Bullseye pollution problems

[Yeef]

locals are obviously looking for any opportunity to nit-pick

the comments on the link are super reactionary, it's clear lots of those folks have no idea what they're talking about. not that any pollution is good, but calling on BE to shut down over this is a little bit hysterical. after 50 years, the fact that they didn't find a hundred tons of glass in this drain sort of implies that BE hasn't been intentionally dumping shit in the sewer system.

i don't think people really have any concept of the pollution that industry, construction, even roads being used causes. selenium sounds scary enough to cause OUTRAGE! and no amount of education is going to stop the loudest yodelers from yodeling. this sounds to me like a case of virtue signalling, where the loudest is the right-est and everyone else hates the planet. heh.

[Jackass Glass]

Nimby....

[brads]

the comments on the link are super reactionary, it's clear lots of those folks have no idea what they're talking about. not that any pollution is good, but calling on BE to shut down over this is a little bit hysterical. after 50 years, the fact that they didn't find a hundred tons of glass in this drain sort of implies that BE hasn't been intentionally dumping shit in the sewer system.

i don't think people really have any concept of the pollution that industry, construction, even roads being used causes. selenium sounds scary enough to cause OUTRAGE! and no amount of education is going to stop the loudest yodelers from yodeling. this sounds to me like a case of virtue signalling, where the loudest is the right-est and everyone else hates the planet. heh.

I hadn't read the comments section before, but when I did I found this one funny as hell (even though Bullseye legitimately deserves criticism for some of their practices) - "OMG they're going to hurt the endangered sewer salmon and brown trout!"

But sadly, whether in national politics or something fairly localized like this, the level of ignorance and stupidity in the general population does nothing at all to help things. That ignorance and stupidity is well displayed in those comments.

[jr23]

So have the borosilicate color company's fired up cad production full speed or is there still shortage .

I saw someone selling c red by momka for 60 a pound first


That's reg price . I though well things of settled down .

Figured I would ask the crowd

[PyroChixRock]

I haven't seen anyone resume production yet.

[GlassBBQ]

So have the borosilicate color company's fired up cad production full speed or is there still shortage .

I saw someone selling c red by momka for 60 a pound first


That's reg price . I though well things of settled down .

Figured I would ask the crowd

Momka is the only company that hasn't stopped cad color production so far.

[Cosmo]

From what I've seen Momka's has always had whatever filtration in place that the others are now installing.

[jr23]

That's pretty cool I know I heard she was slowing down or somthing but I imagine this has her cad lineup jumping out the door .

I see some die hards claiming they are buying Indian cads and remixing with decent results but idk

[Cosmo]

I don't know that for sure. But I've heard it from several sources and you can still get cadmiums form them, so I assume that's the case.

Personally I never use cadmiums. I have a few pounds here that I keep thinking about selling.

[Skipjack]

Bullseye will resume glass containing chromium in early 2017.
http://www.bullseyeglass.com/news/ba...on-update.html

Spectrum has been sold to Oceanside Glasstile. Production of Spectrum's glass line will begin in early 2017 in Tijuana, Mexico.
http://www.spectrumglass.com
Information on Oceanside Glasstile: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...726-story.html

Uroboros will cease production in early 2017. The owners hope to sell the company.
http://us12.campaign-archive2.com/?u...a&e=20790b1374

[PyroChixRock]

Thanks for the links. We were just talking about all this a few mins ago.

[PyroChixRock]

New regulations are in

http://koin.com/2016/09/29/new-rules...-glass-makers/

[Greymatter Glass]

I love how it doesn't really get into what the new regulations actually are. Nothing about cadmium, just chrome?

Any word from NS, TAG, or GA? I saw Abe's update a couple weeks back....

I guess this is good news, right?

[brads]

If you follow the page links you can find the regs, although they are the temporary ones. But these are also the regs that just got finalized, likely without much, if any, changes. http://www.deq.state.or.us/about/eqc...09262016-A.pdf

I think the reason they singled out chromium is because there is a marked difference in toxicity between trivalent and hexavalent chromium, and the regulations therefore specify limits for each individually.

[Skipjack]

Bullseye distributed a status update today, which included a link to the DEQ findings which, in summary, concluded that the metals which are associated with glass production which could be attributed to Bullseye are manganese, cobalt, cadmium (see p. 3, Comparison of Phase 1 and Phase 2 analytical results), and possibly selenium (see p. 28 i.e. last page, Overall interpretation, Memorandum Appendix C). The concentrations of hexavalent chromium and lead did not appear to have any particular relationship to the Bullseye facility.

Most results for metal analysis were near background levels, with the notable exceptions that arsenic and hexavalent chromium exceeded DEQ risk based values, but with no indication that the arsenic and chromium levels were associated with glass production.

Bullseye statement: http://us5.campaign-archive1.com/?u=...a&e=9daf0cd004

Link to DEQ findings: http://www.deq.state.or.us/nwr/docs/...llseyeSSR2.pdf

[PyroChixRock]

thanks for the update

[brads]

These are the statements in the study that I thought seemed most enlightening:

Overall, a pattern is apparent that shows a strong correlation for manganese and cobalt with distance from the Bullseye facility, and cadmium shows a correlation to a lesser extent (Seidel, 2016).

So after all the hype and handwringing, the only elevated chemical levels with a "strong correlation" to glassmaking at Bullseye are manganese and cobalt, with each (oddly, considering the "strong correlation") still near expected background levels.

cadmium does show an apparent spatial relationship to the facility, and on average, slightly exceeds the ATSDR guideline, but not DEQ’s RBC level.

And while area cadmium levels, which are what started this whole shitstorm in the first place, are apparently higher than normal background levels and show a correlation to Bullseye, they are still below DEQ RBC (Risk Based Concentration) levels. So it does look like Bullseye has been allowing cadmium, manganese, and cobalt to escape into the local environment. But even after 45 years they are still not in high enough concentrations to exceed DEQ limits - or warrant the mass hysteria pumped up by the press and (not surprisingly) ambulance chasing law firms.

So yes, Bullseye needs to do - and is in the process of doing - some work to keep stray chemicals out of the environment. But were the massive hits to their reputation and financial wellbeing that were caused by this hysteria warranted? It sure doesn't look like it.

[menty666]

Not to mention taking out two other manufacturers.

[brads]

Good point, Menty. Ironically, this might actually help Bullseye in the long run by eliminating two competitors. (Not entirely true, since Spectrum has sold their business to a firm in California that will now produce the glass, and Oroboros is trying to make a similar exit by finding a buyer.) But my guess is that Bullseye would still have preferred to avoid the headaches and financial costs of the whole episode.

[Skipjack]

Apparently, Oceanside Glasstile has acquired the Uroboros name as well as the Spectrum name, and both Spectrum and Uroboros will be produced at Oceanside Glasstile's Mexican facility.

http://us12.campaign-archive1.com/?u...6&e=20790b1374