MAP SHOWS STORY OF EXIDE LEAD SMELTER AND ITS NEIGHBORS: Children and Families
(UPDATE: In April 2012, the Frisco citizens group, Frisco Unleaded, announced the results of a lead deposition study that showed that at least 150 tons of lead had been dumped over most of Frisco over the almost 50 years the Exide lead smelter has been in operation. A link to a downloadable copy of that map, with locations mapped like the one in this story, and more information about study, can be found here.
And Lead Free Frisco was curious about how many people of what age lived in the lead deposition study area. By looking at U.S. Census tract data, we determined that more than 38,000 children and young people under the age of 19 live within the lead deposition report boundaries.
Because the Exide Technologies lead battery recycling plant and smelter is located just
south of the geographical center of Frisco, it can be said that it sits in the heart of the community. And when one reviews the map of more than 125 children and family friendly Frisco locations that sit within a five-mile radius of the Exide lead smelter, it goes without saying that a picture is worth a thousand words.
The map was built by taking the latitude and longitude of Exide’s location and using it to calculate a five-mile radius. Google Maps and mapquest were then used to identify key locations and calculate distances from the lead smelter. Because the distances used to place locations on the map were based on driving between locations, in many cases the true, straight-line distance between a location and Exide could be significantly shorter. Major residential are also noted on the map. Almost 50 percent of the households in Frisco have children.
You can download a two-page PDF copy of the map and listing of locations here.
Concerned about what you see?
If you are concerned about continuing to have Exide’s lead smelter as a neighbor, then you will want to come and share your concern and comments with the TCEQ this Thursday, July 28, during the public hearing at City Hall. And you also will want to submit your comments online and/or in writing here by August 8.
The map shows:
52 Schools
(In the USA Today Special Report, “The Smokestack Effect: Toxic Air and America’s Schools“, of its 37 schools cited, Frisco had several schools rank within the top 15th percentile – Frisco High School ranked in the 2nd highest percentile – of the schools in the U.S. with the most toxic air. USA TODAY used an EPA model to track the path of industrial pollution and mapped the locations of almost 128,000 schools to determine the level of toxic chemical outside. According the report, “The potential problems that emerged were widespread, insidious and largely unaddressed.”)
Here is a listing of the 37 schools in Frisco that were cited and ranked in the USA TODAY report. Rankings are based on modeled concentrations and severity of chemicals known or believed to cause cancer, and other health problems.
Below is a list of those that ranked within the top 15th percentile for the most toxic air are listed below:
Frisco High School – 2nd Percentile
Legacy Christian Academy – 9th Percentile
Student Opportunity Center – 12th Percentile
Collin County Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program – 12th Percentile
Bright Elementary – 15th Percentile
Acker Special Programs Center – 15th Percentile
(You can search for information about a school near you by going here and entering in the required information in the search boxes located under “Find Your School”.)
41 Pre-Schools and Day Care Centers
25 Parks, Playgrounds and Sports Facilities
7 Major Community and Shopping Centers
The map is an overview of key locations, as, of course, there are many more locations, including major senior citizen centers and communities, that are neighbors within the five-mile radius of the Exide lead smelter.
