Norwood Firms Lead South of Boston in Ozone-Depleting Chemical Releases-September 12, 1991

According to federal figures released yesterday by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the 1988–1989 reporting period, industrial emissions from major electronics and defense firms positioned Norwood as the leading regional source of chemicals damaging the earth’s ozone layer.

Emissions Breakdown and Major Contributors

South of Boston, Norwood led all local communities with a combined 212,000 pounds (reported in the text as tons) of freon and methyl chloroform released into the air, water, or land. Freon is widely utilized as a refrigerant and insulator, while methyl chloroform serves as a primary solvent for cleaning and degreasing delicate metal parts; both chemicals drift into the atmosphere and erode the planet’s protective ozone shield.

Defense contractor Northrop Corp. ranked as Norwood’s largest emitter, releasing 155,800 pounds of freon and methyl chloroform. Ranked seventh among state polluters by the Massachusetts Public Interest Group, Northrop successfully reduced its emissions by nearly 40,000 pounds in 1989.

Similarly, Polaroid Corp. achieved sharp reductions as part of a corporate environmental campaign, dropping its freon usage from 61,513 pounds in 1988 down to just 7,018 pounds in 1989. Other Norwood firms reporting emissions of the regulated chemicals included Analog Devices and Dynisco. No other community south of Boston had more than two companies required to report ozone-damaging emissions to the EPA.

By comparison, other regional reporting included:

• Braintree: Ranked second regionally due to Haemonetics Corp., which reported releasing 93,131 pounds of freon in 1989—a 21,000-pound increase over the previous year.
• Quincy: Defense contractor Raytheon released 31,700 pounds of freon and methyl chloroform in 1989, up 2,100 pounds from the prior year.
• Plymouth:KAO Infosystems led Plymouth County with 22,558 pounds of methyl chloroform released.

Regulatory Outlook and Statewide Reductions

Overall, Massachusetts industries reduced their aggregate use of ozone-destroying chemicals from 8.6 million pounds in 1988 to 7.7 million pounds in 1989. However, EPA Regional Administrator Julie Belaga emphasized that while total poundage is declining, the number of reporting firms continues to rise.

EPA scientist Dwight Peavey noted that much of the ozone damage remains entirely avoidable given the availability of cost-effective alternatives. “Industry faces a win-win situation with finding alternatives to current practices,” Peavey stated. To assist local manufacturers, the EPA scheduled a two-day educational conference on reducing ozone damage beginning Monday at the Danbury Hilton in Danbury, Connecticut.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger