Bristol Herald Courier (Virginia)
December 23, 2025 Tuesday
Distributed by Newsbank, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Copyright 2025 Bristol Herald Courier, Bristol, VA
Section: HERALDCOURIER.COM
Length: 1422 words
Byline: DAVID MCGEE BRISTOL HERALD COURIER
Body
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BRISTOL, VA.
BRISTOL, Va. – A newly released study of Bristol Virginia quarry landfill emissions is dated, flawed and doesn't include myriad steps taken in recent years to address public health concerns, according to the city's attorneys and the Virginia Department of Health.
Issued Monday by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, the report reviews air monitoring results from 2021 and 2022, prior to a series of steps taken by the city to address issues.
Questions have surrounded the landfill since 2020 when residents initially complained about offensive odors and concerns about potential health impacts.
The city issued a statement Monday, through its attorneys, blasting the report, which they note is based on data from several years ago.
"The ATSDR report in its current state is flawed and misleading. It draws conclusions from four-year-old data collected before the remediation project began at the Bristol quarry landfill and does not accurately reflect the current level of emissions emanating from the landfill. The report also does not align with previous independent studies using mostly the exact same data, including one commissioned by neighboring Bristol, Tennessee," according to the Bristol Virginia statement.
"ATSDR even acknowledged that its report is dated and suffers from major limitations including a minimal data set, limited sampling days, a poor coverage area, limited science on the chemicals being monitored to draw definitive conclusions and an inability to determine exactly from where all the contaminants originated.
"ATSDR has also confirmed that the city has already fully implemented many of the remediation actions suggested in the report and that the health risks posed to the public by the landfill have been adequately addressed," the city's statement continues.
In developing its report, HHS/ATSDR had no interaction with the city of Bristol, Virginia and made no effort to access the more recent 28 months of available air monitoring data and independent reports from the site, the statement continues.
"The report also fails to assess or acknowledge the multiple actions the city has taken over the past four years to remediate issues at the landfill," according to the city's statement.
The 84-page ATSDR report reached four conclusions:
Exposures of a year or more (chronic-duration) to benzene at the concentrations measured immediately west and southwest of the landfill may result in harmful non-cancer health effects and increased risk of developing leukemia.
Short-term exposures to the detected levels of sulfur dioxide may result in harmful health effects in Bristol communities. Exposures at the 5-minute average detected concentrations may result in airway resistance or bronchoconstriction.
Tentatively-identified compounds (TICs) detected by TO-15 sampling and the measured concentrations of methyl mercaptan support resident concerns regarding nuisance odor events in the Bristol area. ... ATSDR cannot determine whether methyl mercaptan or TIC exposures at the detected levels will cause health effects.
Other than benzene, methyl mercaptan, and sulfur dioxide, inhalation exposures to chemicals sampled and monitored are not expected to result in non-cancer health effects.
The Virginia Department of Health also issued a statement Monday noting the ATSDR study "uses the highest levels of exposures measured during the sampling period during 2021 and 2022 to estimate potential risk."
"This approach reflects a worse-case scenario and is unlikely to represent actual conditions experienced by residents. It is important to note that this report cannot assess an individual health risk and does not predict whether any specific person will develop health problems," according to VDH.
"We recognize that members of the Bristol community are concerned and want to reassure residents that the overall health risk is low," said Mount Rogers Health District Director Meagan Helmick. "The city's actions have made a meaningful difference, and we will continue to support efforts to protect public health."
The ATSDR report shows a low likelihood of disease due to exposure.
Since 2020, the City of Bristol, in coordination with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, has taken significant steps to address the issue, the Virginia Department of Health said in its evaluation.
"These steps include extensive air sampling, engineering improvements and the installation of odor mitigation systems. These actions have led to a substantial reduction in emissions. In addition, the landfill is no longer accepting waste, with permanent closure planned," according to VDH.
The city ceased accepting waste at its landfill in September 2020 and crews have worked for the past several years to install a series of measures developed by a DEQ expert panel.
Among the ATSDR findings:
Benzene, a chemical found in many urban environments, was detected at levels that could pose a slight increase (less than 0.01%) in cancer risk if someone were exposed continuously, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for 25 years, VHD noted.
The estimated maximum concentration of benzene was 10.2 parts per billion (ppb), below typical urban levels (11 ppb) and three times lower than levels shown to cause health effects in laboratory studies.
ATSDR calculated a lifetime excess cancer risk of less than 1 in 10,000, which is considered elevated but still low, VDH noted.
This estimate reflects a worst-case exposure scenario and is unlikely to represent actual conditions experienced by residents.
