Tyson Foods, the nation’s second-largest meat producer, reportedly discharged millions of pounds of toxic chemicals into American waterways over the last five years. In a report released Tuesday, April 30, by the Union of Concerned Scientists, researchers said that Tyson flushed 371 million pounds of pollutants into waterways from 2018-2022.
The pollutants dumped into American waterways include nitrogen, phosphorus, chloride, oil and cyanide. The release of these pollutants rendered waterways unsafe, endangered wildlife and poses health risks to people. Those risks range from respiratory issues to neurological damage and cancer.
The study found that Tyson dumped pollutants alongside 87 billion gallons of wastewater into American lakes and rivers. The waste also contained blood, bacteria and animal feces. This direct discharge has impacted sources of drinking water and recreational lakes.
Tyson’s pollution came from 41 slaughterhouses and plants that were spread across 17 states. Tyson released nearly half of the pollutants in Nebraska, Illinois and Missouri.
A separate analysis in 2016 revealed that Tyson Food was responsible for dumping more pollutants by volume into United States waters than companies like Exxon and Dow Chemical.
Tyson was able to discharge this water due to the fact that many meat-processing facilities are exempt from certain water pollution regulations.
Meat-processing plants are typically required to obtain permits specifying the limits and conditions for their wastewater discharges. The Environmental Protection Agency oversees the enforcement and collaborates with state environmental agencies to ensure compliance. However, the EPA admits that it lacks the resources to monitor every act of pollution by meat processing plants.
When violations occur, companies often settle legal challenges and make minimal changes to their operations. The EPA is now considering new regulations.
Tyson has yet to respond to the report. The North American Meat Institute, which represents large meat processors like Tyson, said meat and poultry companies spend significant resources to comply with EPA wastewater discharge limitations and guidelines.
The organization argued that more regulations could mean $1 billion in added costs and lead to potential layoffs.