taalib-din uqdah never expected to be an environmental activist — not in his wildest dreams. he was the kid who loved going to gas stations just to “stick my head out the back of the window and smell the gasoline.”

nowadays, uqdah is no fan of petrol — especially in public transit. the 70-year-old business owner, community activist, and washington, d.c., native is spearheading efforts to overhaul the renovation of the washington metropolitan area transit authority’s (wmata) northern bus garage in ward 4 of the city. in january, those efforts paid off when wmata announced that the northern bus garage will reopen with an all-electric bus fleet in 2027 — the first entirely electric, zero-emission garage in the city.

the commitment to an all-electric bus fleet represents a culmination of years of advocacy and community organizing. when wmata announced the renovation in 2018, the agency’s fleet management plan included buses running on compressed natural gas, standard diesel, “clean diesel” and hybrid fuels.
wmata considered all but standard diesel to be “clean fuel,” but even hybrid fuels contribute to the climate crisis. battery-powered electric buses provide more sustainable benefits by eliminating the use of fossil fuels, improving air quality, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and lowering noise pollution.

the bus renovation debate

located on a large lot between d.c.’s sixteenth street heights and petworth neighborhoods, the northern bus garage — also known as the northern bus barn — is surrounded by residential homes and retail businesses on 14th street. the facility has been operational since 1906, first as a barn for electric streetcars and later for traditional buses.

by 2018, the bus garage was in need of repair. rather than locate a new lot, wmata chose to renovate the garage for convenience and proximity to a high ridership corridor. they planned to demolish everything but the garage’s historic facade on 14th street and construct a mixed-use development to house over 200 buses and about 50,000 square feet of space for commercial space. the garage was set to include infrastructure for 175 electric buses — but wmata didn’t have these buses, or any plan to make the switch to electric.

many community members weren’t sold on the plan. some wanted the bus garage gone completely. some wanted it redeveloped into a grocery store or affordable housing. others wanted it to house electric buses. residents living near the garage brought up noise pollution and health concerns, such as asthma, which they say trace back to the diesel fumes of the buses.

uqdah, who has lived near the bus garage since 1984, immediately took interest in the project. he saw it as an important factor in the community’s quality of life, and he created the northern bus barn neighbors to organize community members against wmata’s plan to bring gas and diesel buses back to the garage. red signs began popping up in residents’ yards proclaiming, “no! bus diesel fumes”

diesel in the air

uqdah was especially concerned about diesel particulate matter, a part of exhaust that contains gas and soot particles, and nitrogen oxide emissions from diesel-powered vehicles. air pollution from diesel exhaust has long been linked to adverse health effects including asthma, neuroinflammation, cardiovascular disease and lung cancer, even in particle-filtered exhaust. in 2012, the world health organization classified diesel engine exhaust as “carcinogenic to humans” for causing an increased risk of lung cancer.

new research shows that exposure to diesel exhaust for even brief periods of time may cause cognitive impairment as well by disrupting the connectivity between brain regions.

and the impacts of air pollution disproportionately affect minority communities. in d.c. — which the american lung association gave a “c” rating for particle pollution last year — black residents are 126% more likely to be diagnosed with lung cancer than white residents as of 2021. 

ward 4 councilmember janeese lewis george cited this disparity in her remarks at the groundbreaking ceremony for the northern bus garage in january.

“when we talk about reducing diesel fumes in our neighborhoods, we know that it is both an environmental justice issue and a racial justice issue,” the councilmember said. in ward 4, the area lewis george represents, about 45% of the population is black.

uqdah and other community members have expressed their views in public meetings with wmata since 2019, with nearly 100 people sending messages to the wmata board about bus electrification at one meeting in october of 2020. many of those messages urged wmata not to reopen the garage unless the bus fleet would be fully electrified, often noting health concerns.

“i live in this neighborhood. my children have asthma. adding more diesel buses is a huge threat to our health and the environmental pollution is a terrible, terrible thing,” said resident blythe emigholz of sixteenth street heights. 

“we are very concerned. we’ve been making our voices clear at meetings, but it seems like there’s no response to the environmental concerns that have been voiced by these neighbors.”

a greener future

councilmember lewis george became involved in the advocacy as she was knocking doors on the 2020 campaign trail, hearing similar stories from countless ward 4 residents. once elected, she began pushing for bus electrification on the d.c. city council.

wmata got on board in june 2021, approving a plan to shift to a zero-emission electric bus fleet over the next 20 years. their aim was to replace the existing gas and diesel buses by 2045 in accordance with the 2018 clean energy d.c. act – the northern bus garage was set to house 150 of these electric buses. it was a step in the right direction, but many in the community were not satisfied with the far-off date. 

“two and a half decades is far too long to wait for public transit that aligns with our region’s sustainability goals and the urgent reality of climate change,” said lewis george.

city officials and community members continued negotiating, and in january 2023, wmata announced that the northern bus garage fleet would be entirely electric by 2027 — 18 years sooner than the initial date. the garage will feature rooftop solar panels that are expected to generate 726,000 kwh/year, electric vehicle charging stations for parking, and a leed platinum rating.

at the groundbreaking ceremony on january 25, councilmember lewis george acknowledged the efforts of community activists like uqdah and thanked them for pushing the initiative through. 

“an all zero-emission bus garage is a monumental step towards a sustainable future as we confront the urgent reality of climate change in our city, in our country, and across the world,” said lewis george. 

“this northern bus barn will make wmata, as it always has been, and dc, as it always has been… a national leader in providing green public transit that does right by our communities and by our planet.”

the electrification of the bus garage is just one piece in a community revitalization project that uqdah hopes will bring more business and affordable housing to the sixteenth street heights and ward 4 communities.

“it just makes no sense that a heavy industrial facility was able to be constructed seemingly overnight because of the connections and the clout that they had within the city and the state,” romo said in a may interview. “and here we are [four years later] feeling those direct impacts across from a park that is an open green space and a community center.”

romo serves as the executive director of the mckinley park environmental organization neighbors for environmental justice (n4ej). the group formed after the construction of the facility for asphalt mixing company mat asphalt, at 2055 w. pershing road.

