Magnitude 7 Metals LLC in New Madrid County, Missouri restarted a shuttered aluminum smelter in mid-2018 and hired hundreds of people from the surrounding community. But in addition to the jobs, chemicals and soot pouring out of its smokestacks last year consistently produced the dirtiest air recorded in America. The unhealthy air underscores growing tension between industrial development and the environment as the Trump administration rolls back regulations on drilling, mining and manufacturing in an effort to boost the economy.
Three EPA monitors on the perimeter of the aluminum plant collect hourly data on sulfur dioxide (SO2) pollution coming from its smokestacks. The chemical is a byproduct of the smelting process to create aluminum, and is measured in parts per billion. To compare different types of air pollution, the data is converted into the EPA’s universal Air Quality Index (AQI).
One-hour SO2 pollution levels at the plant frequently exceed U.S. federal clean air standards. Since operations restarted in mid-2018, the plant’s SO2 levels have reached an AQI value of 200 nearly 40 times. That’s the highest AQI value for 1-hour SO2 pollution levels.