The Colorado Air Quality Control Commission has adopted a new rule to regulate five “priority” air toxics identified as significant health risks, including benzene, ethylene oxide, formaldehyde, hexavalent chromium compounds, and hydrogen sulfide.
Air toxics are associated with severe health issues such as cancer, birth defects, and respiratory problems.
The regulation stems from House Bill 22-1244, which empowers the commission to implement rules stricter than federal Clean Air Act standards.
Sources and Risks of the Five Toxics
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) described the identified air toxics and their health impacts:
- Benzene: Emitted during oil and gas production, fuel combustion, and industrial activities. Long-term exposure can lead to cancer, reproductive harm, and blood disorders.
- Ethylene Oxide: Used in sterilizing medical equipment, prolonged exposure may cause cancer and respiratory irritation.
- Formaldehyde: Emitted from engines, boilers, and wood burning. Chronic exposure can lead to cancer, asthma, and respiratory irritation.
- Hexavalent Chromium Compounds: Found in emissions from coal power plants and metal coating processes, it causes respiratory problems and cancer.
- Hydrogen Sulfide: Emitted from refineries, landfills, and wastewater plants, exposure can lead to low blood pressure, headaches, and psychological disorders.
Next Steps and Community Concerns
CDPHE’s Air Pollution Control Division will propose health-based standards for these toxics in a separate rulemaking later in 2025, with a public hearing scheduled for February.
For decades, residents of Denver’s Globeville and Elyria-Swansea neighborhoods have reported health impacts from air pollution.
Carla Padilla, director of the BirdSeed Collective, shared concerns about how these changes will impact her community. “Anything is better than nothing,” Padilla said. “But what will this really trickle down to for our neighborhood?”
Environmental advocates, such as Harmony Cummings of the Green House Connection Center, view the rule as a step forward but emphasize the need for enforcement. “Without enforcement, policies can become diluted to nothing. Yet, I remain hopeful,” Cummings said.
Looking Ahead
The commission will review and update the list of regulated toxics every five years, with the potential to add more pollutants.
As Colorado moves toward establishing health-based standards and emissions controls, communities impacted by air pollution continue to hope for meaningful change.
Environmentalists acknowledge this milestone as progress but stress that much work remains in addressing air pollution and its impact on public health.
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