Expl

orin

g En

viro

nmen

tal

Just

ice

in B

altim

ore

A To

xic T

our a

nd D

iscus

sion

with

En

ergy

Just

ice N

etw

ork

A M

essin

a Go

od L

ife T

hem

e W

ide

Even

t

Balti

mor

e sm

okes

tack

by

Tony

.Gon

zale

s with

Flic

kr C

reat

ive

Com

mon

s Lic

ense

Than

k yo

u to

all

the

spon

sors

that

mad

e th

is ev

ent

poss

ible

.

Mes

sina

Miss

on In

tegr

atio

n En

viro

nmen

tal &

Sus

tain

abili

ty S

tudi

es

Asso

ciat

e De

an o

f Nat

ural

and

App

lied

Scie

nce

Com

mun

ity a

nd E

ngag

ed L

earn

ing

& S

chol

arsh

ip

26

PLU

NDE

R

Plun

der h

as m

atur

ed in

to h

abit

and

addi

ctio

n; th

e pe

ople

w

ho c

ould

aut

hor t

he m

echa

nize

d de

ath

of o

ur g

hett

os,

the

mas

s rap

e of

priv

ate

priso

ns, t

hen

engi

neer

thei

r ow

n fo

rget

ting,

mus

t ine

vita

bly

plun

der m

uch

mor

e. T

his i

s not

a

belie

f in

prop

hecy

but

in th

e se

duct

iven

ess o

f che

ap

gaso

line.

O

nce,

the

Drea

m’s

para

met

ers w

ere

cage

d by

tech

nolo

gy

and

by th

e lim

its o

f hor

sepo

wer

and

win

d. B

ut th

e Dr

eam

ers h

ave

impr

oved

them

selv

es, a

nd th

e da

mm

ing

of

seas

for v

olta

ge, t

he e

xtra

ctio

n of

coa

l, th

e tr

ansm

utin

g of

oi

l int

o fo

od, h

ave

enab

led

an e

xpan

sion

in p

lund

er w

ith n

o kn

own

prec

eden

t. An

d th

is re

volu

tion

has f

reed

the

Drea

mer

s to

plun

der n

ot ju

st th

e bo

dies

of h

uman

s but

the

body

of t

he E

arth

itse

lf. T

he E

arth

is n

ot o

ur c

reat

ion.

It h

as

no re

spec

t for

us.

It ha

s no

use

for u

s. An

d its

ven

gean

ce is

no

t the

fire

in th

e ci

ties b

ut th

e fir

e in

the

sky.

Som

ethi

ng

mor

e fie

rce

than

Mar

cus G

arve

y is

ridin

g on

the

whi

rlwin

d.

Som

ethi

ng m

ore

awfu

l tha

n al

l our

Afr

ican

anc

esto

rs is

ris

ing

with

the

seas

. The

two

phen

omen

a ar

e kn

own

to

each

oth

er. I

t was

the

cott

on th

at p

asse

d th

roug

h ou

r ch

aine

d ha

nds t

hat i

naug

urat

ed th

is ag

e. It

is th

e fli

ght

from

us t

hat s

ent t

hem

spra

wlin

g in

to th

e su

bdiv

ided

w

oods

. And

the

met

hods

of t

rans

port

thro

ugh

thes

e ne

w

subd

ivisi

ons,

acro

ss th

e sp

raw

l, is

the

auto

mob

ile, t

he

noos

e ar

ound

the

neck

of t

he e

arth

, and

ulti

mat

ely,

the

Drea

mer

s the

mse

lves

. Ta

-Neh

esi C

oate

s, Be

twee

n th

e W

orld

and

Me

1

Ener

gy Ju

stic

e N

etw

ork

Ener

gy Ju

stic

e su

ppor

ts c

omm

uniti

es th

reat

ened

by

pollu

ting

ener

gy a

nd w

aste

tech

nolo

gies

. Tak

ing

dire

ctio

n fr

om o

ur g

rass

root

s bas

e an

d th

e Pr

inci

ples

of

Envi

ronm

enta

l Jus

tice,

we

advo

cate

a c

lean

ene

rgy,

zero

-em

issio

n, ze

ro-w

aste

futu

re fo

r all.

W

e un

ders

tand

that

ene

rgy

issue

s hav

e pr

ofou

nd im

pact

s on

man

y ot

her e

nviro

nmen

tal i

ssue

s fro

m a

gric

ultu

re to

w

aste

, and

reco

gnize

that

low

-inco

me

com

mun

ities

and

co

mm

uniti

es o

f col

or te

nd to

be

the

mos

t ser

ious

ly

impa

cted

by

pollu

ting

ener

gy sy

stem

s. W

e su

ppor

t a

com

preh

ensiv

e, e

nviro

nmen

tal j

ustic

e ap

proa

ch.

