Companies claim exhausts within safe levels Residents living in the vicinity of the "Makour Yerkat" and the "Armenian Titanium" companies in Yerevan have been complaining to the environmental organization Ecolur about respiratory problems stemming from exhausts emanating from the companies’ smokestacks. "I’m an athlete, and I never had breathing problems before. But now, I have this persistent cough. You can’t breathe fully; there’s this irritation in my throat," said one of the local residents. The "Makour Yerkat" (Pure Iron) factory produces ferromolybdenum and pure iron molybdenum, while rhenium is extracted from gases. "Armenian Titanium Production" produces ferrotitanium and other ferrobars. The Production results in the emission of sulfuric anhydride and nitrogen oxides into atmosphere. According to Ecolur, the State Environmental Impact Assessment Center doesn’t exercise any control over these polluted territories in Yerevan and that any data regarding emissions is supplied by the companies themselves. Ecolur has notified the RA Ministries of the Environment and Health regarding the problem and has called for testing at the sites in question.