Lawmakers seek federal help in Portland ‘heavy metals’ air readings

Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., wrote to federal health officials Monday, asking for their agencies’ immediate assistance responding to the public health risks identified by the discovery of hotspots of dangerously high levels of airborne heavy metals inPortland.

The three lawmakers’ letter to the Centers forDisease Control and Prevention and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry follows a meeting that Wyden, Merkley and Blumenauer had last Thursday in Portland with officials from the federal Environmental Protection Agency and the Forest Service.

The three lawmakers heard at that briefing about Portland hotspots that are dozens of times above the air-safety benchmark levels established by Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality.

State officials found high levels of cadmium and arsenic near two glass manufacturers in the city. Both manufacturers have stopped using the heavy metals in their businesses.

State health officials will offer free testing to residents to see if the metals have affected them. Exposure to the metals can cause cancer and affect kidney function

“We request your immediate assistance in responding to the public health risks identified by the discovery of hotspots of dangerously high levels of airborne heavy metals in Portland, Oregon,”the lawmakers wrote in a letter CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden andATSDR Director Dr. Patrick Breysse.

“These levels of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, and other toxins are thought to be linked to emissions from manufacturing facilities located in densely populated urban areas and in close proximity to multiple schools. Our communities are rightfully concerned about this situation.”

Wyden, Merkley and Blumenauer asked in their letter that the CDC andATSDR deploy a team of public health professionals to Oregon to work with the state, Multnomah County, and the EPA,and others to better understand the health effects associated with exposure to the identified hazardous pollutants.

“As you know, air tests around one manufacturing facility in Southeast Portland revealed levels of cadmium and arsenic that are, respectively, 49 and 159 times the air-safety benchmark levels established by Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ),”they wrote.”More recently,updated contamination maps show several other hotspots for arsenic and cadmium, as well as elevated levels of lead and nickel throughout the Portland metro area.

“Immediate assessment of the extent of these pollutants and their associated health risks is urgently needed. Thereis a concerning lack of data on the localized concentration of these contaminants and the length of time residents may have been exposed,”they wrote.”Please collaborate with the State of Oregon and Multnomah County’s efforts to conduct exposure screenings for residents, perform soil tests, establisha centralized system for tracking health incidents and test results, better understandmethods for soildecontaminationand address other public health management needs.”