Find

out

mor

e at

ene

rgyj

ustic

e.ne

t

Mee

t our

Gui

de D

ante

Sw

into

n Da

nte

cam

e to

Bal

timor

e in

201

4. H

e is

a M

aste

rs c

andi

date

in N

onpr

ofit

Man

agem

ent a

nd S

ocia

l En

tren

eurs

hip

at th

e U

nive

rsity

of

Bal

timor

e. B

egin

ning

his

time

with

En

ergy

Just

ice

Net

wor

k in

Aug

ust o

f 20

15, D

ante

has

hel

d nu

mer

ous

mee

tings

with

legi

slato

rs a

nd m

embe

rs o

f the

Dep

artm

ent

of P

ublic

Wor

ks to

adv

ocat

e ag

ains

t inc

iner

atio

n in

favo

r of

zero

was

te p

olic

ies t

hat w

ould

dim

inish

pol

lutio

n an

d cr

eate

jobs

for B

altim

ore.

He

curr

ently

div

ides

his

time

betw

een

Balti

mor

e an

d So

uth

Caro

lina,

his

hom

e st

ate.

2

Tour

Sto

ps

Lo

yola

(red

), W

heel

abra

tor (

Blue

), M

iddl

e Br

anch

Par

k (Y

ello

w),

Form

er F

MC

Chem

ical

Pla

nt (G

reen

), Cu

rtis

Bay

Park

(Pur

ple)

, M

edic

al In

cine

rato

r (Br

own)

, Qua

rant

ine

Road

Lan

dfill

(Gre

y)

25

Mee

t the

Pan

elist

s Se

now

a M

ize-

Fox

Seno

wa

Mize

-Fox

has

a b

ackg

roun

d in

la

bor,

raci

al, a

nd c

limat

e ju

stic

e or

gani

zing.

She

spen

t the

last

thre

e ye

ars i

n Bu

rling

ton,

VT

wor

king

with

he

r lab

or u

nion

Uni

ted

Elec

tric

al R

adio

an

d M

achi

ne W

orke

rs o

f Am

eric

a he

lpin

g to

bui

ld st

rate

gies

aro

und

just

tr

ansit

ion.

Thr

ough

this

wor

k sh

e w

as

conn

ecte

d w

ith o

rgan

izatio

ns su

ch a

s th

e Ve

rmon

t Wor

kers

’ Cen

ter,

Mig

rant

Ju

stic

e, T

rade

Uni

ons f

or E

nerg

y De

moc

racy

, and

Bla

ck L

ives

M

atte

r VT.

Sen

owa

curr

ently

doe

s ope

ratio

ns w

ork

for t

he

Clim

ate

Just

ice

Allia

nce

(ww

w.c

limat

ejus

ticea

llian

ce.o

rg) a

nd

resid

es in

Bal

timor

e, M

D.

24

NO

TES

3

Envi

ronm

enta

l Jus

tice

for A

ll Ro

bert

D. B

ulla

rd

A gr

owin

g bo

dy o

f evi

denc

e re

veal

s tha

t peo

ple

of c

olor

an

d lo

w-in

com

e pe

rson

s hav

e bo

rne

grea

ter

envi

ronm

enta

l and

hea

lth ri

sks t

han

the

larg

er so

ciet

y. Ha

rdly

a d

ay p

asse

s with

out t

he m

edia

disc

over

ing

a co

mm

unity

of c

olor

figh

ting

som

e ty

pe o

f env

ironm

enta

l th

reat

. Thi

s was

not

alw

ays t

he c

ase.

For

yea

rs, r

esid

ents

of

the

natio

n’s g

hett

os, b

arrio

s, re

serv

atio

ns, a

nd ru

ral

“pov

erty

poc

kets

” w

atch

ed h

elpl

essly

as t

heir

com

mun

ities

be

cam

e th

e du

mpi

ng g

roun

ds fo

r gar

bage

, tox

ic w

aste

, in

cine

rato

rs, s

mel

ters

, sew

age

trea

tmen

t pla

nts,

che

mic

al

indu

strie

s, hi

ghw

ays,

and

a h

ost o

f oth

er p

ollu

ting

faci

litie

s.A

new

mov

emen

t has

take

n ro

ot in

the

Unite

d St

ates

, and

sp

read

aro

und

the

wor

ld, t

hat d

efin

es e

nviro

nmen

t as

“eve

ryth

ing”

—w

here

we

live,

wor

k, p

lay,

wor

ship

, and

go

to sc

hool

, as w

ell a

s the

phy

sical

and

nat

ural

wor

ld. T

his

rela

tivel

y ne

w n

atio

nal m

ovem

ent i

s cal

led

the

envi

ronm

enta

l and

eco

nom

ic ju

stic

e m

ovem

ent.

