Toxic City
1. Who/what are the main contributors to Birmingham's air pollution issues (include a definition of coke)?
a. Steel industry and manufacturing facilities are contributing to the air pollution. The industrial areas are spilling out emissions from stacks and exhaust of the facilities. Coke is a fuel that is created by heating oil and coal without the presence of air.
2. Do you think there is enough being done to protect these neighborhoods or help with clean up? Explain.
a. There is no way that enough is being done to combat this issue. The fact that these people have been living in the area for years have seen the same issues and studies done on contamination. Each time there is still the same number of contaminants found years later after testing. It took Walter Energy 20 years to address environmental issues to act on the contamination enforced by the EPA. Self-reporting of the industries is also an issue because the plants are unwilling to keep up.
3. What prevents these families from moving?
a. The property value decreases because of the pollutants in the area. These people are losing tens of thousands of dollars off of their property value due to the contamination found on the properties. They are still feeling the effects of life before the Civil Rights Movement.
4. Do you think that Birmingham air pollution issues affect you? Why/how (or why not)?
a. I believe that it does. Looking out from my apartment I can see the quarry operation going on behind the football field from here. If you go out at night or on cloudy days, you can notice and see what appears to be some kind of fog hanging over. I also notice with having asthma that I do feel the air pollution to a small degree compared to when I am at home. We are in close proximity to those areas that are so greatly affected so that combined with personal experience and what I have seen definitely tell me that the air pollution affects us where we are going to school.