We are breathing more than air

When I say the word “life” what do you think of? Humans? Animals? Well there is one thing that every living organism has in common.  Air is the most important thing for life; human life, wildlife, any form of life. But what we’re doing as humans is harming the most important thing for life, we are destroying the air we breathe.  

So, to keep track of the quality of the air we breathe there are some websites who let you keep an eye on polluters. The EPA’s Toxic Release Inventory data is a place to learn about toxic and harmful chemicals as well as pollution prevention activities reported by industrial and federal places. Find 

The different researched were Ferry pass, Cantonment, and Pace.  

Ferry Pass (zip code 32514) is a community in Pensacola, located north of the Pensacola City limits. The TRI tracks that Ferry Pass has seven TRI facilities in the area.  The total On-Site disposals or other releases is 620.5 thousand lbs. They are categorized in three separate categories; air, water, and land.  

The most is through the air which is the most common disposal with 354.4 thousand lbs. The three most popular chemical released in the air are Hydrochloric acid, Syrene, and Sulfuric acid.  

Second most common disposal is through the land with 264.9 thousand lbs and finally through water with 1.1 thousand lbs. The three most common chemicals released in the water were Zinc Compounds, Barium Compounds, and Ammonia.  

The next area researched was Cantonment, Florida (zip code 32533). It is a town in Escambia County, Florida and a suburb of Pensacola. While having an estimated population of 27,7135. 

This area had a way higher on and off-site disposal for chemicals with a total of 30.8 million lbs. The most common was through the lad with 29.5 million lbs. The LLC responsible for most of the land disposal is Ascend Performance Materials Operations (Industry Sector 325 – Chemicals) 

Second most was through the air with 1.2 million lbs. The most common chemicals released through the air were Methanol, Hydrogen Sulfide, and Ammonia.  

Lastly was through the water with 114.3 thousand lbs with the three most common chemicals being Manganese compounds, Nittrate compounds and Ammonia.  

The final area researched was Pace, Florida (zip code 32571). Pace is a town in Santa Rosa County, located in northwest Florida. Just north of Pensacola and has a population of 34,215.  

The pollution distribution was lower to Ferry Pass with a total of 296.3 thousand lbs of on and off-site disposal and other releases.  

The number one way to dispose chemicals on-site was through the air with 185.7 thousand lbs. The three most common chemicals were Ammonia, Dimethylamine, and Methanol.  

The LLC which disposed all the chemicals was Taminco US LLC (industry Sector 325- chemicals). 

The second most was through the water with 65.6 thousand lbs of waste. Most common chemicals were Nitrate compounds, Dimethylamine, and Methanol.  

And lastly, was through the lad with 38.6 thousand lbs of waste.  

Hydrochloric acid is a gastrointestinal/liver toxicant as well as an immunotoxicity, musculoskeletal toxicant, respiratory toxicant, and skin or sense organ toxicant.  

Ammonia is more hazardous than most chemicals in 4 out of 9 ranking systems.  

After doing this research I am disgusted on how many chemicals are being released in the air, on land and in our water. The Earth is the only place we can live and we are doing more damage to her every single day. Millions of pounds of chemicals are dispersed every year and we need to try to limit pollution.