Thre

e de

cade

s ago

, the

con

cept

s of e

nviro

nmen

tal j

ustic

e ha

d no

t reg

ister

ed o

n th

e ra

dar s

cree

ns o

f env

ironm

enta

l, ci

vil

right

s, o

r soc

ial j

ustic

e gr

oups

. Nev

erth

eles

s, o

ne sh

ould

no

t for

get t

hat D

r. M

artin

Lut

her K

ing,

Jr. w

ent t

o M

emph

is in

196

8 on

an

envi

ronm

enta

l and

eco

nom

ic ju

stic

e m

issio

n fo

r the

strik

ing

blac

k ga

rbag

e w

orke

rs. T

he st

riker

s wer

e de

man

ding

equ

al p

ay a

nd b

ette

r wor

k co

nditi

on. O

f co

urse

, Dr.

King

was

ass

assin

ated

bef

ore

he c

ould

com

plet

e hi

s miss

ion.

Wha

t is e

nviro

nmen

tal j

ustic

e? E

nviro

nmen

tal j

ustic

e is

defin

ed a

s the

fair

trea

tmen

t and

mea

ning

ful i

nvol

vem

ent

of a

ll pe

ople

rega

rdle

ss o

f rac

e, c

olor

, nat

iona

l orig

in, o

r in

com

e w

ith re

spec

t to

the

deve

lopm

ent,

impl

emen

tatio

n,

and

enfo

rcem

ent o

f env

ironm

enta

l law

s, re

gula

tions

, and

po

licie

s. F

air t

reat

men

t mea

ns th

at n

o gr

oup

of p

eopl

e,

incl

udin

g ra

cial

, eth

nic,

or s

ocio

-eco

nom

ic g

roup

s sho

uld

4

bear

a d

ispro

port

iona

te sh

are

of th

e ne

gativ

e en

viro

nmen

tal c

onse

quen

ces r

esul

ting

from

indu

stria

l, m

unic

ipal

, and

com

mer

cial

ope

ratio

ns o

r the

exe

cutio

n of

fe

dera

l, st

ate,

loca

l, an

d tr

ibal

pro

gram

s and

pol

icie

s.

Sim

ply

put,

envi

ronm

enta

l jus

tice

mea

ns e

very

one

(not

ju

st th

e pe

ople

who

can

“vo

te w

ith th

eir f

eet”

and

mov

e aw

ay fr

om th

reat

s or i

ndiv

idua

ls w

ho c

an a

fford

law

yers

, ex

pert

s, a

nd lo

bbyi

sts t

o fig

ht o

n th

eir b

ehal

f) is

entit

led

to

equa

l pro

tect

ion

and

equa

l enf

orce

men

t of o

ur

envi

ronm

enta

l, he

alth

, hou

sing,

land

use

, tra

nspo

rtat

ion,

en

ergy

, and

civ

il rig

hts l

aws a

nd re

gula

tions

. Ex

cerp

t fro

m E

nviro

nmen

tal J

ustic

e fo

r All

Robe

rt D

. Bul

lard

Pr

ofes

sor o

f Soc

iolo

gy

Dire

ctor

, Env

ironm

enta

l Jus

tice

Reso

urce

Cen

ter a

t Cla

rk A

tlant

a U

nive

rsity

©

Nat

iona

l Hum

aniti

es C

ente

r, 20

06

Does

Bal

timor

e ha

ve a

n en

viro

nmen

tal

just

ice

prob

lem

?

23

NO

TES

22

Mon

itorin

g Pa

rtic

le P

ollu

tion

Part

icul

ate

Mat

ter p

ollu

tion

leve

ls ar

e of

ten

diffe

rent

be

twee

n lo

catio

ns in

citi

es a

nd n

eigh

borh

oods

. Th

e am

ount

of p

artic

le p

ollu

tion

depe

nds o

n cl

osen

ess t

o th

e po

llutio

n so

urce

, loc

al sc

ale

wea

ther

, and

the

type

s of

spac

e.

At L

oyol

a, W

e ha

ve e

stab

lishe

d a

loca

l net

wor

k of

pa

rtic

ulat

e m

atte

r mon

itors

to le

arn

mor

e ab

out

part

icul

ate

mat

ter i

n th

e ar

ea.

Vi

sit m

ap.p

urpl

eair.

org

Sear

ch b

y zip

code

to se

e cu

rren

t loc

al a

ir qu

ality

. Cl

icki

ng th

e ic

ons o

n th

e m

ap w

ill p

rovi

de m

ore

info

rmat

ion

abou

t the

air

qual

ity a

t tha

t loc

atio

n.

Cont

act:

eeda

hl@

loyo

la.e

du

Spon

sore

d by

Kol

venb

ach

Prog

ram

s, Te

chno

logy

Ser

vice

s, D

ean

of L

oyol

a Co

llege

, Env

ironm

enta

l Stu

dies

& A

cade

mic

Affa

irs

5

6

Urb

an g

reen

spa

ces

(WH

O.in

t)Gr

een

spac

es su

ch a

s par

ks a

nd sp

orts

fiel

ds a

s wel

l as

woo

ds a

nd n

atur

al m

eado

ws,

wet

land

s or o

ther

ec

osys

tem

s, re

pres

ent a

fund

amen

tal c

ompo

nent

of a

ny

urba

n ec

osys

tem

. Gre

en u

rban

are

as fa

cilit

ate

phys

ical

ac

tivity

and

rela

xatio

n, a

nd fo

rm a

refu

ge fr

om n

oise

. Tre

es

prod

uce

oxyg

en, a

nd h

elp

filte

r out

har

mfu

l air

pollu

tion,

in

clud

ing

airb

orne

par

ticul

ate

mat

ter.