“there were zero public meetings or public notice of any kind from any of our elected officials or regulatory agencies: not our alderman, not the illinois epa, not the chicago department of public health,” according to n4ej’s website.

the work of n4ej and other environmental justice groups aim to challenge business-as-usual chicago politics that push heavy industry into neighborhoods of color, often within the city’s industrial corridors. victories on this front are increasing yet locally focused in recent years, but systemic change may be on the horizon.

enough is enough

a two-year investigation from the federal department of housing and urban development (hud) concluded in july, ruling that the city violated residents’ civil rights by deliberately placing heavy industry facilities in industrial corridors largely concentrated in the city’s predominantly black and latino neighborhoods. 

in a july 19 letter to chicago mayor lori lightfoot, hud threatened to withhold its community development block grant to the city (amounting to $375 million) if it does not change unlawful planning and land-use policies. 

the hud ruling and the opportunity for realignment of power in the city council where several aldermen have resigned could have an impact on city council and mayoral races in chicago’s municipal election on feb. 28, 2023. 

hud initially launched the investigation in october 2020 after three neighborhood-based environmental organizations filed a complaint against the city regarding this industrial relocation. the complaint was sparked by outcry over a proposed move of metal-scrapping facility general iron from predominantly white lincoln park to the heavily black and latino southeast side.

gina ramirez, board president of the environmental justice organization southeast environmental task force (setf), emphasized the importance of the block grant funding—which supports public health and social programs for low-income communities.

“it would be horrible if the city is that stubborn to lose funding that impacts the people that need it the most,” ramirez said.

the lightfoot administration was initially defensive, calling hud’s accusations “absolutely absurd” and signaling that it would take the matter to court. however, hud said in an oct. 20 statement that the two sides have opened up negotiations over potential reforms. the lightfoot administration did not respond to requests for comment regarding the lawsuit or the negotiations. 

setf was one of the organizations that filed the initial complaint. ramirez said that one of the demands that setf will bring to the negotiating table is the establishment of a bill implementing compliance history as a factor in granting facility permits.

“if you have a record, it’s really hard to get a job. but when you’re in industry and have a record [of polluting], the city is like, ‘we don’t care, you can still get a new permit and operate wherever,’” ramirez said. 

a broader trend

for chicago’s low-income communities, the complaint and hud ruling represent the culmination of decades of environmental mistreatment. the city also reported in 2020 that an estimated 5% of all premature deaths in the city come from conditions attributable to breathing pm2.5 pollution. pm (particulate matter) refers to microscopic droplets of solid or liquid pollution that humans breathe in as it sifts through the air; pm2.5 is particularly harmful because it’s small enough to reach deeper into the respiratory tract and even the bloodstream (in contrast to the larger pm10, for example) to inflict bodily damage and disease.

as the proposed home for general iron’s new facility, ramirez’s native southeast side neighborhood was the centerpiece to the three-year fight against the metal shredding-plant. 

this fight included a monthlong hunger strike launched in february 2021 that included a local cps teacher, environmental advocates and politicians—such as ald. byron sigcho-lopez (25th). sigcho-lopez’s ward is nowhere near the southeast side, but he empathized with the community’s struggles based on similar conditions of mistreatment in his neighborhood of pilsen, a vibrant latino community in the nearby south side.

“i have close friends and people i live with who have died because of cancer or who are dealing with respiratory illnesses or asthma. i have kids that i’ve personally taught or coached who are dealing with these effects. so, i certainly empathize with their situation,” sigcho-lopez said.

sigcho-lopez explained how the health impacts felt by neighborhoods like pilsen, the southeast side and mckinley park are detrimental, especially to at-risk groups like seniors and children.

“the cognitive development effects that this dirty industry and pollution can have on our kids will permanently live with them and their future… we can not condemn entire generations because of the inaction and complicity of city government,” sigcho-lopez said.

the lightfoot administration did eventually block the final general iron permit in february, signaling a victory for neighborhoods like ramirez’s. rmg, the parent company, has challenged this denial in a lawsuit, complaining that it was “political.”

to romo, the city has taken advantage of neighborhoods that have characteristics making them less able to fight new polluters.

“once you identify what those characteristics are, you find less education, language barriers, essential workers working multiple jobs or working for heavy industries. so i think that the system by design continues to target these vulnerable communities,” romo said.

chicago’s politics, pollution, and perpetrators 

sigcho-lopez is one of 50 aldermen on chicago’s city council, who each represent different wards of the city. david teeghman, political chair of the environmental political action committee sierra club, explained how, to him, the council is set up for unaccountability.

“we still do have a political system in chicago where you have 50 wards with basically 50 different political fiefdoms,” teeghman said in a may interview. “if the alderman approves something in their ward, most other aldermen are not going to have anything to say about it.”

romo said much of the blame for mat asphalt falls on mckinley park’s former ald. george cardenas (12th). cardenas, who was also city council’s chair of the environmental protection and energy committee, approved the plant despite public backlash before (and after) its construction.

cardenas resigned nov. 30 as the 12th ward’s alderman in preparations to fill the unopposed 1st district seat on the cook county board of review. he could not be reached for comment.

in 2021, mat asphalt accumulated the highest number of air pollution complaints of any address in chicago. however, matt baron, a mat asphalt media representative, said that the facility is treated as a scapegoat and actually upholds a high standard of environmental friendliness. he provided documents showing that many of the odor complaints directed at mat asphalt were filed on days when it was closed.

“they don’t want to listen to a narrative that does not align with their narrative. a complaint is a complaint—it’s not proof of a problem, it’s proof of someone making a phone call,” baron said.

“there’s two other asphalt plants not that far away—what are the data points on their emissions?” he added. “we continually are urging organizations and challenging the media to ask those entities what the results of their studies are; we’ve been transparent about ours and they haven’t about theirs.”

baron said that mat asphalt spent an extra $580,000 to install non-required environmental technology including on-site sweeper and water trucks, a rooftop over its waste storage area and three condensing units.

“there’s been these decades and decades of environmental injustice, and we’re the new kid on the block with the most advanced and environmentally sound technology and we don’t get any credit for that,” baron said.

according to teeghman, power shifts in the city council could have major implications for the city’s environmental future. sierra club has expanded its political endorsement program to include these city council races for the upcoming chicago municipal elections.

to scope out candidates for the first step of their endorsement process, the group created a questionnaire with the help of local environmental organizations that they’ve sent to incumbent aldermen running for reelection.

teeghman said that romo helped sculpt several questions on the questionnaire, including the one about a cumulative impact ordinance. such an ordinance would require the city to take into account the community and existing environmental burdens when considering permits for new facilities. 

sigcho-lopez advocated for this ordinance in the city council’s nov. 7 vote on the city budget, but could not get a “firm commitment” on its implementation. he voted against the budget because of its lack of funds for reinstating a chicago department of the environment cut by former mayor rahm emanuel.

sigcho-lopez said he hopes voters will elect candidates who represent the interests of communities being damaged by environmental injustice.

