Byrne said no matter how hard he tries, nothing seems to get rid of the white specks.
“They do not come off,” Byrne said.
Byrne claims that the particles that are seemingly permanently attached to his property come from emissions from a nearby chemical plant.
It’s not a new problem for Byrne. In fact, he said others in the Lindenwald neighborhood began expressing concern about the emissions as early as 2023.
“If it’s getting on your vehicles and your houses that much, what are we breathing, what are our children breathing every day?” Byrne said.
The plant, which is located in Fairfield, sits not too far from Byrne’s home.
It’s owned by USALCO, which manufactures aluminum-based products used by water treatment plants.
According to the company, the site “supplies materials that ensure clean drinking water for the City of Cincinnati, the City of Elyria, and the City of Delaware, serving approximately 5.8 million residents across Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Michigan.”
Concerns over the emissions became a hot topic at Wednesday’s Hamilton City Council meeting.
Kerri Castlen with the Southwest Ohio Air Quality Agency reported findings from studies done on the emissions at the meeting.
Castlen said USALCO failed initial stack tests, which showed alumina in the emissions. However, she said the company passed recent tests.
“The last two samples have not linked results to USALCO,” Castlen said.
Still, when asked if there were any health concerns regarding the testings, Castlen didn’t have a clear answer.
“That’s a difficult question to answer because there are health concerns related to particulate matter. I don’t have evidence to suggest that the particulate evidence being inhaled is causing additional health concerns,” Castlen said.
Byrne said her answer didn’t ease his mind.
“Nobody can answer what health risk we’re at,” Byrne said.
We reached out to USALCO to see how they’re trying to mitigate the emissions.
A spokesperson for the company sent us the following statement:
“Usalco is committed to environmental stewardship, transparency, and accountability in Fairfield and across all communities where we operate. We have been working directly with the Southwest Ohio Air Quality Agency to better understand the situation in the community and concerns raised by our neighbors. In a recent meeting with the agency, they had told us their community testing showed the Usalco facility didn’t appear to be the source of the particulate. Regardless, Usalco will continue its work with the agency. In fact, we recently completed construction of a long-planned enclosure around a material stockpile. Our stewardship commitment is rooted in accurate monitoring, swift corrective action, and clear, factual reporting on our facilities. We aim to provide information that is consistent, reliable, and grounded in verified data. We will continue to do that in Fairfield.”
City Councilman Tim Naab said tests on the plant will continue over the next few months and that the Ohio EPA is involved. Naab said soil samples will also be tested.
As for Byrne, he said he’s hoping more answers will become clearer soon.
“Are we damaging our lungs and anything else in our body by just breathing it?” Byrne said.
Naab said any residents concerned about the impact emissions may be having on their property can contact him.
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