[Environment Report]:North American Pollution Report


This is the VOA Special English Environment Report.

A new study has both good news and bad news about pollution inNorth America. It found that industrial releases into theenvironment dropped five percent between nineteen-ninety-five andtwo-thousand. The report shows that some of North America's largestpolluters reduced their pollution during this period.

But not so with smaller polluters. From nineteen-ninety-eight totwo-thousand, smaller polluters put thirty-two percent morechemicals into the air, ground and water. This finding is based on agroup of fifteen-thousand industrial centers across North America.These facilities release up to one-hundred tons of chemicals a year.They represent the majority of polluters in the United States andCanada.

The study also examined three-thousand-six-hundred facilitiesthat release more than one-hundred tons of chemicals a year. Thesepolluters reported a seven-percent reduction in pollutants betweennineteen-ninety-eight and two-thousand. However, they still wereresponsible for ninety percent of the total pollution.

Industrial polluters include factories, electric power stations,chemical producers, mines and places that treat dangerous wastes.

The report is from the Commission for Environmental Cooperation.This group was established as part of the North American Free TradeAgreement.

The commission found more than three-point-three million tons ofchemicals released into the environment in two-thousand. Some ofthese chemicals have been linked to cancer. Others causedevelopmental or reproductive problems.

The report says more than one-third of the releases intwo-thousand came from five American states and the Canadianprovince of Ontario. The five states were Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania,Michigan and Indiana. The commission notes that Mexico has notrequired polluters to report their chemical releases, but isdeveloping such a system.

Victor Shantora is acting head of the Commission forEnvironmental Cooperation. He says it is sad to see such a largenumber of facilities releasing more pollution into the environment.He says small polluters might not make as much news as large ones,but their effect is being felt throughout North America.

This Special English Environment Report was written by GeorgeGrow.

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