Wat

er sp

ots,

from

la

kes t

o riv

ers a

nd fo

unta

ins,

mod

erat

e te

mpe

ratu

res.

Urb

an p

arks

and

gar

dens

pla

y a

criti

cal r

ole

in

cool

ing

citie

s, an

d al

so p

rovi

de sa

fe ro

utes

for w

alki

ng a

nd

cycl

ing

for t

rans

port

pur

pose

s as w

ell a

s site

s for

phy

sical

ac

tivity

, soc

ial i

nter

actio

n an

d fo

r rec

reat

ion.

Rec

ent

estim

ates

show

that

phy

sical

inac

tivity

, lin

ked

to p

oor

wal

kabi

lity

and

lack

of a

cces

s to

recr

eatio

nal a

reas

, acc

ount

s fo

r 3.3

% o

f glo

bal d

eath

s. Gr

een

spac

es a

lso a

re im

port

ant t

o m

enta

l hea

lth.

Havi

ng a

cces

s to

gree

n sp

aces

can

redu

ce h

ealth

in

equa

litie

s, im

prov

e w

ell-b

eing

, and

aid

in tr

eatm

ent o

f m

enta

l illn

ess.

Som

e an

alys

is su

gges

ts th

at p

hysic

al a

ctiv

ity

in a

nat

ural

env

ironm

ent c

an h

elp

rem

edy

mild

dep

ress

ion

and

redu

ce p

hysio

logi

cal s

tres

s ind

icat

ors.

Whe

re a

re th

e gr

een

spac

es in

Ba

ltim

ore?

21

Interactive Map at https://arcg.is/1XavG8

20

A m

ajor

ele

men

t of w

aste

ne

eded

in th

e liv

ing

proc

ess,

w

ith a

n el

emen

t of e

xces

s in

the

cons

titue

nt m

ater

ials;

di

stin

guish

ing

basic

feat

ures

pe

rfor

min

g no

app

aren

t fun

ctio

n,

and

play

ing

no d

iscer

nabl

e pa

rt

in c

ount

erin

g an

y ne

gativ

e fo

rces

, bu

t whi

ch a

re n

onet

hele

ss c

lear

ly e

ssen

tial

for f

ulfil

lmen

t of t

he p

roce

ss,

and

whi

ch, i

f rem

oved

, wou

ld e

stab

lish

an e

mpt

ines

s und

er th

e he

art.

Acce

ptin

g th

e w

aste

and

the

exce

ss,

and

a fu

ndam

enta

l ina

dequ

acy

in th

e st

ruct

ure

as a

who

le

and

in e

ach

indi

vidu

al p

art,

ther

e is

still

an

ongo

ing

dyna

mic

in

the

part

s as t

hey

succ

eed

each

oth

er,

and

in th

e as

sem

blin

g re

cord

, th

at re

gist

ers a

s pos

itive

.

By T

hom

as K

inse

lla

From

‘Mar

gina

l Eco

nom

y’

(Dub

lin: P

eppe

rcan

ister

, 200

6) 3

2.

7

Asth

ma

is an

epi

dem

ic in

Bal

timor

e

In B

altim

ore

City

1

•12

.4 %

of a

dults

hav

e as

thm

a (8

.4%

stat

ewid

e &

8.6

%

natio

nally

) •

20%

of c

hild

ren

unde

r 18

have

ast

hma

(11.

9% st

atew

ide

&

9.4%

nat

iona

lly).

•

Balti

mor

e’s p

edia

tric

ast

hma

hosp

italiz

atio

n ra

te is

the

high

est

in M

aryl

and

and

one

of th

e hi

ghes

t in

the

natio

n.

•Th

e av

erag

e an

nual

mor

talit

y ra

tes f

rom

ast

hma

in

Balti

mor

e Ci

ty is

200

tim

es h

ighe

r tha

n th

e st

ate

rate

.

Balti

mor

e as

thm

a ho

spita

lizat

ion

rate

s am

ong

child

ren

are

high

er

for h

ouse

hold

s with

sing

le m

othe

rs a

nd in

are

as w

ith le

ss g

reen

sp

ace.

2

Asth

ma

acco

unts

for t

he

grea

test

loss

of p

rodu

ctiv

ity

eith

er th

roug

h m

issed

wor

k da

ys o

r sch

ool a

bsen

teei

sm.