“the candidates are going to try to fool people on election day, and i hope that the residents have the opportunity to elect local officials that represent the best interests of the public and not their wallets,” sigcho-lopez said.

disposable, single-use period products are the most accessible kind of menstrual products for most people across the globe. since the vast majority of people with a uterus have a period, the constant use of these kinds of products results in the production of so much waste over such a short period of time. however, these kinds of single-use products are not the only option for dealing with periods. products like menstrual cups and discs, reusable pads, and period underwear can all serve as replacements for their disposable counterparts.

although there are some notable drawbacks to these sustainable options, they are overall much better for the environment, and anyone who can afford to make the switch should do so. my story seeks to address the differences between single-use and reusable menstrual products, and to encourage menstruators to make the switch to more sustainable options by unpacking their benefits and drawbacks.

full transcript below:

lisa steingberg: think about the last time you walked into your local supermarket. as you were walking through, did you pass the aisle labeled, “period care?”  did you see the seemingly endless kinds of menstrual products that line the wall?

i’m lisa steinberg, a student from suny college of environmental science and forestry in syracuse new york.  today, i’m here to talk about the problems with single use menstrual products when compared to reusable ones. on any given day, approximately 800 million people are menstruating. that’s about 10% of the entire world.  imagine the waste that’s produced every day as 800 million people rely on single use period products like the ones you see in stores. in one lifetime, the average menstruator can create 300 pounds or more of waste in single use period products.

when you consider the materials these products are made of, this already frightening statistic becomes even worse. pads can contain up to 90% plastic that will be left to sit in landfills, taking anywhere from 500 to 800 years to fully decompose. tampons, on the other hand, can biodegrade in about six months but this process is lengthen by plastic packaging and other plastics within the tampon themselves.  not only will these materials sit in landfills for hundreds of years, but the creation of these products causes significant amount of mineral and fossil fuel depletion.  and plastic packaging often causes pollution of beaches in oceans and subsequently the deaths of birds and other wildlife.

when considering how readily available single use products are, it’s not hard to see why people might prefer those over reusable options. like i mentioned before, they’re are seemingly unlimited brand, type, and size options at nearly every store you walk into. with so many possibilities right in front of them, it makes sense that most people wouldn’t bother to look for a more sustainable option. it doesn’t help that many people are uneducated about this topic too. in a lot of places discussions of periods and menstruation are still considered to be taboo, something to be kept private. when people aren’t able to have proper discussions about this, they remain uninformed about their choices and habits.

to put this idea to a test, i conducted a small online survey with around 30 college-aged young adults to determine their overall awareness of different mental products and their accessibility. while pretty much everyone had heard of the more common products like pads, tampons, and menstrual cups; awareness of products like menstrual discs, reusable pads, and period underwear was much lower.  not only that, but the majority of people surveyed regularly use single use products as opposed to reusable once as they seem to be either unaware of alternative options, nervous to test them out, or lack the means for the sustainable counterparts. to further my understanding of this, i was able to interview two students here at suny-esf, kat resanovich who uses reusable products, and thea vallicelli who uses single use ones. when i asked kat when and why she made the switch to reusable products, she gave me some really interesting insight into her decision.

kat resanovich: it was probably two and a half years ago, somewhere around there. that was because i knew that period waste was really bad and i was trying to be more sustainable. i that it would be cheaper in the long run. like, obviously it’s more expensive upfront, but after a while it’s a lot cheaper. and also once i tried them, they were, like, way more comfortable. i liked them way better than normal disposal period products. so that’s why.

ls: thea, on the other hand, has had very different experiences. since she uses tampons almost exclusively, i asked her if she’s ever considered switching to a more sustainable option.

thea vallicelli:  i’ve considered making the switch from, like, a single used reusable period products, but admittedly they seem messier and scarier so i haven’t considered it too heavily. it just hasn’t come up naturally.

ls: moving on, i asked kat what some of the drawbacks of her reusable products might be. unsurprisingly she couldn’t seem to think of many problems with her reusable pads.

kr: so the only drawbacks that i can think of is just that, like, you have to do the extra thing of washing them. but i just threw them in with my regular laundry so it’s not really a big deal to me. some people complain that, like, they’re smelly but i don’t think that they’re any more smelly than, like, other normal disposable products. so i really don’t think there is any drawbacks. i like them so much better. they’re so much better.

ls: when i asked thea if they had any additional comments to share, they had some insight as to why other people may be hesitant to make the switch.

tv: yeah, i feel like a lot of people don’t, like, take that step forward to use reusable products mostly because they seem scarier. it’s a new move and it’s not always easy.

ls: like thea and kat both mentioned, reusable magical products can be a bit daunting.  the upfront cost of purchasing these products can be a lot, especially for those that don’t have the privilege of being able to easily afford them.  these products are an investment, so they cost a bit more at first than your standard package of pads or tampons. but since you don’t need to repurchase them every month, they ultimately end up being much less expensive in the long run. 

in thea’s interview, they mentioned that they were hesitant to make the switch to a more sustainable option because they seem messier and scarier. this seems to be a common belief, held by a lot of people who use single use products. the idea of a reusable pad or a pair of period underwear seems dirty and unhygienic to some people, but in reality, as long as you have access to running water and are washing them regularly, they’re no dirtier than a disposable pad. take kat’s word for it. this idea that they’re messy and unclean stems from a lack of proper education about these products.  if we can stop these thoughts at the source and increase awareness about these products, this would almost definitely become a non-issue.

once you get passed the learning curve associated with menstrual cup and disk application application, they can be really easy to use and the environmental benefits of choosing these products over pads or tampons make them more than try for anyone who can afford them. they’re also hypoallergenic and are much less likely to cause health issues like toxic shock syndrome than standard tampons, so really they aren’t that scary after all. overall there aren’t many downfalls of reusable natural products. like any other period product you can use, for the first time there’s definitely a bit of an associated learning curve. other than that, the main drawbacks are the initial price and the maintenance requirements. 

but if you can afford to spend a bit of extra money upfront, you’ll save a lot of money in the long run and decrease your waste dramatically as long as you have access to running water.  maintenance should be no harder than boiling water or running a lot of laundry. to me, that seems like a small price to pay to live life a little bit more sustainably.

