Several Utah companies cited by the National Wildlife Federation as among the country's worst polluters say they are meeting federal standards and have caused no harm.
Kennecott Copper, Amax Magnesium, Western Zirconium of Ogden, Hercules and Geneva Steel were all ranked as polluters by the environmental group, based on an Environmental Protection Agency data base."We firmly believe, and our modeling indicates, that we are within allowable ranges as they exist today," said Gloria Brown, public affairs director for Hercules. She said the company is looking at alternative pollution-control methods.
Hercules of West Valley City was the only Utah company listed among 100 cited as the largest companies releasing possible cancer-causing agents. It was ranked 85th by the group for releasing 876,960 tons of dichloro-methane.
Geneva Steel of Orem also was ranked No. 72 of the 100 largest releasers of toxic metals and No. 86 among the largest land polluters for 1.2 million tons of toxic metals and 2.1 million pounds of total toxics to the land.
Michael Call, manager of media relations for Geneva, said the company is surprised to find itself on the list.
"As far as we know, we are not endangering any wildlife or any human life . . . Until we see the list and the source for the data and the chemicals that we are being cited as emitting, we really can't comment on it."
Amax was listed as the worst single toxic air polluter, with more than 18 million tons of toxics released into the air. But Lee Brown of Amax said the company is not aware of any adverse environmental or health effects from releasing the chlorine gas.
The gas is a byproduct of separating magnesium chloride salt and making magnesium metal and chlorine, he said. The company is 40 miles from the nearest community, so the gas disperses. Also, he said, Amax is working to improve its pollution control.
Amax and Kennecott were among the two dozen plants in the nation that accounted for a third of all the highly hazardous industrial-chemical releases reported in 1987.
A Kennecott official said most likely, no comment would be available before Monday.
Western Zirconium, owned by Westinghouse, was also listed as the 55th worst releaser of toxics to the land.
It released 4.3 million tons of toxics including hydrochloric and sulfuric acid, ammonium sulfate, chlorine, sodium hydroxide and methyl isobutyl ketone, said the group.
When Western Zirconium's Sam Worcester was told of the Wildlife Federation's ranking, he said, "I would be extremely surprised if that were the case. I have no idea where the data came from."
Seven of the 12 biggest producers of toxic wastes - including Kennecott - bury the wastes. While industry defends that method of disposal, the National Wildlife Federation's report said it "threatens the nation's groundwater, which supplies drinking water for almost 50 percent of Americans."
Norman L. Dean, director of the Environmental Quality Division of the National Wildlife Foundation, said, "To industry, our message is clean up your act. It is possible to decrease toxic pollution and still make a profit."