Nat

iona

lly, i

t is e

stim

ated

that

10

mill

ion

wor

k da

ys

and

alm

ost 1

4 m

illio

n sc

hool

da

ys a

re m

issed

eac

h ye

ar d

ue

to a

sthm

a.2

•As

thm

a di

spro

port

iona

tely

bu

rden

s peo

ple

livin

g in

po

vert

y an

d w

ith lo

w

educ

atio

n pe

rson

s.

•Ho

spita

lizat

ions

and

m

orta

lity

disp

ropo

rtio

nate

ly

affe

ct p

eopl

e of

col

or a

nd

wom

en.1

Asth

ma

rate

s and

ass

ocia

ted

hosp

italiz

atio

ns a

nd m

orta

lity

rate

s are

impa

cted

by

urba

n fa

ctor

s suc

h as

air

qual

ity a

nd

built

vs.

veg

etat

ion

cove

r as

wel

l as s

ocio

econ

omic

and

ra

cial

fact

ors.

3

Air p

ollu

tion

can

mak

e as

thm

a sy

mpt

oms w

orse

and

tr

igge

r ast

hma

atta

cks.

O

zone

and

par

ticul

ate

mat

ter

in th

e ai

r can

trig

ger a

sthm

a sy

mpt

oms i

n bo

th a

dults

and

ch

ildre

n, e

ven

afte

r exp

osur

e.

1.Ba

nkos

ki, A

., Pi

nto,

C. D

., He

ss-M

utin

da, R

., &

McE

ache

rn, Y

. (20

12).

Mar

ylan

d As

thm

a Su

rvei

llanc

e Re

port

. Bal

timor

e, M

D: M

aryl

and

Depa

rtm

ent o

f Hea

lth &

Men

tal H

ygie

ne.

2.Ba

ltim

ore

City

Hea

lth D

epar

tmen

t – h

ealth

.bal

timor

ecity

.gov

3.Ki

mes

, D.,

Ulla

h, A

., Le

vine

, E.,

Nel

son,

R.,

Tim

ins,

S.,

Wei

ss, S

., . .

. Bl

aisd

ell,

C. (2

004)

. Hea

lth &

Pl

ace,

10,

141

-152

. doi

:10.

1016

/S13

53-8

292(

03)0

0054

-6

8

Imag

e M

N P

ollu

tion

cont

rol a

genc

y

Is a

ir po

llutio

n a

univ

ersa

l hea

lth

prob

lem

?

19

Qua

rant

ine

Road

Lan

dfill

Fast

Fac

ts fr

om E

nerg

y Ju

stic

e N

etw

ork

Ope

ned

in 1

985

(1st

cel

l), c

ompl

eted

in 1

993

(6th

cel

l) O

ver h

alf t

he w

aste

ann

ually

is W

heel

abra

tor a

sh

2010

inci

nera

tor a

sh b

an a

s cov

er m

ater

ial

Curr

ent o

utst

andi

ng d

ebt:

over

$17

mill

ion

Ci

ty b

ough

t the

adj

acen

t ind

ustr

ial l

andf

ill in

the

late

19

90s

Acqu

ired

a pe

rmit

to e

xpan

d, k

now

n as

Qua

rant

ine

Road

II

Num

erou

s site

com

plai

nts h

ave

been

mad

e by

in

spec

tors

“In

2013

, Am

erica

ns g

ener

ated

abo

ut 2

54 m

illio

n to

ns o

f tr

ash

and

recy

cled

and

com

post

ed a

bout

87

mill

ion

tons

of

this

mat

eria

l, eq

uiva

lent

to a

34.

3 pe

rcen

t rec

yclin

g ra

te.

On

aver

age,

we

recy

cled

and

com

post

ed 1

.51

poun

ds o

f ou

r ind

ivid

ual w

aste

gen

erat

ion

of 4

.40

poun

ds p

er p

erso

n pe

r day

” (E

PA.g

ov)

18

Expe

rts s

ay in

cine

ratio

n is

the

leas

t env

ironm

enta

lly

obje

ctio

nabl

e en

d-of

-life

opt

ion

for u

nuse

d dr

ugs.

But i

t’s

also

the

mos

t exp

ensiv

e de

stru

ctio

n m

etho

d —

from

50

cent

s to

a do

llar p

er p

ound

, pai

d fo

r by

the

facil

ities

th

emse

lves

— w

hich

is w

hy m

any

nurs

ing

hom

es re

sort

to

flush

ing.

Is th

e th

row

away

cul

ture

pro

gres

s?

9

The

Air Q

ualit

y In

dex

tells

you

how

cle

an o

r po

llute

d yo

ur a

ir is,

and

wha

t ass

ocia

ted

heal

th

effe

cts m

ight

be

of c

once

rn. T

he A

QI f

ocus

es o

n he

alth

effe

cts y

ou m

ay e

xper

ienc

e w

ithin

a fe

w

hour

s or d

ays a

fter

bre

athi

ng p

ollu

ted

air.

