1. Home
  2. News
  3. Week of Mar. 29-Apr. 4, 2011
  4. Inspector General Says EPA Ignored Possible Health Risks of Recycling Coal Waste

Inspector General Says EPA Ignored Possible Health Risks of Recycling Coal Waste

Date: March 24, 2011

Source: News Room

A recently released report from the EPA's inspector general says the agency promoted using coal waste in roads, buildings and other construction over the past 10 years without properly testing the environmental risks. From 2001 to 2010, EPA promoted coal combustion residues (CCRs), the byproducts of coal-fired power plants, such as fly ash, bottom ash and boiler slag, as potentially useful materials for wallboard, road bases, golf course fill, concrete and other applications, in an effort to reduce waste. However, CCRs contain low concentrations of arsenic, lead and mercury, which are known to leach into ground water sources if unprotected, the report said. Promoting their use had come from a government-industry coalition, the Coal Combustion Products Partnership, which included the American Coal Ash Association and Utility Solid Waste Activities Group, as well as other federal agencies. Consequently, the use of CCRs as a structural filler nearly tripled between 2001 and 2008, from 4 million tons to 12 million tons a year, according to the report.

EPA is considering imposing stricter regulations for coal ash following a 2008 environmental disaster at a Tennessee power plant that released more than 5 million cubic yards of ash into a river and nearby lands.

According to the Inspector General report, "EPA did not follow accepted and standard practices in determining the safety of the 15 categories of CCR [coal combustion residuals] beneficial uses it promoted through the C2P2 program. EPA's application of risk assessment, risk screening, and leachate testing and modeling was significantly limited in scope and applicability. Without proper protections, CCR contaminants can leach into ground water and migrate to drinking water sources, posing significant public health concerns."

To view the report, visit: www.epa.gov/oig/reports/2011/20110323-11-P-0173.pdf.

See also "EPA Finds Ash Recycling Program Violated Ethics Rules," (www.wasteinfo.com/news/wbj20101019D.htm).

Industry News & Events

Sign up to receive our free Weekly News Bulletin