Tyson Foods Found Dumping Million Pounds of Toxic Pollutants into US Waterways

By Thea Felicity

Apr 30, 2024 12:24 PM EDT

Tyson To Close Four Plants As Chicken Sales Weaken — WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 08: Tyson Foods frozen chicken products sit in refrigerated section of a Target on August 08, 2023 in Washington, DC. Tyson Foods announced it would be closing four of its meat processing plants in the United States due to the slump in chicken revenue.
(Photo : Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Tyson Foods has been found dumping a staggering 371 million pounds of toxic pollutants directly into American rivers and lakes over the past five years, according to a new investigation shared by The Guardian.

The pollutants identified were chloride, cyanide, nitrogen, phosphorus, and oil. All were released by just 41 Tyson slaughterhouses and mega-processing plants between 2018 and 2022, as revealed by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) research.

The contamination, dispersed in a massive 87 billion gallons of wastewater, has been directly discharged into waterways relied upon for drinking water, fishing, and recreation, raising concerns about its impact on communities and the environment.

Addressing Tyson Food's Toxic Pollutants to US Waterways

The investigation sparked significant concerns about several environmental dangers, wildlife concerns, and public health concerns associated with large-scale meat processing operations, particularly those operated by Tyson Foods. Tyson's major Nebraska facilities alone release over 111 million pounds of pollutants.

Efforts are underway to address the alarming pollution levels, with environmental advocacy groups and concerned citizens calling for stricter regulations to limit pollution discharge into waterways.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is under pressure to update its two-decade-old pollution standards for slaughterhouses and rendering facilities. A new rule is expected by September 2025.

"The current rule is out of date, inadequate, and catastrophic for American waterways," said Dani Replogle, an attorney at Food and Water Watch. He also added that it is known that one of the leading problems in the US is nutrition, which has reached catastrophic levels. EPA is in an urgent state to address this and avoid caving into industry influence.

Tyson did not respond to repeated requests for comment regarding this investigation.