1) The smokestack in Hayden is one of the tallest in the world. It was designed so high in order to make sure all the toxic smoke blew far up and away from the town. The smoke shown is so dense and plentiful that it rises as high as the smokestack. But this smoke rises from ground level, without any air emissions controls. The ASARCO complex does not have a permit to release this smoke at ground level; it is mostly supposed to go out the smokestack.
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2) The smoke consists of metals and acids, which explains the bluish and reddish colors of the smoke. None of the smoke is steam. ASARCO must also report its releases into the air of metals and acids in its Toxics Release Inventory reports, but it reports far, far more as emanating from its smokestack than as "fugitive" (uncontrolled) emissions.
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To view a movie put Quicktime 3.0 on your computer for Windows and Mac.
Go to Apple Download Quicktime 3.0
To view some Quicktime movies
Click on:
Movie 1
Movie 2
Movie 3
Daytime Smoke in Hayden
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3) The first five pictures were taken February 9, 2001, from a nearby residential area, at about 1:30AM to 2:15AM. Hayden and Winkelman residents claim the nighttime releases of thick smoke happen almost every night. During the daylight hours, ASARCO rarely emits smoke at ground level. ASARCO does not have a permit to release this smoke at ground level. The Clean Air Act supposedly doesn't allow this. Local residents claim this smoking is an everynight occurrence, and that they get sick from the smoke.
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4) More bluish and reddish smoke, as the smokestack's warning lights pulse. This is the part of the ASARCO complex that is at the top of the hill, above the towns of Hayden and Winkelman.
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5) The releases of smoke and fumes just go on, hour after hour. The sources of all this smoke are actually below the horizon.
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6) The camera crew has now moved right up to the ASARCO complex' property boundary, which is a fence
next to the public road, and other residences. The picture was taken looking down into the ASARCO complex.
The smoke is so thick that it obliterates the buildings. For a timelapse of the smoke, see Movie #1.
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7) While blurry, this picture shows the different-colored smoke billowing up several stories.
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8) The rest of the pictures are of the smoke from the smelter. This is located at the base of the hill
that leads up to the rest of the ASARCO complex.
The town's residents are sandwiched between sources of thick smoke at night.
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9) The smelter smoke just billows and billows, then swirls throughout the town. For a
timelapse of this smoke, see Movie #2.
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10) Remember the smoking smelter from the last page of Hayden pictures? It gets much worse at night.
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11) There is plenty of smoke emanating from this smelter. For a timelapse of this smoke, see Movie #3.
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12) Hayden residents have called and complained to the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality for years about ASARCO's night time emissions, but no one from the agency has ever done anything about it. Once, one resident did receive a return phone call.
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