New KY air monitoring project to address health effects of air pollution
A new air monitoring project aims to study the health effects of air pollution in west Louisville’s Rubbertown neighborhood.
More than two decades ago, residents’ advocacy spurred the creation of the Strategic Toxic Air Reduction program, which allows local areas to adopt air regulations beyond what the Environmental Protection Agency requires.
Byron Gary, program attorney for the Kentucky Resources Council, said the program was one of the most protective in the nation when it launched in the early 2000s, slashing local air pollution by 80%.
“The STAR program did effectively reduce the emissions from those facilities in West Louisville a great deal,” Gary recounted. “It has done a pretty good job at making sure that any additional industry or changes to industry in that area does not backslide and cause cancer risks to go back up.”
The three-year project will use multiple air-monitoring sites and a novel wastewater-sampling study to collect data. The West Jefferson County Community Task Force and other local groups are involved in the study and will host regular community meetings to discuss concerns and get residents’ feedback.
Matt Mudd, communications coordinator for the Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District, said findings from the Rubbertown Air Toxics and Health Assessment will be used to better understand how residents’ exposure to toxic air pollution has changed over time.
“We haven’t had a project of this scale to compare to that past West Louisville air toxic study until now,” Mudd explained. “We’re looking forward to having that data in hand, understand the progress that we’ve made, and then look at what’s next.”
Gary added the new study is needed to better pinpoint what hazards remain in an area long dominated by chemical and manufacturing industries.
“There’s still progress to be made,” Gary asserted. “There are still disparities between West Louisville, where predominantly Black residents live, compared to the rest of Louisville.”
A study published earlier this year by Stanford Medicine researchers found Black Americans are significantly more likely to die from health problems linked to air pollution, specifically exposure to fine particulate matter or PM 2.5 pollution, compared with other racial and ethnic groups.
get more stories like this via email
Public News Service is an independent, member-supported news organization providing "news in the public interest" through a network of independent state newswires. Our journalists report on a broad spectrum of public interest topics with the goal of promoting an informed citizenry to support vibrant, equitable, and participatory communities – ultimately leading to a healthier democracy.
