Bullseye Being Investigated by Oregon DEQ

[Mike Jordan]

It was on the news last night that Bullseye glass is being investigated by the Oregon DEQ for putting out high levels of arsenic and Cadmium from their glass plant in Portland. From the reports, the amount that has been found in the air and moss around the area is not a small amount either. DEQ is still investigating but they say they are confident that it is all coming from the Bullseye glass plant. It's pretty crowded around the plant, including a daycare center, so the neighbors are pretty concerned. Bullseye hasn't issued a statement to the press yet. If you are interested, Google Bullseye glass and DEQ.

Mike

[Tony Smith]

To be fair, the amount of arsenic and cadmium discharged by Bullseye's manufacturing process is well within the limits allowed by the permit issued to them by the DEQ. There appears to be a disconnect between the amount the DEQ allows the plant to discharge and what is considered safe.

Hopefully, there is technology readily available to scrub the heavy metals from the discharge plume.

Tony

[DonMcClennen]

I remember about 8 or 10? years ago Spectrum had to discontinue making it's red and orange (96) opal glass in Washington state under similar circumstances. The only red and orange 96 available after that was made by Urob. in Portland.

[DonMcClennen]

Just received an email from Urob. outlining their approach to this. It's probably posted on their website if your interested.

[Valerie Adams]

Of course Uro is jumping on this, sending out an email touting how safe their glass is. I have no doubt Bullseye will take any necessary steps to comply even more.

[JestersBaubles]

I tend to be less cynical.

I saw the email I received from Uro as anticipating that the same questions will be asked of them, and being proactive. What they've said is really no different than what BE has released to date. I don't see their statement as taking any kind of "superior" stance with regards to BE -- they are just informing the public about their practices and the results of DEQ testing around their neck of the woods.

Dana W.

[carol carson]

News Releases
Oregon DEQ Report and Bullseye's Response
February 4, 2016—Bullseye has learned of a recent report from Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). In 2015, the DEQ performed air monitoring tests in a parking lot near Bullseye Glass. On February 1, 2016, staff from the DEQ shared some test results with Bullseye. It was newly discovered that there were higher levels of arsenic and cadmium in the parking lot than in some other areas of the city. Additional samples were taken from different sites, but all the analysis for these other locations is not complete yet.

We have engaged an environmental consulting firm to help us evaluate the data and conduct further testing and monitoring. Based on what we learn, although we are in full compliance with our air permit, Bullseye will take additional action based on any new findings that show corrective action is warranted.

While the DEQ has not required any action on our part, we decided to take action on our own. As of yesterday we suspended the use of cadmium and arsenic.

The owners and employees of Bullseye Glass care about the environment and our neighborhood and take this matter seriously.

[Brad Walker]

The Portland Mercury, the newspaper which broke this story, has several articles on this. Here's the background: http://blogtown.portlandmercury.com/Blo ... tate-finds

[Brad Walker]

The situation appears to be getting worse. The Oregon Dept of Environmental Quality has now asked Bullseye and Uroboros to stop using Chromium. I don't know the specifics of Bullseye's formulas, but chromium is used to make some greens and can also be used in many other colors, ranging from yellows to bluish-reds and even blacks. So apparently Bullseye and Uroboros have stopped using cadmium, arsenic, and chromium in their glass-making activities. That covers a great deal of the products they make.

For more information, read here: http://katu.com/news/local/officials-2- ... ted-in-air

[Brad Walker]

Apparently the EPA has also been asked to get involved: http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/i ... _toxi.html

[Kevin Midgley]

well I guess we could all switch to using Baoli......

[Peter Angel]

It looks like we will only be using clear glass soon!

[Buttercup]

Buying Baoli would keep the pollution in someone else's (China's) backyard, not to mention the jobs. Of course the rest of us won't have the money to buy even their inferior glass as unemployment soars in western countries through the loss of manufacturing jobs. More than 80,000 manufacturing jobs disappeared in Oz in the last five years. That's in a population under 24 million. High environmental standards and high wages can't compete with no environmental standards, low wages and government-subsidized production costs. Support our ethical suppliers while they're still in business. Rant over!!

