Continental Aluminum is committed to operating with the safest and most productive procedures possible. Testing has verified that the facility is operating well within state and federal regulations. Independent studies have proven that no health hazards are associated with any of our processes, most recently independent testing conducted by South Lyon Schools located in the vicinity of the plant.

Maybe that's because Continental has the most advanced equipment in the country. More than $1 million has been invested for an improved furnace emission control system and redesigning the plant's processing system.

Working with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) we modified our permit that addresses emissions monitoring. This ensures that air emissions are adequately and consistently monitored. In some instances, the changes we've instituted have gone well beyond state and federal air quality standard requirements.We use two types of continuous monitors. Each baghouse stack is equipped with a bag leak detector, an effective means of monitoring emissions of particulate matter.

The baghouse stack of Reverberatory Furnace #2 is equipped with a continuous opacity monitoring system (COMS), which provides a continuous record of the opacity of any exhaust gas. Opacity, or visible emissions, is limited by the MDEQ's regulations and is a measure of the amount of light blocked out by the emission plume. This system provides a continuous record of visible emissions from the furnace. The use of COMS is uncommon for a plant the size of Continental, and is generally required only at very large facilities such as coal-fired power plants.