Oil Refinery Spews 8.5 Tons of Cyanide Gas Over Low-Income Community Each Year
Recent tests have shown that an oil refinery in Denver called Suncor Energy has been spewing over 8.5 tons of cyanide gas over the low-income communities that surround it. Oddly enough, the refinery is exempt from disclosing their cyanide emissions to the public, but independent tests have shown their output of the gas to be astronomical.
In fact, according to Cross Community Coalition director Candi Cdebaca, air quality control officials actually gave the refinery a special permit that allows them to release levels of toxins that surpass recommended levels.
“It’s absurd to think state health officials would even consider granting permits to pollute more. The state health officials are completely failing to protect these neighborhoods. And they are disregarding the cumulative impact of the many pollutants in the area. The ideal would be we aren’t letting them put that into the air at all, and if they are, we would know how to respond,” Cdebaca said.
According to the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, hydrogen cyanide is an invisible gas that attacks the brain and heart, causing rapid breathing, convulsions, and loss of consciousness when someone is exposed to large amounts. Even low-level exposure can still cause breathing problems, headaches, and thyroid gland problems.
The gas is even classified as a chemical weapon by The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, which was established under the 1997 global Chemical Weapons Convention.
Earthjustice attorney Joel Minor is one of many Colorado residents who have filed a petition for a reasonable limit to be set on the level of cyanide that can be released into the air.
“Everyone who lives near Suncor, as well as Suncor employees, have been breathing hydrogen cyanide. If the state is going to set a limit for hydrogen cyanide, it needs to set a limit that protects public health. And we have these laws requiring disclosure for a reason. People do have a right to know what they are breathing,” Minor said.
Many activists are calling on the EPA to step in and set regulations, but the regulators are obviously a part of the problem in this scenario. It may seem like regulators are acting as enforcers to keep polluters in check, but in reality, they act as a buffer that protects powerful interests from the public that they are harming.
Just consider how the air quality control officials were handing out special permits allowing protected companies to work outside of the laws that were supposedly intended for these very companies.
The EPA actually has no concern for the environment, they just happen to use the environment as a cover story to create laws and gain an advantage for the companies that lobbied for exemptions to the agency’s regulations, and to collect money in fines.
There are real solutions outside the common government paradigm, and that is mainly the ability for individuals, not governments, to hold polluters personally and financially accountable. What this means is that the residents who are affected by this pollution should be able to sue the company directly for harming their health and damaging their property.
It is actually the regulators who are preventing this from happening since it is their job to be judge, jury, and plaintiff, it takes that power away from the average people, and leaves us with no recourse to address the problems that are present in our communities.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY:
My name is John Vibes and I am an author and researcher who organizes a number of large events including the Free Your Mind Conference. I write for numerous alternative media websites, including The Free Thought Project @tftproject and The Mind Unleashed. In addition to my first book, Alchemy of the Timeless Renaissance, I have also co-authored three books with Derrick Broze @dbroze : The Conscious Resistance: Reflections on Anarchy and Spirituality, Finding Freedom in an Age of Confusion and Manifesto of the Free Humans
I just won a 3-year-long battle with cancer, and will be working to help others through my experience, if you wish to contribute to my medical bills, consider subscribing to my podcast on Patreon.
What is wrong with the world!! People are doing anything for money, not caring about the environment or the people who are getting affected by this. This is really horrible!
It is thanks for people like you who are bringing this to public's notice. Good work.
In our country, there are thousands of laws in place but no one cares of the poor public. Industries are earning huge money sucking the blood of poor people
it has become commonplace in this crazy world. all of which seemed powerless to resist the power of companies that bribed important officials in a country. and I really appreciate this writing, this is a sign that there are still people who care. thank you for sharing @johnvibes
They will continue to poison us until we stand up for our rights to clean air water and chemical free lifestyles!!!!
"the refinery is exempt from disclosing their cyanide emissions to the public". This just ticks me off. The level of corruption and rot in our system is horrifying
Yeah.. a "special permit" its all such a joke
This is bad and quite unfortunate.
There is a refinery and a power plant in the south of Shanghai. I also remember a large one in Minnesota.
These are death factories, when you consider the amount of pollution and waste they produce, so we can have plastic, fuel, rubber, or anything that is petrol based.
I've opted out of car culture, hate flying, and so I try not to feed the beast any more than I have to.
yeah its a hard thing to do :( hopefully cleaner tehnologies come soon
Simple solutions save the day. People having their property rights intact & enforced by a community can handle the vast majority of disputes. Complication leads to confusion which is a favorite tactic of our enemy.
@resteemator is a new bot casting votes for its followers. Follow @resteemator and vote this comment to increase your chance to be voted in the future!