« Toxic City Moodle Discussion

Garrett Stevens

Moodle Discussion

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After watching the video, it has changed my view of what kind of air we are living in. I did not fully realize how poor air quality that we have in the city of Birmingham. Some of the contributors to this poor air quality are the smoke and the pollutants that are coming out of and from these factories that are found in the city. Another source is the water runoff pollution that is happening. The final one that they talked about in the video is the ash (coke as they called it) that is being given off by these plants heating up the coal in the factories. I personally do not think that there are enough things that are being done to help prevent these things. The reason why I say this is that if there were enough things being done then we would see a difference and a reduction in air pollution. The fact that you still have people dying because of the air quality shows that there are still not enough things being done and enforced to prevent this and help the air quality. If there were people and organizations, like EPA, were enforcing the rules and creating new rules to better the air quality then you would be able to see a positive effect. The one thing that is preventing these people from moving in is them not being able to financially support themselves to move. Which is the only reason why they are having to stay in these areas. I personally think that the Birmingham air pollution is harming/ effecting everyone that is living in and around the city of Birmingham, especially us. the reason why I feel like we are being affected a lot more than the other majority of the people in Birmingham is that we are right beside multiple different industries, along with a mining plant and area that is right across the highway from us. Having all of these plants and industries right beside the school makes us in a little bit worse air pollution than other parts of Birmingham.
7 replies
  1. Post by Kaitlin Jones
    Re: Moodle Discussion
    I'm totally on the same page as you when it comes to not realizing how bad our air quality is. Of course everyone assumes the air quality is not great in any major city in the US for the most part, but this is a lot worse than I imagined. Over the years, I have heard of people having health problems are a result of pollution, but I never really understood why or to what extent. 
  2. Post by Serena Ivery
    Re: Moodle Discussion
    I agree that people need to realize that air pollution affects everyone. Where you are privileged and grew up in the towns farther away from the plant or less fortunate and grew with the plant as your backyard, pollution spreads and reaches everyone. I think the video definitely puts a lot of the city's issue into perspective.
    1 reply
  3. Parent of this post↑ Reply to SISerena Ivery from Nathan Benko
    Re: Moodle Discussion
    I agree as well because I always felt that there was an impact being felt by me personally compared to where I am from. This video connected a lot of dots for me and I completely understand and accept that what is being done in this area is not enough to combat the issue fully.
  4. Post by Crawford Tindle
    Re: Moodle Discussion
    I agree, the fact that people have to wash the exterior of their home once a week to get all of the ash off is ridiculous.
  5. Post by Ian Burnstine
    Moodle Discussion
    Due to Birmingham's mineral rich and mining past, air pollution is something that is very prevalent in the city. The short movie, "Toxic City" depicts the living situation of those who are affected by the horrific air quality of the city. The video explains 2 ways that the air of Birmingham becomes polluted. One of which is ash produced from burning coal, a fossil fuel which is abundant here in Alabama. This ash was known as (coke) in the video. Primarily, another other way pollution has gotten so bad in Birmingham is due to the countless industrial plants/factories located in Birmingham's industrial belt. Birmingham has had a history of being very industrial and highly polluted so it doesn't seem as if the necessary precautions are being taken to better air quality in the city. Furthermore, this pitiful air quality leads to health risks in the residents of the area. To begin the movie, a family who resides in the Birmingham industrial belt explains how their family has had a continuous battle with cancer, believed to be caused by the air pollution in the area. The families are forced to stay in the same place as it is not financially possible for them to move due to the air pollution.  I believe personally that we personally are affected at BSC moreso than other areas in Birmingham due to our proximity to these mining plants and industrial plants. This is concerning as the pollution levels are so high they pose health risks to us that we cannot escape, unless action is taken. 
  6. Post by Trevor Byron
    Re: Moodle Discussion
    I agree with this. I did not know how bad our air quality really is as well. That video put it into perspective. I think it is important that we take action to prevent our air quality and health from getting worse!
  7. Post by Michael Greer
    Reply
    This video shocked me as well regarding the air quality of our own campus. We are very close to certain areas directly mentioned in the documentary, and the mining operation you mentioned is directly visible from the football field. As a fellow student-athlete, this seems counter-productive to promoting physiological or cardiovascular fitness. 
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