Reader Spotlight: Air pollution in Northport

For decades, the small community of Northport, Washington, has faced growing concerns about air pollution drifting down from the Teck smelter in Trail, British Columbia. Recent data and scientific studies now suggest these concerns are not only valid but potentially life-altering for residents’ health.

Air monitoring from 1993 to 2009 in Northport and Sheep Creek showed long-term exposure to arsenic, cadmium and lead, all toxic heavy metals.

These pollutants came primarily in the form of fine airborne particles (PM10), small enough to be inhaled deep into the lungs and even enter the bloodstream.

Arsenic levels were measured 11 times higher than what the EPA considers safe for lifetime exposure (0.026 micrograms per cubic meter compared to the EPA limit of 0.0023). Cadmium was 18 times higher (0.011 micrograms per cubic meter vs. 0.0006). Lead levels exceeded federal limits for neurotoxic exposure (0.177 micrograms per cubic meter, the EPA limit is 0.15).

These are not “trace amounts” – these are levels that regulators, toxicologists and public health experts recognize as dangerous.

These metals are linked to serious long-term health effects.

Arsenic is a carcinogen. It can weaken immunity and is linked to autoimmune disease. Cadmium damages lungs and the gut. It’s linked to Crohn’s disease and colitis. Lead is a neurotoxin and disrupts immune and gut health.

In Northport, local health surveys have shown clusters of autoimmune illness, and the science now gives us strong reason to believe that chronic exposure to airborne toxins may be a major contributor. Studies have shown that exposure to metals like arsenic, cadmium and lead can play a major role in triggering or worsening autoimmune diseases, including Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis

In December, the EPA included the Upper Columbia River/Northport site on the Superfund National Priorities List, but the health reports they provided the community in 2021 declared Northport residents were safe.

These health reports understated the risk of air pollution, relying on outdated data and ignoring Washington state’s stricter air safety limits. Air pollution may still be harming residents, but it’s not being properly monitored or acknowledged.

Residents of northeast Washington must demand updated air monitoring as well as push for health studies and community testing.

Individuals can ask their doctor about testing for lead, arsenic and cadmium levels.

They can also contact agencies like the Washington Department of Ecology or the EPA to request current air monitoring.

Most important, don’t let anyone tell you this is “normal.” It’s not.

Jamie Paparich

Northport