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EPA Urges D.C. Protestors to Stop Setting Tire Fires - Wants to Prevent Possible Health Effects

Release Date: 9/27/2002
Contact Information: Donna Heron, 215-814-5113

Donna Heron, 215-814-5113

PHILADELPHIA – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is urging demonstrators in the District of Columbia to stop setting tire fires as part of their protest activities.

There were reports this morning of tire fires on Canal Road near Arizona Avenue and along the George Washington Parkway in Virginia.

“We support the Constitutional rights of the protesters to free speech, however, we strongly urge them to discontinue the use of tire fires as part of their protest activities,” said EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Donald S. Welsh.

There is a potential for a wide range of health effects from exposure to the hydrocarbons, metals, and inorganic gases and vapor emissions identified with burning tires.

Those experiencing discomfort from the smoke should stay inside or avoid the area where burning is occurring. Emergency personnel called in to fight such fires should take appropriate precautions.