EPA

calc

ulat

es th

e AQ

I for

five

maj

or a

ir po

lluta

nts

regu

late

d by

the

Clea

n Ai

r Act

: gro

und-

leve

l oz

one,

par

ticle

pol

lutio

n (a

lso k

now

n as

pa

rtic

ulat

e m

atte

r), c

arbo

n m

onox

ide,

sulfu

r di

oxid

e, a

nd n

itrog

en d

ioxi

de. F

or e

ach

of th

ese

pollu

tant

s, E

PA h

as e

stab

lishe

d na

tiona

l air

qual

ity st

anda

rds t

o pr

otec

t pub

lic h

ealth

.G

roun

d-le

vel o

zone

and

airb

orne

par

ticle

s are

th

e tw

o po

lluta

nts t

hat p

ose

the

grea

test

thre

at

to h

uman

hea

lth in

this

coun

try.

Wor

ld R

esou

rces

Inst

itute

(ww

w.e

pa.g

ov)

10

PART

ICLE

PO

LLU

TIO

N

Part

icul

ate

Mat

ter p

ollu

tion

incl

udes

: •

PM10

: in

hala

ble

part

icle

s, w

ith d

iam

eter

s tha

t are

gen

eral

ly

10 m

icro

met

ers a

nd sm

alle

r; •

PM2.

5 : fi

ne in

hala

ble

part

icles

, with

dia

met

ers t

hat a

re

gene

rally

2.5

mic

rom

eter

s and

smal

ler.

Sour

ces o

f PM

Pa

rtic

ulat

e m

atte

r com

es in

m

any

sizes

and

shap

es a

nd

can

be m

ade

up o

f hu

ndre

ds o

f diff

eren

t ch

emic

als.

Som

e ar

e em

itted

dire

ctly

from

a

sour

ce, s

uch

as

cons

truc

tion

sites

, unp

aved

ro

ads,

fiel

ds, s

mok

esta

cks

or fi

res.

M

ost p

artic

les f

orm

in th

e at

mos

pher

e as

a re

sult

of co

mpl

ex

reac

tions

of c

hem

ical

s suc

h as

sulfu

r dio

xide

& n

itrog

en o

xide

s, w

hich

are

pol

luta

nts e

mitt

ed fr

om p

ower

pla

nts,

indu

strie

s, &

au

tom

obile

s.

Heal

th E

ffect

s of P

artic

ulat

e M

atte

r Sm

alle

r par

ticle

s pos

e th

e gr

eate

st ri

sk b

ecau

se th

ey c

an g

et

deep

into

you

r lun

gs, a

nd so

me

may

eve

n ge

t int

o yo

ur

bloo

dstr

eam

. Peo

ple

with

hea

rt o

r lun

g di

seas

es, c

hild

ren,

and

ol

der a

dults

are

the

mos

t lik

ely

to b

e af

fect

ed b

y pa

rtic

le

pollu

tion

expo

sure

. Ex

posu

re to

thes

e pa

rtic

les c

an a

ffect

bot

h yo

ur lu

ngs a

nd y

our

hear

t. N

umer

ous s

cien

tific

stud

ies h

ave

linke

d pa

rtic

le p

ollu

tion

expo

sure

to a

var

iety

of p

robl

ems,

incl

udin

g: p

rem

atur

e de

ath

in p

eopl

e w

ith h

eart

or l

ung

dise

ase;

non

fata

l hea

rt a

ttac

ks;

irreg

ular

hea

rtbe

at; a

ggra

vate

d as

thm

a; d

ecre

ased

lung

fu

nctio

n; in

crea

sed

resp

irato

ry sy

mpt

oms,

such

as i

rrita

tion

of

the

airw

ays,

cou

ghin

g or

diff

icul

ty b

reat

hing

.(w

ww

.epa

.gov

)

17

Curt

is Ba

y En

ergy

– M

edic

al W

aste

Inci

nera

tor

Exce

rpt f

rom

Was

ted:

Am

eric

a's o

ther

dru

g pr

oble

m

by M

arsh

all A

llen,

Pro

Publ

ica,

Apr

il 20

17

Perh

aps t

he m

ost g

raph

ic w

ay to

see

the

was

te fi

rsth

and

is a

visit

to th

e Cu

rtis

Bay

Med

ical W

aste

faci

lity

on th

e so

uth

side

of B

altim

ore,

hom

e of

the

larg

est i

ncin

erat

or o

f its

ki

nd in

the

coun

try.

Here

Cur

tis B

ay’s

fleet

of t

ruck

s del

iver

s loa

d af

ter l

oad

of

unus

ed, u

nexp

ired

drug

s fro

m h

undr

eds o

f nur

sing

hom

es

and

othe

r fac

ilitie

s and

clin

ics u

p an

d do

wn

the

East

Coa

st.

