A detailed breakdown of all of the permitted pollutant emissions at the Pasco garbage incinerator can be found here.
| Pollutant Type | Description | Permitted Emissions of the Pasco County Incinerator | ||
| Particulate Matter | An atmospheric pollutant that is in the form of material or particles suspended in the air | Over 390,000 pounds per year | ||
| Cadmium | A heavy metal that can have short-term exposure effects such as pulmonary irritation and long-term effects such as kidney disease. Garbage incinerators are one of the largest emitters of cadmium | Over 500 pounds per year | ||
| Mercury | A heavy metal that can impair neurological development | Over 900 pounds per year | ||
| Sulfur Dioxides & Nitrogen Oxides | When emitted, these compounds can contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone and can form acid rain | Over 580,000 and 2.3 million pounds per year, respectively | ||
Garbage incineration facilities are actually permitted to emit several hundred tons (sometimes several thousand tons) of air pollutants every day! These pollutants include:
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