Officials with the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) just gave a short press briefing (see the video below). Here are a few bullet points.
*Gov. Brown's order to direct the DEQ to issue the cease and desist order to Bullseye Glass is "unprecedented," Leah Feldon with the DEQ said. It's the first time something like has happened. The 10-day order can be renewed.
*This is the first time lead levels this high (about three times the safe levels) have been discovered from Bullseye, said OHA director Lynne Saxton.
*Brian Boling, a lab program manager with the DEQ, said they have four monitor stations around Bullseye Glass. The sample in question came from the a daycare center just south of the facility, and because winds came from the north, they are certain Bullseye was the source. The sample was taken on May 9, tested last night, with results coming in at around 7 a.m. today.
*"It made us concerned for the health of the children in that daycare center," said David Farrer, a toxicologist with the OHA. "This finding is part of a pattern of unpredictable levels of emissions from this facility."
*Dr. Jae Douglas with Multnomah County said that officials spoke to employees of that daycare center this afternoon, providing the staff with information they can relay to parents. There'll be a free screening for lead tomorrow from 2-6 p.m. and throughout next week (call the county at 503.823.4000 for more info).
We'll be keeping you updated about this situation, so check back with us tomorrow.
In a dramatic move, Gov. Kate Brown directed the the state's Department of Environmental Quality to issue a cease and desist order to Bullseye Glass, requiring the company to stop "its use of several hazardous air pollutants, including lead, following air monitoring results at a daycare near the company that showed an immediate, short-term health risk from lead levels that were four times above the 24-hour benchmark."
Here's the press release:
(Salem, OR) — Governor Kate Brown today took action to require Bullseye Glass Co. to cease its use of several hazardous air pollutants, including lead, following air monitoring results at a daycare near the company that showed an immediate, short-term health risk from lead levels that were four times above the 24-hour benchmark.
“Public health and safety are my highest priorities,” Governor Brown said. “This swift action and public notification will help ensure the wellbeing of local residents who live and work in the area. Clean air is vital to the health and safety of our community.”
At the direction of the Governor, the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) ordered Bullseye to cease and desist the use of lead—as well as arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, all chromium compounds, cobalt, manganese, nickel, and selenium in any uncontrolled furnace—for the next 10 days. DEQ will continue lead and industrial air toxics monitoring, and the Governor retains the authority to impose additional orders on the company as necessary.
DEQ conducts enhanced monitoring of industrial air toxics as part of Cleaner Air Oregon. This joint effort by DEQ and the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) will apply new health-risk based standards to industrial air toxics sources to better protect the public. The state is also partnering with Multnomah County and the City of Portland in these efforts.
The Governor further directed OHA to notify the daycare center, its patrons, local authorities, and the immediately impacted community to provide information related to these recent findings. Local health authority partners from Multnomah County made initial contact with the daycare this afternoon. Additional information will be made available on SaferAir.Oregon.Gov. For information on Cleaner Air Oregon, the initiative to overhaul Oregon’s industrial air toxics regulations, visit CleanerAir.Oregon.Gov.
A press briefing will be streamed live shortly here, and embedded below. We'll update this story when more information is available.
