One in 10 Children Attend Schools Near Chemical Plants

by | Apr 17, 2014

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CEGNearly 4.6 million children in 10,000 schools are located within a mile of a chemical facility, according to a group that is pushing new regulations.

The Center for Effective Government released a report and an interactive map that shows one in 10 students attend such a school, The Hill reports. The report was released one year after a West Fertilizer Company storage facility near Waco, Texas, caught fire, causing an ammonium nitrate explosion.

The explosion killed 15 people, mostly firefighters, and injured more than 160 people. Many nearby homes and schools were also damaged by the explosion.

Students in California, Texas, Illinois, North Dakota, Iowa and Nebraska face the greatest risk of exposure, according to the study.

The Center for Effective Government studied the EPA’s Risk Management Program to conduct the study. The center said these chemicals can be dangerous to the public if they are spilled, released into the air, or are involved in an explosion.

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