Courtney Lorenz
Skanska
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The Pharos Project is a project of the Healthy Building Network. HBN is:
In Vermont:
Melissa Coffin, Bill Walsh
In California:
Tom Lent
In Washington, DC:
Larry Kilroy, Sarah Gilberg, Sarah Pickell, Susan Sabella
In Maine:
Jim Vallette
A manufacturer of PVC pipe, vinyl siding and other building and
consumer products is now reportedly the number one source of dioxin
releases in the country. A recent assessment of the EPA's Toxics Release Inventory,
by the Institute for Southern Studies identified Westlake Vinyls in
Calvert City, KY as the worst dioxin polluter in 2010, reporting
releases of over 14,000 grams -- more than 31 pounds -- of dioxins and
dioxin-like compounds to surface waters in 2010 alone. Dioxins are among
the most potent toxicants known to science, very persistent and
bioaccumulative with health concerns including cancer and reproductive
toxicity. Current European exposure limits range as low as 1 picogram
per kilogram of body weight per day - one-trillionth of a gram. The EPA
is expected to suggest even lower limits in its long awaited upcoming
dioxin reassessment.Westlake reports that it “is an integrated manufacturer of PVC pipe. Other end uses include pipe fittings, vinyl sidings, bottles, flexible and rigid film and sheeting used for packaging, credit cards and wall coverings.”
Tom Lent is a researcher with the Pharos Project and the policy director of the Healthy Building Network.


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