Drug

s also

com

e fr

om m

edica

l was

te co

mpa

nies

like

St

eriC

ycle

and

Dan

iels

Shar

psm

art.

In 2

015,

204

tons

of

non-

haza

rdou

s pha

rmac

eutic

al w

aste

cam

e fr

om th

e Da

niel

s loc

atio

n in

the

Bron

x, a

ccor

ding

to re

cord

s file

d in

Ne

w Y

ork.

Suc

h w

aste

inclu

des n

ot o

nly

drug

s tos

sed

by

nurs

ing

hom

es, b

ut a

lso th

ose

from

hos

pita

ls, d

octo

rs’

offic

es a

nd o

ther

faci

litie

s.

Insid

e Cu

rtis

Bay,

the

drug

s are

pro

cess

ed a

nd d

estr

oyed

in

an a

rea

the

size

of se

vera

l hoc

key

rinks

. A co

nvey

or b

elt

abou

t 15

feet

off

the

grou

nd sn

akes

thro

ugh

the

facil

ity

load

ed w

ith h

undr

eds o

f box

es o

f pha

rmac

eutic

al a

nd

med

ical w

aste

— a

ll le

adin

g to

the

two

inci

nera

tion

cham

bers

.

On

a re

cent

visi

t, th

e ch

ambe

r was

ove

r 2,0

00 d

egre

es, a

he

at th

at co

uld

be fe

lt fro

m 2

0 fe

et a

way

.

From

a p

latfo

rm a

bove

the

inci

nera

tor’s

maw

, you

can

wat

ch a

s tho

usan

ds o

f dol

lars

of p

oten

tially

life

savi

ng p

ills

and

med

icatio

ns tu

mbl

e, b

ox b

y bo

x, in

to th

e st

eam

ing

open

ing.

The

n th

ey a

re sh

ovel

ed in

to th

e bl

aze.

16

How

are

was

te a

nd re

cycl

ing

conn

ecte

d to

pol

lutio

n?

How

are

hea

lth a

nd e

nviro

nmen

t co

nnec

ted?

11

Balti

mor

e re

leas

ed o

ver 7

mill

ion

gallo

ns o

f se

wag

e in

to Jo

nes F

alls

Afte

r hea

vy ra

in o

n Fr

iday

and

Sat

urda

y, hu

man

was

te

over

flow

ed u

nder

grou

nd a

nd o

n a

Balti

mor

e st

reet

Th

e Dr

ip, B

y Br

ew E

dito

rs, B

altim

ore

Brew

Au

gust

1, 2

017

The

Balti

mor

e De

part

men

t of P

ublic

Wor

ks (D

PW)

disc

lose

d to

day

that

mor

e th

an 7

mill

ion

gallo

ns o

f sew

age

mix

ed w

ith ra

inw

ater

surg

ed in

to th

e Jo

nes F

alls

over

the

wee

kend

– in

clud

ing

over

a h

alf-m

illio

n ga

llons

that

bu

bble

d up

thro

ugh

a m

anho

le c

over

on

an E

ast B

altim

ore

stre

et.

The

over

flow

s beg

an a

mid

hea

vy ra

in o

n Fr

iday

and

wer

e pr

imar

ily a

t “st

ruct

ured

out

fall”

loca

tions

, pip

es b

uilt

a ce

ntur

y ag

o as

rele

ase

poin

ts, t

o re

lieve

pre

ssur

e w

hen

too

muc

h w

ater

ent

ers t

he sy

stem

. Ac

cord

ing

to D

PW, 2

.2

mill

ion

gallo

ns o

verf

low

ed o

n Ju

ly 2

8 fr

om th

e ab

ove-

grou

nd st

ruct

ured

out

fall

at 1

901

Falls

Roa

d ne

ar th

e Ba

ltim

ore

Stre

etca

r Mus

eum

. On

the

sam

e da

y, a

noth

er

4.3

mill

ion

gallo

ns sp

illed

dire

ctly

into

the

Jone

s Fal

ls un

derg

roun

d fr

om th

e ou

tfal

l at 4

28 E

ast P

rest

on S

tree

t an

d 49

6,00

0 ga

llons

from

the

outf

all a

t Nor

th C

harle

s and

W

est L

anva

le st

reet

s. D

urin

g tw

o ho

urs o

n Sa

turd

ay

afte

rnoo

n in

the

1800

blo

ck o

f Eas

t Eag

er S

tree

t, an

es

timat

ed 5

89,0

00 g

allo

ns o

verf

low

ed a

bove

-gro

und,

ac

cord

ing

to a

DPW

new

s rel

ease

. The

sew

age-

lace

d ra

inw

ater

“ca

me

thro

ugh

a m

anho

le a

nd w

ashe

d in

to

stor

m d

rain

s,” th

e re

leas

e sa

id.

