Cemex - Environmental Record

Environmental Record

CEMEX has been accused of violating environmental laws in the United States. Environmental watchdog groups and the United States Environmental Protection Agency are threatening to file suit claiming the company has committed numerous violations of the Clean Air Act in Lyons, Colorado. The United States Environmental Protection Agency has also filed suit against CEMEX in Victorville, California, claiming the company failed to install modern air pollution controls, despite spending millions in renovations.

In the United Kingdom, CEMEX was originally fined £400,000 on October 2006 after hazardous dust was deposited up to three miles (5 km) away from its Rugby works. The fine was the highest ever given under the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control regulations, and was also the highest for an Environment Agency prosecution for six years. The fine was however judged excessive by the Court of Appeal and so reduced to £50,000.

During tests conducted from June 10 to August 5, 2008, the Monterey Bay (California) Unified Air Pollution Control District reported high levels of Chromium VI, also known as Hexavalent Chromium, a cancer causing chemical agent, at an elementary school and fire department in Davenport, California. Chromium VI is the contaminant that inspired the movie, Erin Brockovich. The toxic substance apparently originated from dust emitted by the Cemex Cement plant in Davenport, as the levels of Chromium VI measured eight times the air district's acceptable level at Pacific Elementary School and 10 times at the Davenport Fire Department. Both are located less than a half-mile from CEMEX. Chromium VI may have been unwittingly produced at the CEMEX plant in Davenport for the last seven years. According to Ed Kendig, the executive director of the Monterey Bay Unified Air Pollution Control District, it's "highly possible" that Chromium VI continues to be produced across the country as an accidental, previously unknown byproduct of the cement-making process.

In 2007, the EPA filed a complaint against CEMEX for violating federal air regulations at its Victorville, CA plant, and in 2006, CEMEX was cited for violations at plants in Santa Barbara and Michigan.

In April 2007, CEMEX announced that it had installed a £6.5 million dust abatement system at the same works in Rugby, which had cut particulate emissions by 80%. The site comes under the auspices of the EU Waste Incineration Directive as it burns waste tyres for fuel. There are concerns over the impact on both the environment and human health from this practice, although it is common practice in many cement works.

It is globally recognised that using alternative fuels is key to improving environmental performance for the industry and that CEMEX is at the forefront of this activity. Alternative fuels are used to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and energy costs, examples include secondary liquid fuels, chipped tyres and household waste, all of which can be used to part-replace fossil fuels to heat cement kilns.

In addition to alternative fuels, CEMEX are also producing CEM2 & CEM3 blended cements. CEM2 is a cementitious product that reduces landfill through re-using fly ash, a by-product from coal-fired power stations, and reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 25% for each tonne produced, CEM3 is a similar product that re-uses products from the iron or steel industries, and reduces carbon dioxide levels by 49% for each tonne produced.

In response to tightening environmental regulations coupled with a call for improved plant efficiencies, CEMEX began upgrading its plant compressed air systems with self-contained compressed air utility modules manufactured by the United States-based subsidiary of Kaeser Komprossoren.

In March 2010, the EPA named CEMEX USA 2010 ENERGY STAR PARTNER OF THE YEAR, for second year in a row, for its outstanding energy management and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.