doing right now. Remember now, last December CEMEX was fined $1.5 million for thousands of violations of clean air laws at its Lyons, Colorado cement plant.

Now, in a mass mailer sent recently by cement plant manager Steve Goodrich to residents of Lyons and the surrounding community, CEMEX is telling people:

"It is important to underscore that the alleged violations did not involve any emissions that created any threats to the public health or the environment."

There's really no other way to put it, but CEMEX is lying. But don't let us explain. Just take a look at what the state of Colorado said itself:

In a 2005 notice of violation, the state of Colorado reported:

• CEMEX failed to operate the kiln such that the gas temperature at the inlet of the kiln PMCD [particulate matter control device] does not exceed the maximum applicable temperature limit on approximately 72,067 occasions during 2004, and exceeded the maximum allowable temperature at the inlet of the alkali bypass PMCD on approximately 368 times during 2004 [.]
  

• As a result of these temperature exceedances, CEMEX exceeded the D/F [dioxin/furan limit] of .20 ng [nanograms] per dscm [dry standard cubic meter] in excess of 72,000 occasions during 2004.
  

Then, in a 2006 notice of violation, the state of Colorado reported:

• CEMEX failed to operate the kiln such that the gas temperature at the inlet or the kiln PMCD does not exceed the maximum applicable temperature limit on 72 separate days during the periods form March 2003 through December 2003 and January 2005 through December 2005, and exceeded the maximum allowable temperature at the inlet of the alkali bypass PMCD on 25 separate days during these periods[.]

• As a result of these temperature exceedances, CEMEX exceeded the dioxin/furan limit of .20 ng per dscm on 97 separate days.

What does this all mean? It means that CEMEX violated limits on dioxin emissions over 72,000 times between 2003 and 2005. I'm not sure what planet Steve Goodrich lives on, but last time we checked, dioxins are one of the most toxic compounds known to exist, and a threat to human health.

But this also means CEMEX refuses to come clean with the local community. And when polluters don't come clean, they get shut down. No one wants a liar for a neighbor, especially a liar poisoning the air we breathe.