1. in children, heat-related health problems are easy to miss

children are particularly vulnerable to extreme heat, but the effects often appear in subtle ways. according to pediatrician dr. perry sheffield at the icahn school of medicine at mount sinai hospital, as many as 11% of emergency room visits in warmer months are related to heat, but most instances of heat damage to young bodies fly under the radar.

short-term issues like stomach aches and trouble focusing at school can seem fairly run-of-the-mill, but according to dr. sheffield these symptoms can be caused by exposure to heat, so they’ll appear more frequently as extreme heat becomes the norm.  more long term problems like kidney damage from regular dehydration and in-utero issues that arise from heat exposure are harder to trace back to heat. as periods of extreme heat become more frequent, it’s more important than ever to monitor the health of infants and children and keep them cool in the summer months. 

“we’re slowly coming to understand that heat has these insidious effects,” dr. sheffield said.  “we have a long way to go, but there’s many areas in which heat is potentially playing a role in child health.” 

2. underlying health problems can become exacerbated 

many physical effects of heat in adults already seem familiar – many people have experienced heat rash, heat stress and heat stroke, or know someone who has. but heat also has indirect effects on underlying health problems that are harder to track. sickle-cell disease is one such underlying problem that becomes a serious risk during heat waves. 

“up to three million people living with sickle cell trait are at a higher risk of sudden death during exercise in hot weather,” dr. sheffield said.  

other underlying health problems like cardiovascular diseases and poor kidney function become much worse when extreme heat comes into play as well. according to amruta nori-sarma, ph.d. at the boston university school of public health, the interactions between heat and underlying health conditions are still being explored.  

“i’m sure there’s a whole spectrum of other chronic health conditions with adverse events that are associated with extreme heat exposure,” nori-sarma said. 

3. black and brown communities are disproportionately affected

minority communities have historically fallen victim to race-based housing designations, and those policies have placed black and brown communities into areas that will be vulnerable to extreme heat and the health problems that come out of it. 

“less shade, fewer green plants, more pavement, all of these things are higher in the areas that were negatively impacted by these policies,” dr. sheffield said. “couple those things with conditions like lower car ownership, greater reliance on public transportation, and less access to transportation. that’s a dangerous combination.” 

4. mental health crises rise during heat waves 

a study recently conducted by the department of environmental health at boston university found a relationship between high temperatures in the summer and mental health-related emergency room visits. the study looked at a wide variety of mental health issues, including substance abuse, mood disorders, behavior disorders, self-harm, anxiety, and schizophrenia.

“as temperature increases, the rates of emergency department visits for mental health across all of the mental health causes that we’re interested in correspondingly saw an increase,” nori-sarma said. 

experts are not sure exactly why this is happening. “one of the things that we could hypothesize would be disrupted sleep periods that are happening because people are experiencing high temperatures, or even daytime discomfort or irritation,” nori-sarma said. 

other experts hypothesize that when temperatures rise, bodily resilience drops. earlier this year, neuropsychologist c. munro cullum told the new york times that agitation, irritation, and pain become less bearable when the body is struggling to cool down. “when we’re not comfortable, we’re not at our best,” said cullum. 

there’s still much research being done on the effects of extreme heat on mental health, but the correlation has been identified and city planners are responding. 

5. the path forward lies in infrastructure

experts are looking at new modes of city design to explore how heat-related health emergencies can be countered. the city of boston is leading the charge in building infrastructure to help beat the heat. their plan for adapting to higher temperatures includes adding more green spaces and shadier infrastructure. when boston mayor michelle wu declares a heat emergency, boston centers for youth and family are converted into cooling centers where anyone can come in to cool off. the future of climate preparedness in city design could look like something like boston. 

“city planning officials have already started the process of making communities more resilient in the face of extreme heat exposure,” said nori-sarma. “this is one of the great ways that we can start to prepare for and respond to extreme heat events that we anticipate happening into the future.”

click below to learn more about the intersections of organic farming and health outcomes in upstate new york. 

tellock saw a lot of food takeout packaging, utensils and plastic bags, and she began recruiting others to help her cover more ground. 

“i started cleaning my own neighborhood, then i ventured out to other areas and i eventually started to find such intense litter that i just could not do it myself,” tellock said. “so, i posted about it online and i started to gather some people to help.”

a communal effort

miranda carrico of the lake view east neighborhood was one of the first people to help tellock. both of them co-founded cleanup club chicago (cuc) in july of 2020, a volunteer group tackling litter pollution through land and water group cleanups, city outreach, and waste reduction advocacy. 

the environmental group has burgeoned to about 350 members from all over the city, carrico said. as of october, they collected 1,359 kitchen-sized bags of litter since their inception. cuc often collaborates with other organizations, companies, colleges, and wards like university of illinois chicago, dill pickle food co-op, and ward 25.

cuc has two group cleanups per month, running from april to november, and you can sign up here. tellock and carrico encourage people to always report litter issues through their alderman or 311 — the number that connects to city services like the department of streets and sanitation.

chicago generated 4.13 million tons of waste in 2020, but most recent data from 2018 reveals chicago’s average recycling rate is just 8.81%. cuc focuses on plastic litter, encouraging members to remove plastics from the environment whenever possible as the items can have detrimental impacts on habitats and animals like turtles and birds, trapping them, tellock said. 

“plastic pollution has some negative effects, especially on waterways and our soil,” tellock said. “along the river you can see very nakedly the impact that plastic pollution has on wildlife. it’s in their habitat, in their nests, they’re swimming in it.” 

a clean chicago

chicago has litter reduction initiatives, like the single-use foodware ordinance of jan. 18, which only restricts restaurant-caused plastic waste if patrons turn down disposable utensils. federally, the break free from plastic pollution act of 2021 is a proposed bill to reduce the production of certain products like packaging, paper, and containers. lastly, on the state level, the polystyrene foam ban bill seeks to prohibit stores from distributing disposable food containers made of the synthetic polymer polystyrene. yet, littering of this material continues with the lack of enforcement of these initiatives.

carrico said the pandemic increased the waste of single-use plastics and other items like gloves and disposable face masks, partly because the chicago parks district was not hiring maintenance workers, who typically target littering in parks across the city. 

carrico said cuc gives volunteers instructions and equipment like grabbers, gloves and buckets before each cleanup.

