Toxic overload

As Allegheny County air quality monitors edged into the red, unhealthy zone on Tuesday, the Group Against Smog and Pollution (GASP) and members of a multi-group collaborative (including PennFuture) prepared for a press teleconference about air pollution. The teleconference was aimed at stopping Shenango's Neville Island Coke Works from continuing to dump toxic chemicals into the air. The facility is one of the region's biggest polluters and, thus far, efforts to hold the plant responsible for its illegal emissions have failed to protect the many residents who live in Ben Avon, Avalon, Bellevue, Emsworth and beyond.

Source: www.airnow.gov

Coke oven emissions

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) describes coke oven emissions as "among the most toxic of all air pollutants." The plants dump known carcinogens into the air along with unhealthy particle pollution that can lead to asthma and other severe health problems.

Enough is enough. 

Shenango Coke Works violated air quality regulations on 330 of the last 432 days. On February 6, GASP issued Shenango a 60-day notice of intent to sue under the Clean Air Act.

The notice, along with the teleconference and press release issued today, make it clear that citizens and environmental organizations won't sit back while pollution prevention laws are broken and the air we breathe makes Allegheny County residents sick.

Valessa Souter-Kline is western Pennsylvania outreach coordinator for PennFuture, based in Pittsburgh.