Blowing in the wind
Cemex's toxic dust is found in Lyons homes

By Tyler Wilcox

If it wasn't clear before, it's a scientifically proven fact now: Making cement is, quite literally, dirty work. Cemex, the Mexican-owned company that stands as the largest cement manufacturer in North America and owns a cement plant just outside of Lyons, is sending harmful chemicals into the Front Range's air. Residents within a half-mile of the Cemex Lyons Cement Plant have found heavy metals in the dust on their cars, porches and inside their homes. These heavy metals are typically found in cement kiln dust, a fine, toxic dust that can burn skin, lungs and sensory organs.

Residents collected dust samples two weeks ago and submitted them to Cardinal Environmental Laboratories, an independent lab in Ohio, for analysis. The results confirmed the long-held suspicions citizens had about the plant's toxic discharge. In the samples, levels of chromium twice the level of the Environmental Protection Agency standards were found. Chromium is known to cause some types of cancer. Antimony—a metal that can cause heart and respiratory ailments—was also found in the dust. The tests were conducted with the help of the Colorado Citizens Campaign, a statewide grassroots group that has been keeping its eye on Cemex, and Denny Larson, director of Global Communities Monitor, a San Francisco-based nonprofit that assists communities worldwide to independently verify air pollution and health concerns.

"To me, one of the most meaningful results is that chromium was found, both inside the homes and outside the homes," said Jaime Rall, program director for the Colorado Citizen's Campaign. "That's not normal. That indicates to me that we need more testing to find out exactly what neighbors are being exposed to by living next to Cemex."

Lois Hickman, a Lyons resident who participated in the test, found heavy metals in the dust inside her home. "We want to know exactly where the cement dust comes from," she says. "Unwashed trucks on the highway? Fugitive dust from the plant? That will determine what Cemex needs to do to clean up our community."

In the coming weeks, Lyons residents will test for mercury, which is another toxin commonly found in cement kiln dust. They'll also test for more dangerous types of chromium. "Until we know which form is there, we can't speak clearly to the health risks," Rall says. "We do know that chromium 6 is a very dangerous toxin that is very frequently a byproduct of cement manufacturing—it's been found to have carcinogenic properties. That's what we're looking for."

And, Rall is quick to point out that the recent tests have only covered one aspect of Cemex's pollution-causing methods. "This doesn't even get to the stuff that's being released by the plant smokestacks, which is a whole other host of toxins," she says. "That includes sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, volatile organic compounds—and those are released in huge amounts by the stacks. We're talking about a 50-mile radius that is being affected by these emissions."

Since January of this year, members of the Colorado Citizens Campaign have written 1,958 personal letters to Cemex managers demanding the reduction of pollution produced by Cemex. With a recent management change at the Lyons plant, Rall is optimistic about the future. "John Lohr, the former plant manager, was replaced last week by Steve Goodrich," she says. "We know that the plant was receiving and reading the letters, but we see this as a new opportunity to make changes to the plant. We're hoping to build a relationship with him and really work at improving the plant. I'd like to meet with him personally and talk about what we can do to clean up the plant. Our goal is to build a lasting relationship between the plant and the neighbors that will create lasting changes to the pollution problems that people are experiencing. We're not going away until it's achieved. We're committed to the campaign until the company sits down with us."

In the meantime, Lyons residents are starting to make their voices heard. This Saturday, a "March To Clean Up Cemex" will take place. Organized by a new group, Mothers Against Burning Tires (MABT), in response to Cemex's plans to start burning tires as a source of alternative fuel, the march will start at 12:30 p.m. at the Stone Cup Café on 442 High St. in Lyons and will end at the Cemex plant. Prior to the march, from 10 a.m. to noon, there will be a letter-writing drive held at the Stone Cup.

"[MABT] came out of all of the mothers getting up and speaking at recent hearings that have been happening out here in Lyons," says Michele Leonard, one of the organization's founders. "Because they've extended the public comment period until May 18 for the state's air-quality control commission, this is our last-ditch effort to be heard, to let the state and Cemex know that we will not tolerate tire burning in Boulder County... Our goal is to have alternative fuels removed from the Title V operating permit that's about to be issued [to the company]. If Cemex proves that they can burn coal safely for five years then we're perfectly willing to come back and discuss other sources of fuel. But because they haven't burned coal safely for 40 years, there's no indication that they can burn tires safely. The EPA has said that tire burning is one of the most toxic forms of getting fuel. We are not willing to be experimented on, which is what they want to do."

For more information on the Colorado Citizens Campaign, go to www.coloradocitizenscampaign.org, or contact Jaime Rall at 303-863-8168. For more information on the MABT's "March To Clean Up Cemex," contact MABT at 303-709-8343, or mothersabt@yahoo.com.