Kendyl Crawford is Conservation Program Coordinator
Sierra Club – Virginia Chapter

 By: Kendyl Crawford

Toxic air pollution is a serious threat to the Southeast Community in Newport News because of the amount of pollution released and the combination of environmental stressors. Assessing the air and monitoring its quality are vital to decreasing pollution and protecting public health.

In May 2015, the Southeast CARE Coalition launched a campaign to reduce toxic air emissions in Hampton Roads especially those from heavy traffic, electric utilities, ports, coal terminals and industry.

By establishing a community-based air monitoring program in which citizen science is included to get a more realistic picture of local air quality and establishing an official air monitoring station in the Southeast Community recognized by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), we will begin to clean up our air by obtaining accurate measurements of pollutants such as volatile organic carbons (VOCs), heavy metals, diesel emissions, toxics and particulate matter (PM).

Key Facts

• Exposure to high levels of air pollution has been associated with cardiovascular disease, premature death, adverse pregnancy outcomesand respiratory diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
• Respiratory disease death rates for African Americans in Newport News are nearly twice the average rate in Virginia. African Americans compose 77% of the population of the Southeast Community according to the most recent census.
• Vulnerable populations such as children, seniors and those with increasingly common respiratory diseases are impacted disproportionately by air pollution. Key environmental stressors in the Southeast Community include Interstate 664, Newport News Shipbuilding, Mica Co. of Canada Inc. and Newport News Marine Terminal.
• In 2013 (most current data available), 72% of the toxic air emissions in Newport News occurred in the Southeast Community – 246,759 lbs. of toxic air were released in this community alone which includes over 39,000 lbs. of toluene, a recognized developmental toxicant.
• Research completed by Old Dominion University has already found high levels of dangerous PM in the community.
• There is no air quality monitoring in Southeast Newport News. The closest DEQ monitor tracking pollutants such as PM is located at the NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, more than 10 miles away.

Contact either of the following activists for information about how you can help the Southeast Community breathe easier.

Angela Harris
Youth and Community Coordinator
The Southeast CARE Coalition
Phone: 757-236-7972
Email: nuckharris12[at]yahoo.com

Kendyl Crawford
Conservation Program Coordinator
Sierra Club – Virginia Chapter
Phone: 757-268-8810
Email: kendyl.crawford[at]sierraclub]