[Peter Angel]

Here's an illustration of the chemicals used to make colored glass.

[Mike Jordan]

The local news is doing a good job of keeping it in the public eye, including running human interest stories from the people that live around Bullseye. Just speculation on my part but with the amount of news coverage and the concerns of the people living around the plants and the federal and state agencies that are getting involved, Bullseye may have no choice but to move the processing part of their process out of the area like so many other businesses have done.

Even if they get it resolved with the EPA, DEQ and locals around them, if I worked at the plant or resource center there in Portland, I'd be very concerned about my exposure to it as well. I've not heard of any reports where they talked about employees and close contact with those additives. Hopefully they will get it all worked out.

Mike

[AndyT]

Here's a list of products that Uroboros is suspending along with their chromium colors greens and blacks.

[Kevin Midgley]

Is there a list available for the 90's being cancelled?

[JestersBaubles]

Kevin, they are not being cancelled (technically), but production is being suspended. There's a list at the bottom of this article on the colors being suspended:

http://www.portlandmercury.com/Blogtown ... on-of-that

From the article:
Production on these styles have been suspended:
0024 Tomato Red
0025 Tangerine Orange
0120 Canary Yellow
0124 Red
0125 Orange
0126 Spring Green
0203 Woodland Brown
0220 Sunflower Yellow
0224 Deep Red
0225 Pimento Red
0227 Golden Green
0309 Cinnabar
0310 Umber
0320 Marigold Yellow
0321 Pumpkin Orange
0329 Burnt Orange
0334 Gold Purple
0337 Butterscotch
1022 Red-Orange (rod)
1025 Light Orange Striker
1119 Sienna
1120 Yellow
1122 Red
1125 Orange
1126 Chartreuse
1320 Marigold Yellow
1321 Carnelian
1322 Garnet Red
2020 Clear, Sunflower Yellow Opal
2024 Clear, Red Opal
2026 Clear, Spring Green Opal
2121 Yellow Opal, Deep Forest Green
2123 White Opal, Orange Opal
2124 Red Opal, White Opal
2125 Yellow, Red Striker
3123 White Opal, Orange Opal, Dp. Forest Green
3203 Woodland Brown Opal, Ivory & Black, Soft Rip
4011 AUTUMN: Orange, Yellow and Red on White
4111 AUTUMN: Orange, Yellow and Red on Clear
4112 SUMMER: Green and Yellow on Clear
4424 Red Chopstix
4211 Red, Orange, and Yellow Frit, Orange Streamers
4212 Dark Green, Spring Green, and Yellow Frit, Spring Green Streamers
4220 Canary and Sunflower yellow Frit, Sunflower Yellow Streamers
4223 Yellow, Blue, and Red Frit, Blue Streamers
4224 Red Frit, Red Streamers"

[Mike Jordan]

I'm just speculating, but I wonder if the elevated levels of arsenic and cadmium in the air that was detected and started all of this was related to the Feb winter sale that Bullseye has each year. I would suspect that since they sell so much glass during this that they had been producing more to get ready for it. I know when I use to go several times during the sale that they were moving a lot of glass and the shelves were pretty bare afterwards sometimes. Plus they have opened a couple of new resource centers that they have to stock. I wonder if all of this required them to produce a lot more glass which put a lot more of the chemicals into the air, which allowed the air sensors in the area to pick it up, triggering the investigation.

I guess it was only a matter of time, but it's reported that lawyers are starting to get involved (they are probably going house to house offering to help sue Bullseye), which means this could go on long after the actual contamination is resolved and will put more pressure on Bullseye. It's a real shame it couldn't have been detected when it was a lesser amount and Bullseye was given a chance to get it cleaned up before it hit the news stations.

Mike

[AndyT]

Here's more info on the BE and Uro issue:

http://www.deq.state.or.us/nwr/docs/met ... sFeb19.pdf