MUNCIE — A new zinc production plant set to be built in Muncie by the end of 2020 is prompting many health concerns for residents.
The former BorgWarner site along Kilgore Avenue was approved by the city council to become a steel-dust recycling facility.
Jacie Clark lives within three miles of the proposed zinc production plant.
“The particles will be getting into the air; we will be breathing them in,” Clark said. “They’ll get into the soil, it’ll contaminate our soil — so we’re pretty close.”
She, like others in the community, have concerns about the new ‘Waelz Sustainable Products’ facility, which will use two natural gas-fired kilns to produce zinc oxide from steel-dust generated at steel mills.
Zinc can be used for a variety of things like tire, rubber, ceramics, and motor oil.
“I am a realtor,” Jessica Donahue said. “And I’ve had in the last 24 hours, 12 people — I mean I’m getting continually calls and messages — that if this goes through, we are selling our house.”
Their worry stems from pollution and mercury emissions the plant could potentially give off.
“What I’m most concerned about are the heavy metals,” Indra Frank, with Hoosier Environmental Council, said. “This facility, if built, would be one of the top polluters in the US for mercury and lead, and both mercury and lead are toxic to the nervous system, especially for children.”
Muncie city officials have the power to stop the plant from going into the city of Muncie.
“Our job is to vet companies in a way that that will they be economical to our area,” Todd Donati, with the Muncie Redevelopment Commission, said. “And this particular investment was about $85 million in a brownfield that is unsightly right now.”
Donati said the plant would add 90 new jobs for the city.
It’s the Indiana Department of Environmental Management’s job to assess the air quality impact.
“If we find that IDEM comes back and says that this is not healthy for the community, then we are not going to issue funds or any bonds,” Donati said.
Waelz Sustainable Products declined an on camera interview but submitted a statement to RTV6:
“The facility will operate in compliance with environmental laws and in accordance with air regulations and its final air permit, all of which ensures an operation that protects human health and the environment.”
IDEM’s office of air quality is currently reviewing the permit application to build the facility. They’re considering things like how much pollution will be released and how it will be regulated.
Activists are hoping to sway councilors’ opinions on Monday night by voicing their concerns at the 7:30 p.m. council meeting.