Grassroots Town Hall Calls Attention To Pittsburgh Air Quality Problems

VCAN members participated in the Grassroots Town Hall to advocate for changes to federal air quality standards. Julia Zenkevich from 90.5 WESA wrote a wonderful article that you can read in full here. Below is a highlight of our VCAN members' testimonies during the event.

“We need to do something about the quality of life that we have here in Clairton,” Johnie Perryman, a Clairton resident. “Our needs are not being met.”

Health experts at the meeting said negative effects of air pollution, like asthma and other respiratory problems, often have greater impacts on communities of color in Pittsburgh.

“That’s typical because they live closer to these sites of pollution,” said Dr. Deborah Gentile, the medical director of Community Partners in Asthma Care.

One one the most common types of air pollution in Allegheny County is particulate matter, which is often associated with asthma and other respiratory problems. Gentile and other air quality experts said current Environmental Protection Agency air quality regulations for particulate matter (PM2.5), which is commonly created by industrial emissions, don’t adequately protect public health.