Clean Up the Air

We see the need to clean up the air. Regional air quality is a major concern, especially in the Detroit-Windsor region. My husband and son have asthma. Living next to a freeway is probably not the best location for our family. In addition, Wayne County is not in compliance with the EPA clean air standards. Further, Blacks have almost twice the rate of asthma in Detroit area as do Whites. Ever increasing numbers of asthmatics visit the emergency room for exacerbations, which is very costly.

With the closing of many auto plants and other factories, there should be some improvement. The EPA monitors areas around Michigan but not sufficiently to predict the impact on individuals with asthma.

Air assessment and air quality monitoring is needed to inform asthmatics on a daily basis.

Starting with plants for air quality or air dispersion modeling is an excellent idea. A simplified design would interest many internal and external to the plant. Deciding which model to choose is a problem. Which one is recommended for which solutions?

When the output from the air quality modeling is examined, it is difficult to understand what to do next:

Changing the design of the plant and temperature of the hazardous wastes and rechecking the outcome might be a good remedy to the issue, e.g., installing scrubbers and extraction system ventilation options. Informing the client and attending hearings as an expert witness on the findings and suggested solutions could be a way of educating and engaging the community.

Barry's Response - I'm sorry to hear about your woes. Knowledge and education are two key components in protecting yourself and family from environmental hazards (from air quality to crime and many other factors). With better information technology, people can make more informed decisions about where to work and live than ever before.

I hope you are able to find the solution you need, either through changes in policy or location, and that it all works out. Thank you for your input.



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