“we’re using eventbrite for people to sign up, which provides them instructions,” carrico said. “we will describe to them the goals of the cleanup, where we’re going and tips.” 

she added that the group holds activities like litter bingo and trash competitions to keep things engaging and fun.

tellock said the group is gaining many volunteers in communities across the city, especially south and west sides, so far doing work in humboldt park, pilsen, and hyde park, among others. tellock said cuc is a group that fosters community.

“i think it is a nice way to meet people that have a common interest in taking care of the community, and to get outside and do something productive with their time,” tellock said. 

may 2019. i don’t remember the exact date, but i know it was a tuesday. the day started off seemingly normal, or so i thought. i woke up with my chest tight, not a rare occurrence since i struggle with anxiety. i really didn’t think anything of it. 

i’ve always struggled with the allergy season. i had childhood asthma, my mom used to administer nebulizer treatments to me at night when i was in elementary school. a couple of annual checkups later, my pediatrician told us i outgrew my asthma. i was given a fresh albuterol inhaler prescription and was told to pick it up and keep it on me at all times.

my parents live on roosevelt island, a small island between manhattan and queens. there’s an aerial tramway that connects the island to the upper east side of manhattan and only one subway line, the f train. in the early spring, roosevelt island is known for its lush cherry blossom trees and the annual cherry blossom festival. needless to say, when you live here and struggle with allergies, you have to take preventative measures. i wouldn’t leave the house unless i’ve taken my allergy medication and have some on me just in case. yes, it’s that serious. 

seasonal airborne allergen exposure in the us begins with the release of tree pollen in the spring. according to the national climate assessment, between the 1950s and the early 2000s, warmer winters and earlier arrival of springs has resulted in the earlier flowering of oak trees. increases in co2 have induced earlier and much more intense seasonal pollen production in pine and oak trees. the first week of may is historically known as the worst time of the year for pollen levels in new york city. 

and so that’s what i did. i was getting ready to go meet up with some friends for lunch. i took some zyrtec and tucked the rest of the pack in my bag before leaving. we were meeting at a taco spot not too far away from the manhattan tramway stop. i figured i would just take the tramway and walk for 20 minutes. 

the national climate assessment details how rising temperatures and increased co2 concentrations can influence asthma in “three ways: by increasing the duration of the pollen season, by increasing the amount of pollen produced by plants and by altering the degree of allergic reactions to pollen.”

as i was walking, my chest felt like it was getting heavier and heavier. i figured it was just my fast pace (of course, i was running late). i knew something was wrong when i was on the corner of 68th street. at this point, my cough had become uncontrollable and i was starting to wheeze. i was looking for somewhere to sit so i could catch my breath. i found a stoop and immediately called my mom. the second she heard me on the phone she told me to hang up and call 911. and that’s what i did. i hadn’t been carrying my inhaler around for years because i really didn’t think i would ever need to use it after so long. 

climate change is lengthening and intensifying pollen seasons. for people with allergic asthma, exposure to certain types of pollen can result in worsening of symptoms leading to increases in allergy medication sales and emergency room visits for asthma, as already documented in new york city.

i don’t remember riding in the ambulance. when i woke up, the nurse taking care of me explained how i had a severe asthma attack. she talked about how she’s seen more and more people have been coming into the er for asthma treatment. i asked why. she then in turn explained how pollen seasons have been longer and more intense due to warmer temperatures.

experts are noticing a longer-term trend in allergy complaints and are linking it to climate change. “as global warming increases, it’s actually making the seasons longer and making the pollen counts much higher,” said dr. purci marikh with the allergy and asthma network in an interview with jeff smith from abc7ny news.

i’ll probably never know if climate change caused all that extra pollen that sent me to the emergency room that day, but the science is definitive. warming temperatures usher in way more pollen…for way more of the year. it affects more and more people every year, and i may have been one of them.

los angeles – the timing has been terrible for california farmworkers in 2020: wilting heat waves, wildfires spewing acrid smoke across the state and the persistent threat of covid-19. this triple threat looms large over the lucrative fall harvest of grapes and almonds, which for some seasonal laborers is the busiest time of year, until november.

kent e. pinkerton, a leading expert in farmworker health, has been worried about such a threat for a decade. the pandemic, which is expected to linger in california for months, could be an invisible killer in the fields.

“it is extremely difficult for those workers to be able to social distance themselves, and so i think it is incredibly important that the workers and those who are supervising the workers take into account some of the things that they can do to protect the workers from potentially becoming infected with coronavirus,” said pinkerton, who is the director of center for health and the environment and a professor at university of california, davis.

farmworkers say they’re vulnerable to the health effects of the novel coronavirus and wildfires, and have little means to seek treatment because many lack health insurance.

“unfortunately, we don’t have insurance, and that is one of the consequences we face as farmworkers. that is why we have to be prepared,” said veronica mota, a farmworker for 20 years and an organizer with united farm workers.

mota spoke about her children, calling them her motivation and inspiration. her daughter, who is in college and voting for the first time, is mota’s reminder to focus on herself.

“during high school, she was really into cross country, and she motivated me to have a will to live,” mota said. “when you live and work in this country, you get stressed and can stop taking care of yourself in a way. but when you look at your daughter and see that she runs and crosses a whole community, you say, ‘wow, if she can do this, so can i.’”

mota has worked in california, oregon and washington, all three affected by wildfires, and has experience picking all types of fruits and vegetables. the challenges of 2020 have created exceptional frustration and fear, she said.

“we feel abandoned and like we have no support. we work honorably, and if it weren’t for the work that we do, there wouldn’t be food on the tables,” mota said.

heat stress and exhaustion are detrimental and life-threatening side effects of hot weather – and often unavoidable. poor air quality harms everyone’s health, and farm work is time sensitive: waiting for skies to clear of smoke could mean a crop rots in the fields. but that type of exposure also can harm lungs and hearts, pinkerton said.

the coronavirus makes battling these threats even harder because keeping a safe distance while harvesting is nearly impossible.

