Environmental Hazards |
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Our GoalThe goal of our Sustainable Newton Environmental Hazards Committee's is to ensure a safe and sustainable environment for residents and workers in Newton County. We monitor reporting from government agencies, nonprofit environmental and public health organizations, and the media to detect when conditions exist that could threaten public health by contaminating our air, water, or soil.
We work to keep Newton County residents and local officials apprised of incidents that warrant monitoring or further action. When appropriate, we also comment publicly on proposed changes to legislation, rules making, monitoring, reporting, and other governmental oversight. |
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It Started with Ethylene Oxide
The precursor to our current Environmental Hazards Committee was formed in 2019, when investigative reporting and subsequent federal and state government investigations found unsafe levels of ethylene oxide (EtO) in Covington and other Georgia communities where the chemical was used to sterilize medical equipment. The reporting published in WebMD was based on findings in a 2018 US Environmental Protection Agency "National Air Toxics Assessment" (NATA), flagging 109 census tracts across the country where cancer risks were higher because of exposure to airborne toxins -- primarily ethylene oxide. Three of those tracts were in Georgia. One was in Covington.
Joint reporting by journalists Brenda Goodman of WebMD and Andy Miller of Georgia Health News revealed that: "The report [NATA] estimated that around Smyrna, ethylene oxide causes about 70 of the 114 extra cases of cancer for every million people exposed over their lifetimes. In Covington, it estimated the gas causes about 170 of 214 cases for every million people exposed. The EPA considers the cancer risk from pollution to be unacceptable when it tops 100 cases for every million people who are exposed to a chemical over the course of their lifetime."
In the same article, Goodman and Miller reported on data they received in response to an information request sent to the Georgia Department of Public Health:
Joint reporting by journalists Brenda Goodman of WebMD and Andy Miller of Georgia Health News revealed that: "The report [NATA] estimated that around Smyrna, ethylene oxide causes about 70 of the 114 extra cases of cancer for every million people exposed over their lifetimes. In Covington, it estimated the gas causes about 170 of 214 cases for every million people exposed. The EPA considers the cancer risk from pollution to be unacceptable when it tops 100 cases for every million people who are exposed to a chemical over the course of their lifetime."
In the same article, Goodman and Miller reported on data they received in response to an information request sent to the Georgia Department of Public Health:
People who live in the 30014 ZIP code are diagnosed with more cancers than residents in Newton County overall and in the state as a whole. In 30014, there were 527 cases of cancer diagnosed for every 100,000 people, compared with an average of 474 cases of cancer diagnosed for every 100,000 people statewide. The difference between the cancer rate in 30014 and the state is statistically significant, meaning that the increase is not likely due to chance alone.
Rates of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a type of cancer linked to ethylene oxide exposure, have recently been higher in the 30014 ZIP code, compared with the Georgia average.
Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma rates have been rising an average of nearly 7% each year from 2007 to 2016 in this ZIP code. The increases are statistically significant, according to public health officials.
-- "From Residents Unaware of Cancer-Causing Toxin in Air" by Brenda Goodman, MA & Andy Miller in WebMD, July 19, 2019
Rates of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a type of cancer linked to ethylene oxide exposure, have recently been higher in the 30014 ZIP code, compared with the Georgia average.
Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma rates have been rising an average of nearly 7% each year from 2007 to 2016 in this ZIP code. The increases are statistically significant, according to public health officials.
-- "From Residents Unaware of Cancer-Causing Toxin in Air" by Brenda Goodman, MA & Andy Miller in WebMD, July 19, 2019
After reports circulated in Covington, concerned citizens pressured state agencies and local officials to investigate further. When the City of Covington paid a contractor to measure the air around the Becton Dickinson (BD) plant and found ethylene oxide present in levels above what was then allowed, the Mayor appealed to the State Attorney General who then requested a court order to require the plant shut down to implement remediation in Covington in October 2019. Another temporary/partial shutdown occurred in December, due to elevated levels around warehouses used to store products treated with EtO.
Sustainable Newton volunteers joined with groups of concerned citizens to urge for transparency in reporting and increased air quality monitoring around the BD factory and warehouse locations. Through our blog, we commended City of Covington officials for their actions and expressed our support for additional measures to protect public safety.
EtO remains an ongoing concern. In July of 2025, President Trump issued an executive order exempting the BD plant in Covington and the Sterigenics plant in Smyrna from complying with stricter EtO emissions standards imposed during the Biden administration. In January 2026, Sustainable Newton joined the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC), the National Resource Defense Council (NRDC), and other environmental non-profits to file suit in the US District Court for the District of Columbia.
Sustainable Newton volunteers joined with groups of concerned citizens to urge for transparency in reporting and increased air quality monitoring around the BD factory and warehouse locations. Through our blog, we commended City of Covington officials for their actions and expressed our support for additional measures to protect public safety.
EtO remains an ongoing concern. In July of 2025, President Trump issued an executive order exempting the BD plant in Covington and the Sterigenics plant in Smyrna from complying with stricter EtO emissions standards imposed during the Biden administration. In January 2026, Sustainable Newton joined the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC), the National Resource Defense Council (NRDC), and other environmental non-profits to file suit in the US District Court for the District of Columbia.
BioLab Fire Was Another Wakeup Call
When the BioLab chemical plant in Conyers caught fire on September 29, 2024, prevailing winds pushed the potentially toxic smoke all over metro Atlanta -- including in Newton County, where schools and businesses were temporarily closed to avoid exposure. Our Sustainable Newton Environmental Hazards Committee, along with other local groups, were in touch with federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state Environmental Projection Division (EPD) officials to monitor threats to public health and to encourage transparency.
