As do I ...
In 2015, the EPA found that hydrogen cyanide was
the main driver of neurological health risks from refineries. Hydrogen cyanide is a
systemic chemical asphyxiant, meaning that when it enters the body, it interferes with the body’s use of oxygen, affecting nearly every organ of the body. Organs that are sensitive to low oxygen levels (i.e., the brain, the heart and blood vessels, and the lungs) are most susceptible to the impacts of hydrogen cyanide emissions. Exposure to hydrogen cyanide causes harm to the developing fetus and the nervous, endocrine, cardiovascular, and reproductive systems.
According to the Centers for Disease Control,
exposure even at low levels can lead to dizziness, headache, nausea, vomiting, rapid heart rate, restlessness, and weakness. Due to its highly noxious nature, its impact on human health can be swiftly fatal; exposure to high levels of hydrogen cyanide can lead to
death within minutes.
“There is a lack of responsibility on the part of environmental protection agencies, as well as those in charge of petroleum refineries and plants that process toxic chemicals,” says Marcelys Perez, a member of the mothers’ support group Amor Sin Obstáculos in Manchester. “They fail to consider the risks and impacts to our children’s health from the emissions they seek to increase in our communities, no matter their quantities – they affect us. Frankly, I don’t feel safe when my child plays outside because we don’t know what airborne chemicals they are exposed to, including hydrogen cyanide, and these are emitted from every facility. I feel that these emissions have prevented our children from developing physically, socially, and psychologically. This pattern is evident in communities like mine, where you don’t see children enjoying outdoor activities.”
To put an end to the lack of nationwide hydrogen cyanide regulation, Representative DeGette has introduced the
Protecting Communities from Hydrogen Cyanide Act of 2019 to require EPA to set a hydrogen cyanide limit that is protective of human health and the environment. The Act reflects local grassroots efforts ...