Rubbertown, Louisville facts for kids

Rubbertown is a neighborhood in Louisville, Kentucky, located along the Ohio River. During World War II, many factories were built here. These factories stayed after the war, which is how the area got its name. Some of its biggest businesses today include American Synthetic Rubber, Borden Chemical, DuPont Dow Elastomers, Noveon, Dow Chemical (which used to be Rohm and Haas), and Zeon Chemicals.

History of Rubbertown

The Rubbertown industrial area began in 1918. That's when Standard Oil of Kentucky built an oil refinery there. An oil refinery is a place that turns crude oil into useful products. In the 1930s, two more companies, Aetna Oil and Louisville Refinery, also came to the area. These places made fuel, gasoline, kerosene, and other oil products. Today, these old refineries are gone, replaced by places that store oil. From 1924 to 1959, a company called Bond Brothers also operated here. They were the biggest maker of railroad ties in the United States.

Rubbertown During World War II

When World War II started, Rubbertown became very busy. In 1941, the U.S. Office of War Production worked with National Carbide. They built a factory that made calcium carbide and acetylene gas. They also worked with B.F. Goodrich Corporation to build another factory nearby. Another company, E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (now known as DuPont), also started in 1941. They built a factory to make Neoprene, which is a type of synthetic rubber.

Later, in 1945, Union Carbide built a factory in Rubbertown. This factory made a chemical called butadiene from grain alcohol. This alcohol was sent to Rubbertown through pipes from other factories in Louisville. Also in 1945, a group of five tire companies called National Synthetic Rubber opened a factory. They made a type of rubber called styrene-butadiene rubber. This rubber was very important for making tires needed for the war.

Rubbertown in the Mid-1900s

After the war, the government kept running the styrene-butadiene rubber factory until 1955. That year, the factory was sold to 20 different rubber companies. Also in 1955, DuPont built a new section next to its Neoprene factory to make Freon. The company also added another unit to make vinyl fluoride, which is another chemical.

In 1961, the Union Carbide factory was sold to Rohm and Haas. They used it to make acrylic plastic and other products. In 1979, Borden Chemical Inc. opened a building. They made formaldehyde, special resins, and adhesives (like glue).

Rubbertown Today: Industry and Air Quality

Rubbertown is home to 11 large chemical factories. These factories are the biggest source of industrial air pollution in the Jefferson County area. In fact, Rubbertown accounts for 42% of all air pollution in Jefferson County.

Because of the possible health concerns for people living nearby, various community groups have become involved. The Rubbertown Emergency Action (REACT) group started in April 2003. This group is made up of Rubbertown residents. They believe that clean air is a basic human right. They work through laws, courts, and politics to improve air conditions. REACT became its own group later that year. REACT is working for:

• Strong laws to stop harmful air pollution from chemical factories.
• Protecting residents if there is a chemical leak, fire, or explosion.
• Easy access to information about how Rubbertown factories affect nearby residents.

For many years, people living in western Louisville and nearby areas have complained about health problems. They believe these problems are caused by air pollution from the factories in Rubbertown. Groups like ReACT (Rubbertown Emergency Action) have formed. They ask for more checks and ways to control air pollution. The West Jefferson County Community Task Force (WJCCTF) was also created. It was started by the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health & Wellness to find problems in the area.

Between April 2000 and April 2001, several groups worked together. These included the APCD, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Kentucky Division for Air Quality, and the University of Louisville. They worked with the WJCCTF to study the air. They checked for many harmful air pollutants at twelve different places. The goal was to see if people were breathing in dangerous amounts of these chemicals. After this one-year study, the university and WJCCTF continued to check for certain chemicals called volatile organic compounds at some of the sites.

In 2002, the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) looked at other information. They found that Jefferson County had the highest risk from air pollution in the Southeast region.

A plan called the West Louisville Air Toxics Study Risk Management Plan was released in April 2003. This plan explains how to find where the dangerous chemicals are coming from. It also looks at ways to lower the amount of these chemicals in the air. The plan also includes how to tell the community about important issues.

Sciences International, Inc. studied the air monitoring data. Their final report, the West Louisville Air Toxics Risk Assessment Report, was finished in October 2003. It explained what they found. After this report, the APCD started creating new rules to deal with Louisville's air pollution.

In September 2004, the APCD suggested a new program. It was called the Strategic Toxic Air Reduction (STAR) Program. The public could review and comment on it. The STAR Program was officially approved by the Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control Board in June 2005.