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Our committee has also continued to monitor findings reported from the ongoing investigation by the US Chemical Safety Board (CSB) and attended public meetings where they reported interim findings. Ironically, in July 2025 we found ourselves joining a letter writing campaign organized by Mom's Clean Air Force to opposed plans by the Trump White House to dissolve the CSB in the 2026 federal budget. Our experience working through the maze of federal, state, and local agencies to ensure follow-through on the BioLab incident is what drove us to rename our committee from EtO to Environmental Hazards to take on a broader scope.
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Data Centers Are a New Environmental Frontier
A more recent pressing issue for our committee has been to ensure that local governments and agencies in Newton County have solid processes in place to assess the potential environmental impacts of any new data center projects proposed for our community. While local headlines are focused on citizens and elected officials concerned about the proximity of these projects to residential neighborhoods, there are also significant factors to consider in terms of water usage and energy consumption. And because data center developers in other communities have even turned to on-site gas turbines to generate electricity to power their servers, there are potential air quality concerns as well.
"Data center development right now in Georgia kind of feels like the wild west."
-- Chris Manganiello, Chattahoochee Riverkeeper
A recent Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) report, quotes Chris Manganiello with the nonprofit Chattahoochee Riverkeeper as saying “Data center development right now in Georgia kind of feels like the wild west. There aren’t very many guardrails.” That story goes on to elaborate on Georgia communities grappling with hyperscale data center projects and the struggle they face finding reliable data about what they are up against.
"While the number of data centers is hard to find, some data center database suggests there are 160, and Science for Georgia says there are at least 100," the reporters write. "But research indicates the Peach State became the fastest-growing data center hub in America earlier this year, according to law firm McGuireWoods."
"While the number of data centers is hard to find, some data center database suggests there are 160, and Science for Georgia says there are at least 100," the reporters write. "But research indicates the Peach State became the fastest-growing data center hub in America earlier this year, according to law firm McGuireWoods."
A Data Center and a Power Plant Too!?
When local electric utilities are unable to service the incredible power demands of AI data centers, developers are turning to alternative solutions for power, such as gas-powered engines -- with considerable environmental and public health impacts for the local community. One recent example is the xAI data center in Memphis, which made headlines this summer. Unfortunately we may see this same hazardous approach attempted close to home, as the Houston-based energy firm VoltaGrid has applied to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) to operate 33 reciprocating internal combustion engines at a first-of-its-kind-in-Georgia facility on Hazelbrand Road in Covington. Because methane-fired electricity generation emits a number of dangerous pollutants, Sustainable Newton has joined with the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) and Altamaha Riverkeeper to file Public comments with the Georgia EPD's Air Division on VoltaGrid's application for permit and EPD's Draft permit. We also submitted our own separate comments on the draft permit. We will continue to press for transparency and accountability for any project with such potential health impacts for our community.
SELC has also published a regional data center fact sheet titled "Projecting our Environment in the Digital Age." In it, they say, "Data centers are an integral part of our modern economy but consume vast amounts of energy, water, and land. SELC is working to ensure that data centers undergo a fair and transparent review and permitting process, rely on clean energy sources, pay their fair share for energy and water to protect consumers from rate hikes, and do the least amount of harm possible, including by limiting air pollution and water consumption and pollution." We agree.
SELC has also published a regional data center fact sheet titled "Projecting our Environment in the Digital Age." In it, they say, "Data centers are an integral part of our modern economy but consume vast amounts of energy, water, and land. SELC is working to ensure that data centers undergo a fair and transparent review and permitting process, rely on clean energy sources, pay their fair share for energy and water to protect consumers from rate hikes, and do the least amount of harm possible, including by limiting air pollution and water consumption and pollution." We agree.
Aside from the pollution associated with powering data centers, and the potential for raising consumer utility bills, the other issue is water usage. We have also met with Mike Hopkins, Executive Director of the Newton County Water & Sewerage Authority to benefit from his experience working with Meta on multiple data centers in the Stanton Springs Industrial Park. Mike has been collaborating with Meta, successfully negotiating water usage and advancing water management technology, since they first broke ground in 2018. What's important, however, is that our municipal governments apply the same rigor and upfront negotiating that has made NCWSA successful with Meta.
In 2024, Sustainable Newton toured the NCWSA's Arthur Scott Emmons Water Reclamation Facility in Stanton Springs, which was built to reclaim and treat industrial waste water for reuse in Stanton Springs.
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Find out what actions you can take.
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Environmental Hazards Actions You Can Take
Monitor our social media sites and email newsletters for opportunities to write elected officials and government agencies regarding proposed policy, rule, or legislation changes.
Pass along important information we share to your family, friends, and neighbors.
Communicate to your elected officials the importance you place on the health and wellbeing of your family and your expectations that they be protected from harm.
Learn about the "Triple Bottom Line" and let business know you do not accept them making a profit at the expense of people and planet.
If you have a background in medicine, public health, and environmental monitoring, join our committee to help us translate material to share with the general public.
Pass along important information we share to your family, friends, and neighbors.
Communicate to your elected officials the importance you place on the health and wellbeing of your family and your expectations that they be protected from harm.
Learn about the "Triple Bottom Line" and let business know you do not accept them making a profit at the expense of people and planet.
If you have a background in medicine, public health, and environmental monitoring, join our committee to help us translate material to share with the general public.
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Our Other Committees:
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