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Hot-mix Asphalt Producers Work to Safeguard Environment
Since 1973, when the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) passed its
New Source Performance Standards,
hot-mix asphalt producers like Ajax
have worked diligently to safeguard the
public from any environmental dangers
posed from making their products and
using them on street, highway, parking
lot, and runway projects.
“From the compounds and elements used
at our facilities, to the quality of the air
around these plants, to keeping our construction
sites clean and safe, an important
part of our mission is to care for the
environment all of us share,” says Mark
Boden, Ajax’s General Manager.
In-Depth Analysis
Ajax employs staff specifically dedicated
to protecting the environment, including
environmental specialists at the corporate
level. At the company’s nine facilities,
these people perform never-ending certifications
and inspections of equipment to
ensure strict state and federal regulations
pertaining to air, water, and soil are met.
For example, air quality is monitored at
each plant and detailed records of any
emissions from the manufacturing
processes are kept to ensure the facilities
exceed clean air requirements. Each
asphalt-mixing site is equipped with state-of-the-art air pollution control devices,
and fuels used in producing asphalt are
tested to verify the fuel supplier’s certificates
of analysis.
“Only fuel that meets the MDEQ and
USEPA emission standards criteria is
accepted by our facilities,” explains
Kathleen Anderson, Environmental
Consultant for Ajax.
The threat of a liquid asphalt spill at an
Ajax facility is virtually nonexistent,
since it hardens the moment it spills.
Unless the outside temperature is more
than 250 degrees, it can’t travel more
than a few feet before solidifying.
What’s more, it can’t mix or become
soluble with water.
Environmentally Friendly
Hot mix asphalt pavement has another
environmentally friendly characteristic —
it is 100 percent recyclable. In fact,
asphalt is the most recycled material in
the United States. More than 70 million
tons of asphalt pavement is recycled each
year — more than the totals for glass,
paper, plastic, and aluminum combined.
“We were recycling before it was in
vogue,” Boden says. “Today, approximately
30 percent of what we produce
is recycled product.”
Ajax hot-mix plants don’t generate any
hazardous waste. In fact, the hot-mix
asphalt industry has done such a good
job being environmentally conscious that
in 2001 the EPA removed it from the
list of industries considered major sources
of hazardous air pollution. It is one of
only a dozen industries that have been
so recognized.
“An important responsibility for us in the
pavement industry is to be a good neighbor,”
says Boden. “In fact, few businesses
are expected to be more environmentally
conscious than us because of the nature
of our work and how it affects the communities
we serve. We will continue to
dedicate our time and financial resources
to maintain environmental standards to
safeguard future generations.”
Ozone Action
1. What is Ozone Action?
Ozone Action is a voluntary emissions
reduction initiative that asks people to
do what they can to reduce pollution on
the days it counts the most. Ozone
Action tips keeps tons of ozone-forming
pollutants out of the air we breathe and
helps to keep air cleaner. Southeast
Michigan has been taking Ozone Action
since 1994.
2. Is ozone a health problem?
It depends on where it is. At ground
level, excess ozone is a human health
threat, causing lung problems and eye
irritation. Everybody is vulnerable to
ozone’s affects, but children, the elderly,
people with respiratory conditions,
and those who work, exercise, or play
strenuously outdoors are particularly at
risk. In the stratosphere, however, the
ozone layer acts as a shield, protecting
us from harmful ultraviolet rays. Ozone
Action addresses the importance of
preventing the formation of ground-level
ozone and protecting public health.
3. When is Ozone Action season in
southeast Michigan?
The Ozone Action season runs in concert
with the ozone monitoring season
in southeast Michigan. Because ozone
formation relies on weather conditions
associated with warm weather, monitoring
occurs during the spring and
summer months, from April through
September. The official start of the
Ozone Action season is May 1.
4. Who decides that it’s an
Ozone Action day?
The meteorology team forecasts Ozone
Action days according to a number of
factors that include temperature, wind
speed/direction, cloud cover, and ultraviolet
radiation. The team also considers
the likelihood of ozone transport
from other areas and expected emissions
from regional sources. The Ozone
Action meteorology team is led by
meteorologists from the State of
Michigan Department of Environmental
Quality and includes meteorologists
from AIR, Inc., Horizon Environmental,
Detroit Edison, and General Motors.
5. What is the Clean Air Coalition of
Southeast Michigan?
Formed in 1994 by SEMCOG, the
Southeast Michigan Council of
Governments, the Clean Air Coalition
of Southeast Michigan is a partnership
made up of a diverse membership
including government, business, labor,
environmental, and health organizations.
SEMCOG and the Coalition bring
Ozone Action into the seven-county
region, promoting clean, healthy air.
6. Doesn’t industry create most of the
pollutants in southeast Michigan? Why
should individuals take Action?
Industry is well-regulated and has
greatly reduced its emissions. People,
however, tend to live — and pollute —
much more freely. Studies show that
the combined activities of individuals
regularly create nearly 50 percent of
the pollutants that cause ground-level
ozone. It is not unheard of for exceedances
of the ozone standard to take
place on Saturdays — when most
industrial emissions sources are shut
down or operating at reduced rates.
This illustrates that the activities of
individuals are part of the problem;
Ozone Action makes it possible to be
part of the solution, as well.
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