Coal Dust Clouds a Baltimore Neighborhood’s Fight for Clean Air
University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health researchers link air pollution in Baltimore’s Curtis Bay community to nearby coal terminal activity and wind.
Baltimore’s Curtis Bay community has historically been exposed to various forms of air pollution. Surrounded by heavy industrial activity and diesel vehicle traffic, residents have complained about air quality for decades despite current mitigation efforts.
Now, a new study by researchers from the University of Maryland, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the South Baltimore community establishes a link between air pollution in Curtis Bay to an adjacent open-air coal facility at the Port of Baltimore. Published in the journal Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health, the study revealed that levels of air pollutants (including particulate matter and black carbon) were highest when there was both bulldozer activity and wind blowing from the nearby CSX Corporation’s Curtis Bay Piers terminal. Exposure to coal dust has been linked to adverse impacts to both environment and human health.
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