“as advocates and an organization made up of farmworkers and their families,” said irene de barraicua of lideres campesinas, a nonprofit that advocates for the rights of female farmworkers, “we know that they live in very crowded housing, we know that they carpool to work and we know that employers are maybe at times going to do anything they can to make it safer and enforce social distancing and maybe give masks … what they don’t seem to take responsibility for is that once their workers are leaving the workplace they see them gathering in groups or getting in cars together.”

testing positive for coronavirus strips undocumented workers of their income, particularly when they are forced to quarantine with family. without the stimulus check or california coronavirus aid to undocumented immigrants, which was first come, first served, many undocumented workers are left with little assurance. often, for fear of losing work, many workers whose crew may have a small positivity outbreak move to the next farm, de barraicua said.

from 2015 through 2016, 51% of all farmworkers had work authorization, according to the u.s. department of labor. of those 51%, 29% were u.s. citizens, 21% percent were legal permanent residents and 1% had work authorization through some other visa program.

california grew more than a third of the vegetables and two-thirds of fruits and nuts in the country during the 2019 crop year, according to the california department of food and agriculture. the state accounts for more than 13% of the nation’s total agricultural value and is the leading state for cash farm receipts, according to the department.

in many parts of california, it is peak harvest season for the state’s leading crops. from the end of august through november, wine grapes, almonds and other mid-to-late season fruits are ready to harvest. in 2019, california’s top producing commodities were $6.09 billion in almonds and $5.41 billion in grapes, according to the california department of food and agriculture.

although big cities report bigger covid-19 numbers, 98% of american rural counties have reported positive cases and 75% have reported one or more deaths as of sept. 21, according to the national center for farmworker health. in nonmetropolitan areas, there have been 812,853 cases and 18,371 deaths reported as of sept. 22, according to data obtained from johns hopkins university.

fruits, nuts and vegetables are only part of california’s farming industry. one of the most significant coronavirus outbreaks among agricultural workers started on june 29 in livingston, where at least 392 employees tested positive and at least eight died due to the outbreak at the foster farms plant, according to the merced sun-star. due to more than 700 meatpacking and food processing plants experiencing outbreaks in the u.s., beef and pork production have declined by 40% during the summer of 2020, according to the national center for farmworker health.

in arizona, where the yuma area is a major producer of lettuce, the exact number of cases among farmworkers in yuma county is not reported, but “143 positive covid-19 cases in the county have occurred in or near farm labor camps,” according to the national center for farmworker health. overall, yuma county has reported 12,664 cases and 345 deaths as of friday, making it one of the top three counties in arizona for cases. one known outbreak happened on hickman’s family egg farm, in buckeye where five female prison inmates tested positive in june.

the pressure on these workers at the national level is tremendous, with demand for farm labor exceeding the actual number of farm laborers, said elizabeth strater, the director of alternative and digital organizing at united farm workers.

“given the context of the labor shortage, this time of year in california, especially when you are talking about high sensitivity or high investment crops like wine grapes, there is a tremendous amount of pressure on everybody’s part to get those crops in, regardless of what the air quality is like,” strater said.

many undocumented workers are afraid to be deemed essential workers, especially in counties hit hard by the coronavirus and wildfires. de barraicua said many of the undocumented workers she speaks with were scared to work for fear of having to show a police officer an essential worker letter from their employer.

lideres campesinas listed education surrounding the virus as one of the organization’s main concerns in its letter to the governor in april. this concern now extends to education about fires, heatwaves and smoke exposure. language and cultural differences often are barriers to health information, which is concerning because undocumented farmworkers typically are more vulnerable to poor health resulting from lack of access to care, de barraicua said.

mota, as someone who advocates for the rights of farmworkers and organizes events to spread awareness, said united farm workers has done everything possible to distribute the appropriate protective equipment and educate laborers on the best ways to stay safe.

the high levels of wildfire smoke along the west coast typically contain carbon based particles, and toxic materials or irritants might be in the smoke from the destruction of buildings and dwellings. pinkerton said all smoke can be “an irritant and potentially injurious to the lung.” eye and throat irritation, coughing and sneezing are symptoms related to particulate matter exposure.

properly fitted n95 masks offer the highest degree of protection against inhalation of the particles, pinkerton said. the maximum recommended use of n95 masks is eight to 12 hours, and they should not be worn for multiple work shifts, according to the centers for disease control and prevention.

labored breathing is a side effect of those wearing properly fitted n95 masks, and as the mask clogs with particles over time, it may become even more difficult to breathe, pinkerton said. he and other experts recommend work to be reduced to shorter time periods, and that it’s done in a nonstrenuous way.

mota said many farmworkers are not offered the proper equipment to do their jobs safely.

“because i work under a union job, it’s the union that brings those resources to the farmworkers, like me, to help us be protected in the work conditions we are in.”

the reuse of masks presents a significant risk of contact transmission from touching the surface of the contaminated respirator and can add additional discomfort to the worker when worn for too long, the cdc said.

the california department of food and agriculture directs farmworkers unable to obtain personal protective equipment to contact their county office of emergency services branch to provide information on lack of supplies.

mota, who has appeared in a campaign advertisement and has had a couple of encounters with california sen. kamala harris, who’s now the democratic vice presidential candidate, said farmworkers have received a lot of support from her.

“she focuses on the well-being of the farmworkers,” mota said.

mota also praised current california gov. gavin newsom’s state relief program to provide $500 to undocumented workers who were not eligible for federal stimulus funds.

strater said that united farm workers and harris emphasize that there is “no worker justice without climate justice.” the impacts of climate change may alter the path of agriculture’s future, including the lives of workers, even though weather has always been a concern.

with climate change there will be differences in agriculture, and among those different outcomes, a shift in the social population of workers may be one of the most intriguing. pinkerton explored the idea that workers might question their future in agricultural work.

“it could be a need to change the type of crop that is being grown, just simply because the weather is different than it has been in the past. there may be concerns about water use through droughts or desertification of lands that also creates some issues with agriculture,”  pinkerton said.

“i think also what we may see is a shift in the social population. the workers … where do they go? where do they find work?”

