Environment - Poison in the air

[pixy0stix]

The EPA allows polluters to turn neighborhoods into “sacrifice zones” where residents breathe carcinogens. ProPublica reveals where these places are in a first-of-its-kind map and data analysis. - www.propublica.org/article/toxmap-poison-in-the-air

[bugandbibs]

Well that’s truly horrifying. We all know that some areas are ignored, but to see how they determine risks while not looking at cumulative risk is infuriating. Proximity to other toxic pollutants should be considered when factoring in levels and building.

A link to the actual map for people like me who had a hard time navigating this article on their phone:
projects.propublica.org/toxmap/

[dove]

Well…I grew up, was raised in a hot spot. I also was Dx with a brain tumor. As was my cousin who lived a few streets away. Genetics or environmental? Perhaps both.

[savan]

I was also born and raised in a hotspot. My mom died of cancer at 57. On the other hand, my dad spent 30 years working in one of those petrochemical plants and is still cancer free in his 70s. I hope I got his genetics.

[underwaterrhymes]

We aren’t too far from a hotspot (10 minutes away by car).

My stepdad, who died of cancer in 2018 and had five different cancers in his lifetime, spent several years as a child at Camp LeJeune.

It’s really shameful what large companies and military installations knowingly do to people in the name of business, government, and money.

[Velar Fricative]

Wow this is amazing reporting.

I’m 10 miles away from one hotspot, it’s across the bridge in NJ. I need to check back when I have more time because it seems like there are sites closer (and they’re labeled), but I guess they aren’t considered hotspots for the piece?

[rubytue]

Oct 11, 2023 5:53:29 GMT -5 Velar Fricative said:

Wow this is amazing reporting.

I’m 10 miles away from one hotspot, it’s across the bridge in NJ. I need to check back when I have more time because it seems like there are sites closer (and they’re labeled), but I guess they aren’t considered hotspots for the piece?

Yeah, I was wondering the same thing. I noticed places labeled, without boxes around them. Interestingly, the ones I noticed (because, I of course zoomed to places I’ve lived) were coal plants. And, the nuclear weapons plant in the town I grew up was not on the map. 

[pixy0stix]

A look at the methodology will probably provide you some answers on what was and wasn't included - www.propublica.org/article/how-we-created-the-most-detailed-map-ever-of-cancer-causing-industrial-air-pollution

As much as there is, the map is fairly narrow in scope on what was included, and has a pretty narrow timeframe.

[scm1011]

I was expecting my hometown to be on there but it wasn't. An absurd amount of my high school classmates have had or died from brain tumors. They all lived within a mile of a contaminated fireworks site (thankfully I grew up on the clear other side of town).

[waverly]

We are a mile away. I am not surprised given the industry there.

[pixy0stix]

Oct 11, 2023 12:03:01 GMT -5 scm1011 said:

I was expecting my hometown to be on there but it wasn't. An absurd amount of my high school classmates have had or died from brain tumors. They all lived within a mile of a contaminated fireworks site (thankfully I grew up on the clear other side of town).

That pollution wouldn't be airborne, hence why it isn't on the map. I did a quick google search, and there are so many contaminated fireworks sites across the country with the same issues that I couldn't determine which one you might be talking about, which is horrifying in a way. Most contamination is ground and water across the sites.

[scm1011]

Oct 11, 2023 12:55:43 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Oct 11, 2023 12:03:01 GMT -5 scm1011 said:

I was expecting my hometown to be on there but it wasn't. An absurd amount of my high school classmates have had or died from brain tumors. They all lived within a mile of a contaminated fireworks site (thankfully I grew up on the clear other side of town).

That pollution wouldn't be airborne, hence why it isn't on the map. I did a quick google search, and there are so many contaminated fireworks sites across the country with the same issues that I couldn't determine which one you might be talking about, which is horrifying in a way. Most contamination is ground and water across the sites.

Ahh, that makes sense. Link to a story about my town below. I went to high school with all the people named in the article plus quite a few more. A childhood friend went blind in her 20s as a result of her tumor, a handful are dead. For such a small high school (~400 people in 1999) I can think of at least 10 who were diagnosed with brain tumors between middle school and our 30s and grew up near the site. 


www.metrowestdailynews.com/story/lifestyle/health-fitness/2019/08/25/hanover-residents-see-sign-cancer/4385270007/

[minzy]

For a second I thought this was going to be about the Code Switch episode on NPR I caught part of yesterday. They were taking about coal dust and asthma rates in a residential neighborhood in Baltimore. www.npr.org/transcripts/1197954102

[Pom]

Well that is all terrifying. We just had a toxic fire in the local community and it raged on for days. Greed strikes again with no regards for humanity or the environment.

[dancelnow]

I live in the Louisiana Cancer Alley and work right next to Dow, the biggest emitter in the area. The flaring the last couple of nights is downright scary as they start up the unit and burn off excess. You can see the flare from the MS River bridge in New Orleans.

[shauni27]

this is horrifying.

[meanie]

This explains the cancer hot spots we have heard about over the years, that we were told weren't real or were just coincidence.

I have heard my town is a hot spot for certain cancers, although the closest hot spot on the map is ~7 miles away. We have our own special pollution dumping grounds with a nearby superfund site.

My neighborhood was built where a tannery used to be located. When they developed the area for housing the only requirement was to replace the soil on the footprint of where the foundations were poured, which is why we have a lot of 1k sfh on large 1/3 acre+ lots. Getting a permit to expand or build new structures (even ones not meant for living in) is a PITA, we were zoned as heavy industrial for years in a suburban community. Guess how much of this was disclosed when we bought our house?