Nevada ranked first in the nation for the release of toxic chemicals per square mile in 2017, according to the most recent federal data available.
But state environmental regulators say the EPA’s Toxics Release Inventory misleadingly characterizes harmless dirt as toxic material, presenting a distorted picture.
A spokesperson from the Nevada Department of Conservation told The Nevada Current the figures reported from the EPA show the weight of the substances released, but not the impact on human health and the environment.
All five of the top manufacturing facilities on the inventory generating the most toxic releases were mines.
Humboldt County reported more releases than any other county in Nevada, with about 160 million pounds – nearly all of which came from the Newmon’s Twin Creeks Mine.