Heinz Interns 2015

Heinz Endowments Summer Interns: Changing Pittsburgh and the world one grant at a time.

[heinzinterns-blog]

Today’s Air Quality 8/6

The AQI high for today is 45. Air quality is good!

[heinzinterns-blog]

PennEnvironment Exec. Director Comments on Litigation Against ArcelorMittal

[heinzinterns-blog]

Today’s Air Quality 8/5

The AQI high for today is 45. Air quality is good!

[heinzinterns-blog]

PennEnvironment Alleges ArcelorMittal Violated Clean Air Act, Initiates Lawsuit

Picture of ArcelorMittal Plant by Logan Tilley

PennEnvironment, an environmental advocacy organization, has initiated legal action against steel manufacturer, ArcelorMittal, for allegedly violating portions of the U.S. Clean Air Act. PennEnvironment is pursuing a lawsuit against ArcelorMittal, the worlds largest steel company, to seek recourse for alleged violations including: 

Operation of the plant without a working key air pollution control device

Approximately 200 violations of the facility’s pollution limits for hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide, and particulate matter.

Failure to install a mandatory monitoring device needed to track the amount of hydrogen sulfide coming from the facility’s smokestacks.

PennEnvironment sent a required 60-day pre-suit notice letter to the members of ArcelorMittal and to state and federal regulators, stating that citizens from neighboring towns are being harmed by soot, acidic gases, and pollution from the plant. After the 60-day period has expired, the suit will be formally initiated.

According to PennEnvironment’s press release:

“PennEnvironment’s lawsuit will be filed by the non-profit attorneys at the National Environmental Law Center (NELC), in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, located in Pittsburgh. The lawsuit will seek a court order requiring the Monessen Coke Plant to comply with its Clean Air Act permit, and civil penalties against ArcelorMittal to punish it for past violations and to deter future violations.”

Executive Director of PennEnvironment David Masur expects a drawn out litigation process, but is hopeful that actions like those being undertaken by his organization will change the narrative of enforcing emissions standards, and prompt regulators to do their jobs more effectively. According to Masur, the ArcelorMIttal case comes to to simple fairness, saying that “thousands of companies comply with the law every day ... It’s unfair to allow a few rogue ones not to [comply with the law]”. 

ArcelorMittal has not yet responded to the allegations. 

You can read PennEnvironment’s statements on this topic by clicking here.

Picture of flaring and smokestacks of the ArcelorMittal plant by Logan Tilley.

Picture of coke piles of ArcelorMittal by Logan Tilley.

[environmentalillnessnetwork]

Check out the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center news release: “Child’s home address predicts hospitalization risk for common respiratory diseases.”

[nrdc]

If you care about low income and minority communities, start protecting the air that they breathe!

President Obama calling out climate deniers at the release of the Clean Power Plan in the whitehouse today.

Learn more about this historic announcement!

(via nrdc)

Air pollution disproportionately affects low income and minority populations. Environmental justice is social justice.

[obamawhitehouse]

We’re the first generation to feel the impact of climate change, and the last generation that can do something about it. That’s why today, President Obama announced the final version of America’s Clean Power Plan, the biggest step we’ve ever taken to act on climate change.

[thegreenurbanist]

Feels good to hear our president say that.

[heinzinterns-blog]

And a happy 54th birthday to the big man himself!

[heinzinterns-blog]

Today’s Air Quality 8/4

The AQI high for today is 45. Air quality is good!

[heinzinterns-blog]

Today’s Air Quality 8/3

The AQI high for today is 53. Air quality is moderate.

[environmentalillnessnetwork]

“Aclima & Google Map How Cities Live and Breathe” via Aclima

To learn more, check out the Clean Technica article: “Google Street View Now Monitors Urban Air Pollution.”

[heinzinterns-blog]

Air Quality and Carrie Furnace

Yesterday, the Heinz interns had the opportunity to tour the Carrie Furnace site, located in the community of Rankin. The site is an old ironworks that would transfer molten iron and pig iron to other various sites to create the final product of steel. 

Our team walked around with one of our Speck monitors early in the morning and measured the air while going in and out of the buildings on the property. While touring, the Speck monitor showed that most infrastructures on the site had an average air quality reading. Surprisingly, most locations outdoors on the Carrie Furnace grounds had an elevated or USG (unhealthy for sensitive groups) level of air quality.  Some of the interns were also able to hone in on the scents around them. Also located in the Mon Valley is the US Steel Braddock corporation.  We can easily assume the odd smells were coming from its production.

Air quality on the Carrie Furnace site provided a new insight into our Speck data collection, showing that the former roots of dangerous air at Carrie Furnace can ironically have a better AQI than some land outdoors. It is evident that the air quality at Carrie Furnace can still be dangerous; similar to the days of production at the furnaces.

[heinzinterns-blog]

Striving for Equal Air

As we as a global community try to move closer to a greener tomorrow, the discussion of environmental justice and equity has become more prevalent and for good reason. Studies dating back over 30 years have shown that low income neighborhoods and communities of color are disproportionately affected by hazardous particles such as PM 2.5 and other air pollutants which can aggravate and cause asthma, some cancers, and cardiovascular problems. Along with other systemic issues, stems from the historic placement of poorer people in neighborhoods near heavy transit lines, power plants, and other areas with heavy industry creating lasting effects on the health of community members, with children and the elderly being disproportionately affected.

According to Scientific American, certain groups are more likely to be affected by certain substances than others. Communities with larger Asian populations have higher levels of exposure to nickel, nitrate and vanadium while predominantly African-American neighborhoods were exposed to sulfate and zinc more than their white counterparts. According to the American Lung Association’s State of the Air 2009 report, Non-Hispanic African-Americans, and people of Hispanic decent were more likely to live in neighborhoods with higher level of ozone pollution. 

The reality is that people in neighborhoods that are socioeconomically disadvantaged are more susceptible to illnesses related to the inhalation of these substances because for a number of reasons including but not limited to lack of access to adequate healthcare, healthy food, and the stress that goes along with a lack of secure job opportunities. 

As we continue to move towards a more equitable future for all people, there is an evident need for more focus on environmental issues. While we work to close these gaps, we have to keep in mind the need for intersectionality and the way in which underprivileged areas are usually plagued by inequalities in more ways than one. We need to be conscious of the needs of the communities while also being clear on the work that needs to be done. 

Cleaning up one, just one area, isn’t enough. Until all people have equal air quality, the importance of environmental justice will remain in our society. 

[heinzinterns-blog]

Breathe Cam spotted! Check out the North Shore breathe cam and others here!  

[environmentalillnessnetwork]

Check out the Medical News Today article: “Long-term air pollution exposure linked to brain damage.”

[heinzinterns-blog]

Specks at the Endowments

This Speck has been monitoring air quality in our Downtown office for the past few days, and the indoor air quality has been pretty good! You can however see a huge spike at about 2:00 PM yesterday, when about 10 of us got back from a field trip, I guess we were dirtier than we thought!

Stay tuned for more data from the field!

[environmentalillnessnetwork]

[heinzinterns-blog]

AQI 7/29-Air Action Day

Another action day! Limit time and heavy exertion outdoors, and remain in a space with an air filter whenever possible.