Environmental violations against local glass company remain most egregious in decades

Posted October 2020

By Eva Wu and Tina Larmpend

Cub Reporters

When Bullseye Glass Company was found guilty for releasing toxic metals on Southeast Portland in 2016, a $6.5 million lawsuit was filed against them for contaminating the neighborhood's air.

More than 800 neighbors sued the company, who had claimed the company released toxic metals into their properties. Afterwards, the OHA conducted a scientific experiment, using nearby tree moss to test the atmosphere for confirmation. State regulators then announced their findings, discovering arsenic levels 159 times higher than the state’s benchmarks and cadmium levels 49 times higher.

Dangerous substances were revealed from the tree moss experiment. Results proved that carcinogenic metals such as arsenic, cadmium, and chromium contaminated the neighborhood. Leads and nickels were also found in the experiment. Studies have shown these life-threatening chemicals can increase the likelihood of cancer. Breathing high levels of cadmium can cause death, along with lung problems. Communities not only affected but along with cancer patients, exposed by these toxins could easily risk themselves into more medical problems.

“A woman who works in Portland has sued Bullseye Glass, alleging the art glass maker directly caused her terminal lung cancer,” OPB reported. "In the lawsuit, 63-year-old Valerie Silva and her husband, Richard Silva, said she never smoked or used tobacco products, but a doctor diagnosed her with stage IV cancer in both her lungs in 2014.”

Regarding the lawsuit, neighbors were expected to receive a share of the settlement money. A family of four is expected to retrieve an amount of $1,752 to $4,632. While a single renter is to obtain $438 to $1,158. A person owning property near the area, who isn’t permanently living in the area, could receive $1,168 to $3,088. The rest who didn’t file a claim was unable to receive a share of the money.

“The emissions ‘plume’ area reaches from Southeast Division Street in the north to the Reed College campus in the south,” reported The Oregonian.

Bullseye Glass later agreed to the idea of paying an air pollution monitoring program worth $1 million, after discovering the situation. Two air monitoring stations were located on the company’s property, while the rest were placed approximately a mile away from the glass factory. Alongside the company paid $2.2 million for filters to be added to their furnaces, in reducing air pollution and avoiding future accidents. The company created new regulations regarding colored glass manufacturers, built to decrease emissions of chemical substances like cadmium and chromium.

“Putting limits and laws in place to regulate the amount of pollution emitted into the environment is one way to gradually make our air cleaner,” said science teacher Andrew Blackburn. “Also, holding companies such as Bullseye accountable for their actions by hurting their bottom line, will cause them to make changes in the way that they operate.”

The Dalles, an aluminum recycler, was fined $1.3 million on Jan. 9 after contravening air pollution regulations. It was a fine issued to Hydro Extrusion USA, the largest fine issued by the agency for an air pollution violation. The facility was only allowed to process materials free of oil, grease, and other coatings. But, the company was found melting forbidden materials for over a year. Afterwards, the company was instructed firmly to halt the procession of unclean materials. They were decreed to upgrade tracking programs and submit monthly reports to the state for it to be verified, as reported in The Oregonian.

“Portland should expand efforts to monitor pollution levels and protect the air that we breathe,” said Blackburn. “Air pollution is more than a Portland problem. It's a global one.”