A Tyson Foods plant in New Holland, Lancaster County, released more than 38 million pounds of pollutants into local waterways between 2018 and 2022, according to a report by the Union of Concerned Scientists.

The facility is one of several Tyson meat and poultry processing plants in the U.S. that researchers say discharged pollutants, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, by piping wastewater into streams, rivers, lakes and wetlands. Tyson Foods released more than 371.7 million pounds of pollutants nationwide over four years, according to the study, which relied on effluent data reported by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency....

Tyson Foods’ New Holland plant, which is part of the Mill Creek watershed that flows into the Chesapeake Bay, discharged millions of pounds of nitrogen and phosphorus over four years. These contaminants can significantly increase algae, which can impact water quality, food resources and habitats and decrease oxygen that fish rely on to survive.

Pollutants from wastewater can also impact drinking water supplies. Exposure to high levels of nitrates, a form of nitrogen, in drinking water has been linked to some cancers, as well as blue baby syndrome among infants.