We have more data to indicate environmental progress in Washington, and citizens have a better idea of the cumulative releases into their ecosystem. Factoring in the releases from the new industrial sectors raises the reported amount of toxic contaminants released to 30.6 million pounds in 1998. The 5.2 million pounds attributed to the newly reporting sectors is 17 percent of the state's total reported emissions. Considering the overall economic and industrial growth in 1998, in addition to the totals from the seven additional industrial sectors, Washington's chemical releases did not jump significantly, Sorlie said. Methanol was the most-released chemical, at 5.6 million pounds.
Methanol is released into the air primarily from the pulping process at paper mills.
Hydrogen fluoride and nitrate compounds were the next-highest chemical releases reported. Paper and allied-products companies reported 11 million pounds of all chemical releases in Washington. They were followed by industries that produce primary metal products, with 5.9 million pounds, and electric-service industries, with 4.5 million pounds. In 1998, the largest amount of toxic chemicals released in the state was reported in Cowlitz County, with 4.37 million pounds, a 1.23 million pound decrease from 1997. Other counties reporting more than three million pounds of releases were Lewis and Spokane.