Chemical plant with Conshohocken address tops list of local polluters tied to cancer risk

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported on Friday, November 6th on an expansive report titled “Poison in the Air” from ProPublica on locations across the United States that release cancer-causing chemicals and how those chemicals spread.

A chemical plant with a Conshohocken address (it is in Upper Merion Township) that sits off River Road on the West Conshohocken side of the river topped the list of locations in the region producing air pollution that exceeds a federal threshold tied to cancer risk.

From The Philadelphia Inquirer article:

Several locations in the Philadelphia region show air pollution from chemical companies that exceeds a federal threshold for estimated “excess lifetime cancer risk,” according to an online report and interactive map published Friday by ProPublica. An area of Upper Merion Township ranks as the highest risk in the region, the data show.

Further in the article:

The data also highlighted two locations in the Philadelphia suburbs above the EPA’s acceptable risk level. Coopers Creek Chemical Corp. in Upper Merion, Montgomery County, has an estimated excess lifetime cancer risk from industrial sources of about 1 in 2,100, or 4.7 times the EPA’s acceptable risk.

There have been at least two fires at the plant in recent years. The latest fire was on July 21, 2021.

Please note that the map used by ProPublica shows the plant in the wrong location (the Miquon area of Whitemarsh Township). This is likely due to there being two River Roads falling within the 19428 zip code, one within Upper Merion and one in Whitemarsh. We sent an email to ProPublica to let them know.

Find the full article from The Philadelphia Inquirer here.

Find the ProPublica report here.