—

this story originally was posted at cronkite news, and features additional reporting. for more stories, visit cronkitenews.azpbs.org.

phoenix – when the sun is up, he’s up and ready to hit the road by 8. flatbed trucks are loaded with brimming barrels of water, and the teams take off – up and down the burnt orange washboard roads that crisscross the navajo nation reservation.

zoel zohnnie grew up on a ranch in these vast lands, knowing what it’s like to live without running water, knowing what it means to drive for miles to fill up at a community water station and then haul it back home.

“for some families, it’s a whole day of leaving home, waiting in line, coming back, unloading,” he said. “just to drink water and have water for living.”

when the covid-19 pandemic arrived on the reservation, zohnnie saw families and elders sheltering in place – and no one helping them to haul water they desperately needed.

“so i took up a paypal and purchased a water tank, put it in the back of my truck and hit the road, and ended up doing that day after day,” said zohnnie, who calls his group water warriors united.

water is a precious commodity that’s scarce in many places across the u.s. but even more so in rural native american communities like the navajo nation, where a virus that requires hand-washing and proper hygiene has taken an especially heavy toll.

zohnnie, 42, is a boilermaker by trade, doing pipe welding, power plant maintenance and refinery construction. but he was laid off at the end of march, just as covid-19 cases began increasing across the sprawling reservation.

he has underlying health conditions that put him at higher risk of contracting covid-19 and suffering more. but as the virus that causes the disease took hold of dinétah, he knew he had to find a way to help, even while practicing social distancing and staying safe.

his is the story of how one person saw a problem that needed a solution and started a movement to try to find one – as a friend said, “changing the world one barrel at a time.”

a scarce resource

a november report released by the nonprofit us water alliance found that more than 2 million americans lack access to running water, indoor plumbing or wastewater services.

those disparities are worse in communities of color and even more extreme, the study found, among indigenous people – whose households are 19 times more likely to lack indoor plumbing than those of white families.

on the navajo reservation, which stretches 27,000 square miles through arizona and into new mexico and utah, an estimated 30% of the 174,000 residents lack access to running water. many, the us water alliance report said, have less than 10 gallons of water in their homes at any given time, sometimes using as little as 2 or 3 gallons a day. the average american uses 88 gallons a day.

some residents drive hours to get water to haul home, ration what water they do have between hygienic uses and cooking, or stockpile it in case of emergency.

one woman, the report noted, has bartered homemade pies for water.

these obstacles often force residents to travel to towns bordering the reservation to buy water, said monica harvey, a navajo who founded defend our community, a group working to assist elders during the pandemic.

harvey, who lives in leupp, points to other problems, such as broken windmills that hinder water pumping and limited hours at tribal chapter houses, the government subdivisions and communal gathering places where navajos often get their water.

“there was one point … where the chapter house in leupp was announcing that they were going to shut down a water station,” harvey said. “the water from that water station is for livestock only. but sometimes, residents have to resort to that water to drink.”

a report by the navajo nation’s department of water resources notes that a lack of reliable drinking water “stifles economic growth throughout the reservation” while contributing to higher incidence of disease.

add an extremely contagious virus into this mix and the circumstances become even more dire, experts note.

“you can imagine if you don’t have access to running water, then the very basic things you need to do to stay home and stay safe during a viral pandemic aren’t possible,” said george mcgraw, founder of digdeep, a nonprofit that works on the reservation to bring running water into homes and schools.

“you can’t wash your hands for 20 seconds several times a day with soap and water. you’re constantly being forced to leave social isolation … to drive to a grocery store that’ll have bottled water … or to drive to a gas station, a truck stop, a school, a library – if they’re open – to take a shower or collect water.”

cynthia harris, director of tribal programs at the environmental law institute in washington d.c., said the long-standing issues around access to water and water quality in indian country can be boiled down to three main obstacles: resources, logistics and battles over water rights.

funding for infrastructure improvements is limited. the indian health service reported last year a backlog of almost 2,000 sanitation-related construction projects in indian country and estimated it would cost $2.7 billion to provide all american indians and alaska natives with safe drinking water and adequate sewerage systems.

the rural nature of homes also makes for logistical challenges. on the navajo reservation, which is bigger than the state of west virginia, many households are not good candidates for centralized water systems because extending water lines to low-density, mountainous areas is extremely expensive, according to harris’ group.

“we’ve heard quite a bit from congress and the executive branch about looking at infrastructure, ensuring that tribes are included in that at a sufficient level,” harris said, noting some opportunities to address these issues may be part of the $2.2 trillion coronoavirus relief package known as the cares act.

“there is a toolbox,” she said. “the question is, which tools bring to bear ensuring tribes are included.”

the navajo nation has received $714 million under the cares act, and president jonathan nez has proposed using $300 million of that for agriculture projects and water infrastructure, including improved residential plumbing.

final expenditures are being negotiated between the navajo nation council and nez. but time is running out: the federal government is requiring that cares act funding be spent by year’s end.

a hand for the forgotten

“we will never be able to measure the magnitude of language, culture, or history that this virus has taken from our tribes. … we have already lost so much, but are also collectively doing so much.”

zoel zohnnie’s words punctuate the website of collective medicine, the nonprofit that serves as the umbrella organization for his water warriors united campaign. the effort has grown from one man and one water tank to an operation where volunteers deliver on average 5,000 gallons a week to residents across the reservation.

“the idea behind this whole campaign … was to reach the people who can’t get to the water themselves, and to reach the people who are … far away enough to have been forgotten,” zohnnie said.

“and there’s been a lot of people that have been forgotten.”

the more he ventured out, the more donations started flowing in. he used the money to buy 55-gallon water barrels for navajos living out of 5-gallon buckets or small containers.

zohnnie now has four 16-foot flatbed trucks that carry 550-gallon tanks, hoses, equipment and a water pump. his team has delivered more than 400 barrels and more than 100,000 gallons of water to more than 20 communities.

“now what we’re trying to do is figure out a refill system for the places we’ve already been, so that we can just go back to these homes and kind of recirculate where we’ve already been,” he said. “but if we do that, then it takes away from us being able to reach other areas that haven’t been given barrels yet.

“so we’re trying to get as many barrels out there as possible, first, so that way at least the residents and our elders and tribal members can have a barrel. that makes their life a little easier when they have to haul water for themselves.”

along the way, zohnnie has met dozens of people, many whose circumstances brought tears to his eyes. one family of 18 was living in a small shack with no running water. another home included several children living alone without water or electricity.

