By: Jamie Paparich
For decades, the small community of Northport, Washington, has faced growing concerns about air pollution drifting down from the Teck smelter in Trail, British Columbia. Recent data and scientific studies now suggest these concerns are not only valid—but potentially life-altering for residents’ health.
This post breaks down what’s really been in Northport’s air, what scientists say about its health impacts, and why we should all be paying close attention.
What Was Found in Northport’s Air?
Air monitoring from 1993 to 2009 in Northport and Sheep Creek showed long-term exposure to toxic heavy metals:
- Arsenic
- Cadmium
- Lead
These pollutants came primarily in the form of fine airborne particles (PM10), small enough to be inhaled deep into the lungs and even enter the bloodstream.
Measured concentrations compared to EPA safety limits:
- Arsenic: 0.026 µg/m³ (EPA limit: 0.0023)
- Cadmium: 0.011 µg/m³ (EPA limit: 0.0006)
- Lead: 0.177 µg/m³ (EPA limit: 0.15)
That means:
- Arsenic levels were 11 times higher than what EPA considers safe for lifetime exposure.
- Cadmium was 18 times higher.
- Lead levels exceeded federal limits for neurotoxic exposure.
These are not “trace amounts”—these are levels that regulators, toxicologists, and public health experts recognize as dangerous.
What Can These Toxins Do to Your Health?
These metals are linked to serious long-term health effects:
- Arsenic: Carcinogen, weakens immunity, linked to autoimmune disease
- Cadmium: Damages lungs and gut, linked to Crohn’s and colitis
- Lead: Neurotoxin, disrupts immune and gut health
Could This Explain the Health Issues in Northport?
Yes—and scientists agree
Studies now show that long-term exposure to metals like arsenic, cadmium, and lead can play a major role in triggering or worsening autoimmune diseases, including:
- Crohn’s disease
- Ulcerative colitis
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Multiple sclerosis
Recent peer-reviewed research from sources like the NIH and ScienceDirect found that these metals damage the gut barrier, alter the immune system, and create the perfect conditions for chronic inflammation and autoimmune disease to take root—especially in sensitive people.
In Northport, local health surveys have shown clusters of autoimmune illness, and the science now gives us strong reason to believe that chronic exposure to airborne toxins may be a major contributor.
Why This Matters Now
EPA named UCR/ Northport WA a Superfund site in 2024, but the health reports they provided the community in 2021 declared Northport residents were safe. These health reports understated the risk of air pollution, relying on outdated data and ignoring Washington State’s stricter air safety limits. Air pollution may still be harming residents, but it’s not being properly monitored or acknowledged.
What You Can Do
- Demand updated air monitoring.
- Push for health studies and community testing.
- Ask your doctor about testing for lead, arsenic, and cadmium levels.
- Contact agencies like the Washington Dept. of Ecology or the EPA to request current air monitoring.
- Robert Tan, EPA Project Manager
- Email: Tan.Robert@epa.gov
- Robert Tan, EPA Project Manager
Most importantly—don’t let anyone tell you this is “normal.” It’s not.
Sources You Can Trust
- EPA Human Health Risk Assessment – Upper Columbia River (2021)
- Washington Department of Ecology Air Monitoring Report
- Study: Heavy Metals and Colitis Risk – NIH (PMC4707487)
- Study: Environmental Pollutants and IBD – NIH (PMC9999012)
- Study: Gut Microbiota, Metals, and Autoimmune Response – NIH (PMC11116734)
The air we breathe should not be a gamble. Northport residents deserve clean air—and answers.
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