Things Are Falling From The Sky
Want to know how dangerous (or not) the environment is where you live? Check Scorecard.
Scorecard is the ultimate source for free and easily accessible local environmental information. Simply type in a zip code to learn about environmental issues in your community. Scorecard ranks and compares the pollution situation in areas across the US.
Operated by the Environmental Defense Network, Scorecard will tell you all about the waste, air, land, and water concerns in your area, as well as which of these have been designated priority issues. It'll tell you who the chief polluters and what the chief pollutants are.
It's an informative site to dig through. My favorite part was the list of corporations and the pollutants they produce. And I learned that Ramsey County (St. Paul and the east suburbs) has by far the least animal waste of any county in Minnesota.
(via Anna's Soapbox)
UPDATE: Okay, that site's kinda interesting, but this has to be one of the most boring posts I've ever written. I threw all that other gunk in the extended entry because I'm sick of looking at it.
Here are a few facts about Hennepin County, which includes the city of Minneapolis and the first tier of north- and southwest suburbs in the Twin Cities Metro:
Toxic Chemical Releases from Manufacturing Facilities
- In 2001, this county ranked among the dirtier 30% of all counties in the U.S. in terms of air releases of recognized reproductive toxicants.
- Based on EPA's most current data, this county ranked among the dirtiest/worst 10% of all counties in the US in terms of the number of people living in areas where cancer risk from hazardous air pollutants exceeds 1 in 10,000.
- 1,116,200 people in HENNEPIN County face a cancer risk more than 100 times the goal set by the Clean Air Act.
- 66% of the air cancer risk is from mobile sources
- 33% of the air cancer risk is from area sources
- 0.98% of the air cancer risk is from point sources
- In 1999, this county ranked among the dirtiest/worst 10% of all counties in the U.S. in terms of sulfur dioxide emissions.
- 2 Superfund sites in HENNEPIN County caused contamination of drinking water sources
- 12000 houses in HENNEPIN County have a high risk of lead hazards.
- 3% of surface waters in HENNEPIN County have beneficial uses which are impaired or threatened. (Reports may be incomplete) [Considering how much water there is around here, this sounds pretty darned good.]
- Some Rivers, Streams and Creeks are impaired by Sediments and Pathogens
- HENNEPIN County contains a portion of 4 watersheds:
- EPA has determined that 3 have more serious water quality problems
- One of the top-ranked environmental problems in your state is Industrial source of air pollution
I don't feel like digging much more to find out what all of those numbers mean, but I suspect this is typical of a moderately industrialized and not-super-overpopulated metropolitan area. Not pristine, but we're not all wasting away from chronic diseases either.
0 TrackBacks
Listed below are links to blogs that reference this entry: Things Are Falling From The Sky.
TrackBack URL for this entry: http://www.swirlspice.com/mt4/mt-tb.cgi/2533
I suspect your conclusions are just about right; I pulled up the stats for Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, which has a smaller population and slightly better numbers. (We have four Superfund sites, two of which affect water supplies - and all four of which are within five or six miles of where I live, until I move later this month.)
Now this is some scarey stuff. Wayne county is is the top 10%. Yikes. Thanks for link.