PITTSBURGH -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and a recently published study by Carnegie Mellon University agree: some neighborhoods in Allegheny County have among the highest levels of hazardous air pollutants in the nation.
It's an old problem for Pittsburgh. What's new is the research. It shows some communities here have a cancer risk 20 times higher than the national average.
Team 4 investigative reporter Jim Parsons asks the tough questions of local leaders and gets answers from another city that had the same problem, and fixed it.
Pittsburgh and Louisville are fierce competitors on the football field and on the basketball court. But when it comes to dealing with toxic pollution in the air, there is no competition, Parsons reported. Louisville is winning national awards for solving the problem. And Pittsburgh continues to be named in report after report as having some of the most unhealthy air in the United States.
What follows below is a transcript of Parsons' report. (
Read Part 1 here.)
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Across the Ohio River from chemical plants on Neville Island sits the Borough of Avalon. Air monitors here recently revealed levels of benzene and styrene that are higher than 95 percent of all places in the United States. Hydrogen sulfide levels are higher than 99 percent of the rest of the U.S.
AN EPA study issued in June says the air in Glassport and Clairton -- home of the nation's largest coke plant -- is so toxic that residents' risk of getting cancer is 20 times the national average.
Richard Ford: "I know so many people who died of cancer in the city of Clairton."
Richard Ford is a Clairton city councilman and a church pastor.
Richard Ford: "I don't think people are on board as much as they need to be. And we have to cover this matter because it's so important. And the nation is even looking at us as to why we're not looking at it closer."
The risk of getting cancer here in Clairton because of air toxics is about the same as it was in Louisville Kentucky six or seven years ago, but the reaction by community and political leaders in these two cities couldn't be more different.
Dan Onorato: "What was presented to the health department was put on hold for two reasons."
County Executive Dan Onorato has authority over regulating air quality in Allegheny County.
Jim Parsons: "Do you think, as county executive, it's your responsibility to take leadership on improving the air quality, given that study after study after study have shown problems with air quality in this county?"
Dan Onorato: "Absolutely, and I think this county had led the way through many administrations. I think the air is cleaner now than it's ever been."
Faced with a similar predicament five years ago, Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson took a path unusual for any elected executive.
Tom FitzGerald, Kentucky Resources Council: "Much to my surprise, because the mayor is not really a person who has taken a lot of political risks. But in this case, he stepped up."
Air monitors in neighborhoods and schools next to Louisville chemical plants showed dangerously high levels of 18 toxic pollutants. Mayor Abramson announced a plan to come up with new air quality regulations for industrial polluters, one tailored to specifically reduce those 18 pollutants.
Jerry Abramson: "It was very difficult, as you can imagine. We had some businesses that were at my throat, saying, you know, 'You're going to put us out of business. It was very tough."
Jim Parsons: "Why didn't you back down at that point?"
Jerry Abramson: "Well because I had a very clear message, factually driven, that the air quality that I and my son and my wife and our families throughout this community were breathing, needed to have some significant change."
There was another reason, too. Economic development.
Jerry Abramson: "I heard in at least three different city presentations, where we were competing for business expansion or attraction, where competitive cities said you don't want to go to Louisville, the air quality stinks."
It doesn't stink any more.
Lauren Anderson, Air Pollution Control District: "Emissions of 1,3-butadiene have dropped by about 80 percent."
New regulations that took effect in 2005 -- called
the STAR program -- have driven down industrial toxic emissions in Louisville. And believe it or not, the chamber of commerce helped develop the program, along with environmental groups and neighborhood activists.
Joe Reagan, Greater Louisville, Inc. "We are stronger today because we have taken this collaborative approach among different sectors of this community to come up with a solution."
That solution came with an expensive pricetag for industry, but Mayor Abramson says not one company has left Louisville because of the STAR program. In fact, several new companies have recently located there, including Republic Conduit. And Ford Motor Company is investing 400-million dollars in its Louisville assembly plant.
Jerry Abramson: "The quality of air is better and it has not had a negative effect on the industries that were effected."
Meantime, back in Pittsburgh ...
Tom Hoffman: "It would be great if Dan Onorato was saying hey we need to deal with this problem."
The County Executive says he is dealing with it, vowing that he'll make a major announcement in the next few weeks. But at the same time, Onorato says he wants the state DEP to take the lead, even though his health department has primary authority over air quality here.
Dan Onorato: "And if the state does it, we're going to adopt the state rules."
Problem is, a state DEP spokeswoman tells Team 4 that agency has no firm plans to develop rules on air toxic emissions.
Tom Hoffman: "There's nothing to wait for at this point. There is no state initiative to update their air toxic guidelines."
Leading to this warning from Tom Fitzgerald, a Louisville environmental attorney who last year visited Pittsburgh to accept a Heinz Award.
Tom FitzGerald: "You know those kids who are in school in Pittsburgh now, those kids who are in daycare in Pittsburgh now? At some point in time, they're going to look at the political leaders and they're going to look at the leaders of business and they're going to say, 'What did you do to protect me?'"
Read Part 1 Of The Report: Team 4 takes a look at the air in Allegheny County.
Read Part 3 Of The Report: Specific advice for the people of Allegheny County -- not the politicians -- from the people of Louisville ... how ordinary citizens got the attention of decision-makers and accomplished something extraordinary.
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