Scrutinized Greenville scrapyard wants to shred metal. Neighbors worry their health is at risk.

Neighbors have raised concerns about Adams Scrap for years.

The sprawling, 40-acre facility on Old Easley Highway is strewn with heaps of metal and rows of old cars. It’s surrounded by residential neighborhoods, many of which are low income.

Some of the people who live nearby previously told The Post and Courier they fear pollution from Adams Scrap could be impacting their health.

Inez Morris, vice president of the neighborhood association in West Greenville just over a mile away, recently said she worries about what she and her neighbors are breathing in.

It’s not clear what health concerns might present, but Morris said that’s the point — neighbors have a lot of questions and few answers.

Desor has repeatedly dismissed health concerns raised by neighbors. He raised his family next to the facility, and he still has children and grandchildren who live across the road from it, he said.

Past concerns have centered on the use of a metal-melting sweat furnace that has since been removed.

This time, the dispute is over allowing multiple shredders to operate.

In a video showing one of the shredders in action at Adams Scrap, crews load huge hunks of metal into the shredder’s gears. The shredder churns through them, spitting out smaller bits of metal into a pile next to the machine.

The shredders can emit hazardous air pollutants, lead, volatile organic compounds or metal scraps in the form of particulate matter, according to the DES public notice.

Permits require operators to implement equipment or processes that reduce emissions, such as water sprayers that trap and wash out fine particles rather than sending them into the air, said Emily Poole, staff attorney with the South Carolina Environmental Law Project. The group is submitting formal comments on the permits to DES.

Poole said DES should require stricter conditions at Adams Scrap, considering the long-running environmental concerns. The S.C. Pollution Control Act enables but doesn’t require DES to consider an applicant’s environmental compliance history, she said.