Short-term exposures to sulfur dioxide may have caused temporary breathing discomfort, especially for individuals with asthma or other respiratory conditions. These effects are typically short-lived and reversible.
Odorous compounds, such as methyl mercaptan and tentatively identified compounds (TICs), may have caused symptoms like headaches or nausea, but were not found at levels expected to cause long-term health effects, VDH noted in its response.
Benzene, the chemical identified in the report as contributing to a slight increase in cancer risk, is commonly found in urban air due to sources such as vehicle exhaust, gasoline, and industrial emissions. Cigarette smoke remains the leading source of benzene exposure for individuals. About half of the exposure to benzene in the United States results from smoking tobacco or from exposure to tobacco smoke.
VDH emphasizes that, while some exposures may have occurred, the overall risk to the community is minimal. The report uses a health-protective approach to ensure public safety, which "may overestimate actual risk," according to VDH.
The city noted multiple other studies have not reached the same conclusions as this report.
The EPA studied air quality in the area surrounding the Bristol quarry landfill in 2021 and again in 2022 and concluded that ongoing air monitoring is not necessary.
Additionally, Laura Green, president and senior toxicologist for Green Toxicology LLC, was hired by Bristol, Tennessee, to assess airborne emissions from the Bristol, Virginia landfill and found the levels within acceptable standards. These studies and reports have been publicly available for years.
A team from the University of Kentucky College of Public Health, led by Dr. Erin Haynes, also recently completed an air quality study in Bristol, Virginia, utilizing air sampling data collected from May 2024 through March 2025, the city said.
The study results are being finalized and will be released in January 2026.
The city has met all conditions under a consent decree approved by the Virginia Attorney General's Office and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.
Many of the recommendations outlined in the HHS/ATSDR report have already been embraced and implemented by the city of Bristol, the city's statement notes.
They include:
Monitoring of ambient air is conducted constantly and will continue into the future with results shared publicly.
The landfill gas system is being enhanced with improved piping and well installations.
The leachate control and collection system at the landfill is being upgraded.
Weekly updates of all activities at the landfill are provided on the landfill website.
Issues with the landfill liner where gases and vapors may be released have been addressed and repaired.
The city of Bristol, Virginia consistently monitors odor complaints and communicates updates on remediation efforts with its regulators and the community.
Classification
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Language: ENGLISH
Publication-Type: Newspaper
Subject: LANDFILLS (93%); OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH & SAFETY AGENCIES (90%); PUBLIC HEALTH (90%);
DISEASES & DISORDERS (89%); AIR QUALITY MONITORING (89%); PUBLIC HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
(89%); RESEARCH REPORTS (78%); POLLUTION & ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS (78%); BENZENE (78%);
HEALTH DEPARTMENTS (77%); MEDICINE & HEALTH (77%); CANCER REGISTRIES (77%); RESPIRATORY
DISORDERS & INJURIES (77%); CARCINOGENS (76%); ENVIRONMENTAL ILLNESS (76%); TOXIC &
HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES (72%); NUISANCE (72%); DISEASE REPORTING (72%); AROMATICS (70%);
LAWYERS (70%); LEUKEMIA (69%); RESEARCH REPORTS (78%); HEALTH DEPARTMENTS (77%);
CARCINOGENS (76%); AIR QUALITY MONITORING (89%); DISEASE REPORTING (72%); CANCER
REGISTRIES (77%); LEUKEMIA (69%); NUISANCE (72%); PUBLIC HEALTH ADMINISTRATION (90%);
DISEASES & DISORDERS (89%); RESPIRATORY DISORDERS & INJURIES (77%); OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH
& SAFETY AGENCIES (91%); LANDFILLS (99%); ENVIRONMENTAL ILLNESS (77%); PUBLIC HEALTH (90%);
LAWYERS (70%); MEDICINE & HEALTH (77%); POLLUTION & ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS (78%); TOXIC & HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES (72%); Https:, (%)
Organization: AGENCY FOR TOXIC SUBSTANCES & DISEASE REGISTRY (58%)
Industry: HEALTH DEPARTMENTS (77%); CARCINOGENS (76%); CANCER REGISTRIES (77%); AROMATICS
(70%); LANDFILLS (99%); BENZENE (78%); LAWYERS (70%); TOXIC & HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES (72%)
Geographic: VIRGINIA, USA (95%); TENNESSEE, USA (79%); VIRGINIA, USA (99%); TENNESSEE, USA
(79%); UNITED STATES (95%)
Load-Date: December 23, 2025
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