Asphalt plants impact air pollutants, public health, EDC members learn

By Rose Hooper

Jim Renfro with the National Park Service concentrated on "the economic impact of good visibility," and Lewis Zeller of the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League addressed the health issue.

Renfro, the park's air resource specialist here since 1984, called asphalt "a little piece of the whole puzzle" in relation to ozone pollution in the Smokies. Haze and acid rain fit in as other pieces of the puzzle, according to Renfro, whose key responsibilities are monitoring the air quality and handling policy-related issues and education.

"For our air quality to improve, each little piece of the puzzle must improve. Each source must be responsible for cleaning up the air in its own right," he said. "And we need to think about 'rationing down' levels, rather than adding to."

Even so, the park service does not deal with asphalt plants, which are addressed on a local level, he said.

"The number one reason tourists come here is to view the mountains," Renfro said. "But air pollution is shrinking those scenic views. Annual visibility is just 20 miles, but we should be able to see 93 miles."

Air pollution is also damaging plants, degrading high elevations streams and soil and even damaging human health, he said.

"Wealth, those tourist dollars, along with public health could pay for the Clean Air Act," Renfro told members of the EDC.

Zeller followed by saying that if asphalt plants take voluntary limits from the state, they are not considered major enough to be monitored by the NPS.

"However," he stressed, "asphalt plants have the potential to become major pollutants and subsequently monitored by the NPS."

Toxins emitted by asphalt plants include benzene, formaldehyde and arsenic, Zeller said. "You also have carcinogens, like carbon monoxide and lead."

In response to health concerns of residents near the Rhodes Brothers Asphalt Plant in Macon County, Zeller said the league recently conducted a door-to-door survey.

"We found that 45 percent of those living within a half mile of the plant reported a deterioration of their health after the plant opened. The most frequent problems included high blood pressure, sinus problems, headaches and shortness of breath," Zeller said. "The noise level alone has a devastating impact on the community."

While health is the major concern, Zeller said that along with asphalt plants comes a devaluation in property values. Citing a case in Avery County, Zeller said residents near the Pineola plant reported a documented property loss of 56 percent.

"Some states, like California, regulate asphalt plants much greater than North Carolina does," he told EDC members. "North Carolina vastly under controls asphalt plants. That's why it is so important for local governments to take control."

He gave the example of Ashe County, which enacted a Polluting Industries Ordinance prohibiting asphalt plants from locating within 1,000 feet of residences, schools and day care centers.

"That ordinance withstood the tests of the federal courts," he said.

The EDC will meet at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 29, with citizens from Qualla community in the Smokey Mountain Elementary School cafeteria.

In May, Jackson County commissioners unanimously adopted a yearlong moratorium on the construction of asphalt plants in the county. The action followed an announcement by Mark Fortner, owner of HMC Paving in Bryson City, that he planned to build an asphalt plant in Qualla's Gateway community.

During the moratorium, commissioners asked members of the EDC to determine the economic impact of an asphalt in the county.

Back to Archive: 10/25/01.