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My Opinion: The Henderson Cloud Is Back
Most of you reading this are probably fairly new to Las Vegas. If you have never heard of the Henderson Cloud before, it is a deliberate release of titanium tetrachloride by the BMI complex in Henderson. It is a white cloud that covers all of the Henderson area and sometimes all of Las Vegas.
The chemists tell us that the emissions are harmless. The companies tell us they are not releasing anything. And the EPA turns a convenient blind eye to the whole matter.
Those who are native to Las Vegas (or at least have lived here since the 1980’s) know fully well who releases this crap. We know what it looks like. We know what it smells like. And we know they ONLY release it at night (especially on windy/rainy nights). You wake up in the morning to find yourself in an artificial, stinging fog.
When I was in high school here in Henderson we often had to move our P.E. classes indoors to the gymnasium. Why? Because outside on the football field the Henderson Cloud was so thick we couldn't breathe. On bad days it stung our eyes & burned our throats. If the P.E. schedule called for running track, that was just tough luck. Heavy breathing during rigorous exercise pulled this illegally-released garbage deep into our lungs. The result was chemically induced asthma for many students. The P.E. coaches would simply call us into the gym for basketball instead. The air conditioning system & “human filtering” of the indoor air made the Henderson Cloud’s effects less noticeable.
When the Las Vegas Valley exploded in population during the late ‘80’s & early ‘90’s the BMI complex (Timet specifically) were forced to clean up their act. This was due to the fact that Green Valley didn’t even exist until the very late 1980’s. As Green Valley’s population grew the Henderson residents were finally able to convince the EPA to force Timet to stop the emissions causing the Henderson Cloud.
The air quality in Henderson significantly improved as Green Valley grew larger & larger. By the mid-1990’s the Henderson Cloud was relegated to the history books, or so it seemed.
But then the “dangling chad” election of 2000 & the “Diebold” election of 2004 placed the time-line in reverse. You see, Timet in Henderson & its sister company in Ohio are the only domestic manufacturers of titanium. There are no other titanium plants in the United States. So Bush gets elected (giggle). We go to war to fight the terrorists (giggle). And the military needs titanium for the war machine. Being the only domestic source for titanium, the EPA conveniently lets Timet reverse 20 years of environmental improvements. The result: the Henderson Cloud is back!
Now that Las Vegas is overpopulated (& ruined by it in my opinion) there is a very convenient excuse. The BMI plants can now blame “urban growth” as the cause of the poor air quality we are experiencing. But old-time Las Vegas & Henderson residents know otherwise.
Again, like every facet of life it seems, it boils down to $$$$$. The government needs high quality titanium for the War on Terror (giggle). The military-industrial complex makes $$$. The average Las Vegan gets screwed. So what’s new?
I have personally known several people who worked at the BMI Complex in Henderson. The did & still do offer high paying jobs with good benefits for the employees. They do manufacture high quality titanium. And, for their time in history, they did help to keep the Henderson economy floating. But times have changed. Henderson & Las Vegas no longer need the eyesore of the environmentally-unfriendly BMI Complex.
Off-the-record, every single person I knew who had worked there admitted they caused the Henderson Cloud. It cost too much money to manufacture their product according to EPA guidelines. When demand was high they were forced to release into the atmosphere to keep up with production. One environmental scientist that I knew years ago actually quit & found alternate work.
I have toured the Timet plant several times. Quite frankly, it is one huge rust bucket. They have a good PR crew. And they seem to treat employees as valued assets, which is good. I commend the company for that. But on the bad side, they are now more & more frequently releasing titanium tetrachloride into the air. Of course they will officially deny this. But as a long-time Henderson resident I can assure you it is titanium tetrachloride. And there’s only one source for that in the Las Vegas Valley.
So the next time you wake up, look east, & see what looks like white smog or fog over the Henderson area, you’ll know what is really happening. The Henderson Cloud is back. And as the War on Terror (giggle) escalates under Obama, you can expect our air quality to worsen.
Maybe it’s time BMI finally makes the move to Apex.
