Air-pollution rating sparks jobs debate
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Some mayors in the Mon Valley remember a time when they would have to strain to see across the river because the smoke coming from the Clairton Coke Works was so thick. The hill directly across the river from the plant was so inundated with pollutants that nothing would grow there.
But now, visibility is greater, and the hill across from the plant is green.
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"It's not as bad as what it was years ago ... it was so cloudy you could hardly see a few blocks," said Clairton Mayor Domenic V. Virgona. "I'm looking outside right now, and it's as good as it could possibly be."
Still, the Pittsburgh metropolitan area is dangerously polluted, the American Lung Association said.
In the association's State of the Air report released two weeks ago, the region was ranked No. 1 for daily fine particle soot pollution for the second year in a row and second-worst for year-round particle pollution.
The association's rankings are determined largely by looking at a particular region's worst pollution monitor. In Pittsburgh's case, the monitor that had the highest readings on most days was the one in Liberty, a borough directly across the river from Clairton and the coke works.
Though his community is adjacent to Liberty, Mayor Nick Vay of Lincoln Borough said he was far more concerned about keeping jobs in the area and that he worried that harping on an industry's pollution could drive away jobs.
"People will be able to breathe, but they won't be able to eat," said Mr. Vay, who said he did not read the report. "It don't concern me. I think we're doing well."
Mr. Vay also pointed out that the local heavy industry facilities supported smaller scrap yards, machine shops and restaurants in the area.
The Liberty-Clairton area still fails to meet national standards for levels of PM 2.5, particles suspended in the air that are smaller than 2.5 micrometers. These particles are small enough to be absorbed when aspirated and can exacerbate asthma and respiratory problems.
Last year, it was measured at 50 micrograms per cubic meter. The federal standard is 35.
Both mayors are in their 70s and are somewhat skeptical of the link between the pollution and health problems, saying they are healthy and have lived in the Mon Valley their entire lives. Both worked in the coke works.
But Lee Lasich, a member of Residents for A Clean & Healthy Mon Valley, said the mayors' points of view were narrow and that they shouldn't shut their eyes to evidence that their residents are exposed to dangerous pollutants.
Swipe tests -- in which scientists take a sample of dust on the outside of homes and test it for chemicals -- reveal that carcinogens and other pollutants are settling on the outside of homes in the area.
She said it was a misconception that her group, which raises awareness about dangerous pollutants, is trying to shut down the industries.
"I understand that everybody is worried about the economy ... but you need to have the workers, and you need to have the industries working hand in hand to make it a workable and residential area," Mrs. Lasich said.
Her husband, Henry, died of cancer in 2004 at age 53. He worked at the Clairton Coke Works off and on from 1972 until 1997.
Though her husband was a smoker, Mrs. Lasich believes that chemicals he was exposed to in that facility may have contributed to his illness.
First Published May 14, 2009 6:25 am