Viol

atin

g th

e Cl

ean

Wat

er A

ct

Fede

ral o

ffici

als s

ued

the

city

yea

rs a

go o

ver t

he

stru

ctur

ed o

verf

low

s, w

hich

per

mit

mill

ions

of g

allo

ns o

f ra

w se

wag

e to

flow

into

loca

l wat

erw

ays a

nd, u

ltim

atel

y,

Ches

apea

ke B

ay.

Afte

r dec

ades

of p

oor u

pkee

p,

Balti

mor

e’s s

ewer

line

s hav

e bl

ocka

ge p

oint

s and

sags

that

12

can

caus

e ov

erflo

win

g to

ilets

and

floo

ded

base

men

ts in

ho

mes

and

bus

ines

ses d

urin

g he

avy

stor

ms.

But

the

inte

ntio

nal “

stru

ctur

ed” r

elea

ses o

f hum

an w

aste

into

He

rrin

g Ru

n, G

wyn

ns F

alls

and

othe

r str

eam

s, a

s wel

l as

the

Jone

s Fal

ls, a

re in

dire

ct v

iola

tion

of th

e th

e 19

73 C

lean

W

ater

Act

. Ba

ltim

ore

City

sign

ed a

co

nsen

t dec

ree

in 2

002

with

the

Envi

ronm

enta

l Pro

tect

ion

Agen

cy

(EPA

) and

Mar

ylan

d De

part

men

t of

the

Envi

ronm

ent (

MDE

) to

corr

ect

the

prob

lem

thro

ugh

impr

oved

en

gine

erin

g. O

rigin

ally

requ

iring

the

city

to b

e in

com

plia

nce

by

Dece

mbe

r 31,

201

5, th

e co

nsen

t de

cree

was

ext

ende

d to

203

0 as

th

e ci

ty c

opes

with

roug

hly

$1

billi

on o

f upg

rade

s to

its se

wer

lin

es a

nd th

e Ba

ck R

iver

and

Pat

apsc

o W

aste

wat

er

Trea

tmen

t Pla

nts.

The

pro

blem

of s

truc

ture

d se

wag

e ov

erflo

ws i

s spe

cific

ally

supp

osed

to b

e fix

ed b

y Ju

ly 1

, 20

22, a

ccor

ding

to th

e re

vise

d ag

reem

ent.

A sig

n po

sted

by

the

Jone

s Fal

ls Tr

ail w

arns

aga

inst

hav

ing

cont

act w

ith th

e w

ater

. Cr

edit

Rach

el B

aye

Can

urba

n st

ream

s be

safe

for

recr

eatio

n?

15

Bayb

rook

(Bro

okly

n &

Cur

tis B

ay)

Fast

Fac

ts fr

om th

e En

viro

nmen

tal I

nteg

rity

Proj

ect

Toxi

c ai

r pol

luta

nts f

rom

Bay

broo

k ac

coun

t for

37

perc

ent o

f the

ent

ire a

mou

nt o

f tox

ic e

miss

ions

from

th

e St

ate

of M

aryl

and,

and

87

perc

ent o

f all

toxi

c em

issio

ns fr

om B

altim

ore

City

Fr

om 2

005

to 2

009,

Cur

tis B

ay ra

nked

am

ong

the

top

ten

zip c

odes

in th

e Un

ited

Stat

es fo

r sta

tiona

ry

emiss

ions

& in

200

7 an

d 20

08, C

urtis

Bay

rank

ed fi

rst

in th

e en

tire

coun

try.

O

f the

four

cen

sus t

ract

s in

the

Bayb

rook

regi

on o

ne

rank

ed in

the

92nd

per

cent

ile a

nd a

noth

er in

the

81st

fo

r risk

of d

evel

opin

g ca

ncer

.

14

Via Justicemap.org

13

Whe

elab

rato

r, Ba

ltim

ore

FAST

FAC

TS

Burn

s up

to 2

,250

tons

of t

rash

dai

ly (W

heel

abra

tor)

10

th la

rges

t inc

ince

rato

r in

the

coun

try

(EJN

) Ac

coun

ts fo

r 1/3

of a

ll st

atio

nary

em

issio

ns in

the

city

(N

EI, 2

014)

Num

ber 1

in e

miss

ions

of m

ercu

ry, l

ead,

sulfu

r dio

xide

, an

d ni

trog

en o

xide

s (N

EI, 2

014)

3rd

larg

est e

mitt

er o

f PM

2.5

Pr

oduc

es u

p to

64

MW

of e

nerg

y (e

noug

h en

ergy

to

pow

er 4

0,00

0 ho

mes

) (W

heel

abra

tor)

Pe

r uni

t ene

rgy,

pro

duce

s mor

e ai

r pol

lutio

n th

an c

oal

(EJN

)

Aeria

l pho

to o

f Whe

elab

rato

r was

te-t

o-en

ergy

inci

nera

tor o

n Ru

ssel

l St.

Lloy

d Fo

x / 2

009

Balti

mor

e Su

n, F

ile

Is in

cine

ratio

n gr

een

ener

gy?