“the dad had passed away probably four months ago, and the mom had passed away two months before that,” he recalled. “so the kids were just trying to make their way, and there was nobody that was really helping them.

“that was one that kind of stuck with me.”

another man was caring for his 90-year-old mother, who requires a feeding tube. they lived off a 20-mile dirt road and were unable to haul water on their own because the man couldn’t leave his mother for the time it would take to go out and return.

“it’s been quite an eye-opener,” zohnnie said. “growing up on the reservation, you kind of know what’s going on. but until you’re there visiting each home, talking to each person, it never really hits you until you hear them or you look at them in the eye and see how they feel.”

harvey’s group, defend our community, began collaborating with zohnnie to get water to the elders it works with.

“it was very difficult for elders throughout the community to get drinking water, so his team came out and was able to provide 55-gallon water barrels with drinking water,” she said. “they had a water tank in the back of their vehicle as well. so elders who needed water jugs or containers filled, they were able to help fill those containers with drinking water.

“a lot of them were so grateful … that a few of the elders broke into tears because they received help. finally someone showed up to help them, to provide aid to them.”

zohnnie’s effort is just one of several, and harris and others note that any permanent solutions to the water access issues must go beyond trucking in gallons here and there. the pandemic, harris said, is “an opportunity to stop, to pause, to reflect and consider these issues and look at how we can do better.”

zohnnie hopes to continue his initiative beyond covid-19, to keep helping his people in whatever way he can. he wants the world to see that not all that’s come from the pandemic is sorrow and tragedy.

“i feel like because of this virus, there are beautiful things happening,” he said. “and i think one of them is the fact that it has brought a lot of people together.

“there’s a lot of people still out there suffering from it, still out there protecting themselves from it, too.”

but, he added: “even though it’s a dangerous and ugly virus, it has done beautiful things to help people see that we can come together in times of crisis.”

—

this story originally was published on cronkite news and features additional reporting. for more stories, visit cronkitenews.azpbs.org.

phoenix – rows of cardboard boxes containing corpses line the walls of refrigerated storage containers, waiting for charred human remains to be cleared from the incineration chamber to make room for the next body.

the cremations continue through the night in a scene that has unfolded across america as covid-19 deaths have risen to more than 540,000 over the past year.

in arizona, where 16,842 have died in the pandemic, the smoke and the hum of crematoriums working overtime have left some neighbors desperate for relief from the odor and pollution.

arizonans opt for cremation more frequently than the national average, with 67% choosing that option in 2020, according to a july 2020 report from the national funeral directors association.

the national cremation rate reached 56% last year, an increase from 47.9% in 2015, the last reported year. the rise was fueled by the covid-19 death toll and pandemic restrictions, the low cost of cremation services and the flexible timing for funeral arrangements with cremated ashes.

some condo owners in east scottsdale have taken notice of unexpected wafts of smoke and a lingering odor coming from the nearby paradise memorial crematory near 93rd street and shea boulevard.

“the smell was so unbearable that everybody needs to run into their houses,” said retiree marlene dove, who moved there in september. “if you have guests, they have to come in or they put things over their heads and their faces to keep the smell out.”

her complaint is among 20 filed in maricopa county regarding crematorium smoke from feb. 27, 2020, to march 2, 2021. records from maricopa county air quality show the complaints include black or brown smoke and a “horrible odor.” some residents claimed the emissions gave them sore throats.

“i understand that you have to take care of the dead,” dove said. “but i also understand you have to take care of the living.”

last april, maricopa county air quality lifted a regulation prohibiting crematoriums from operating past sunset, giving them more time to cremate the increased number of covid-19 deaths. that lift, which was extended in june and again in december, is in effect through may 31.

according to arizona department of health services data, the state saw surges in covid-19 related deaths during the summer and winter, with a single-day high of 173 deaths reported jan. 18.

the occasional smoke coming from crematorium chimneys is an inevitable byproduct of the cremation process, said james ahearne, coo of messinger mortuaries, the company that oversees paradise memorial crematory.

“every crematory will smoke, if they tell you they don’t, they’re lying,” he said. “it’s just the way it is.”

last year, paradise memorial crematory – one of the largest in the state – cremated 6,868 bodies, an increase from 6,071 in 2019, before the pandemic began. from the start of 2021, paradise memorial already has cremated 1,931 bodies, ahearne said, with much of those coming in january after the holidays. if the trend continues, 2021 could outpace last year.

ahearne said a walk-in freezer used to store bodies at paradise memorial had 60 to 70 bodies backlogged in january, waiting to be cremated.

by 2030, the cremation rate in arizona is expected to reach nearly 80%, the national funeral directors association says.

nationally, the median cost to bury an adult in a traditional ceremony is $7,640, according to the association. in arizona, it’s $6,906.

cremations cost an average of $6,645 nationally, with a cremation casket and urn, and about $5,812 in arizona, according to the association.

there’s also the convenience of cremating now and organizing a service later at a particular destination, said barbara kemmis, executive director of the cremation association of north america.

with travel restrictions and social distancing guidelines in place for many states throughout the pandemic, cremation extends the time frame for grieving families to make decisions for the deceased.

as covid-19 cremations surged across the country, so did neighbor’s complaints about smoke and sore throats.

“that’s completely a danger when they’re overwhelmed and trying to do as many cases a day to return those cremated remains to loved ones,” kemmis said.

issues with smoke coming from paradise memorial crematory are not new but have seemingly worsened throughout the pandemic, said david dubner, 79, who has filed multiple complaints with maricopa county and is dove’s neighbor.

“there’s not just been puffs but pouring smoke, sometimes for up to five, six minutes. (it) covers the whole area,” dubner said.

three years ago, paradise memorial crematory expanded the number of cremation ovens on their premises from three to six, ahearne said, and plans to add another in the next five or six months.

“what we’re trying to do here is cremate as many as we have to for our clients and not smoke at all,” ahearne said. “and unfortunately, sometimes we do.”

throughout the pandemic, said gregg busch, funeral service manager at neptune society in tempe, the increased number of covid-related deaths and cremations has forced staff members to work into the night and put employees at risk of covid-19 infection.

“everybody is shorthanded and everybody is struggling to keep up,” busch said.

“organizations like our own – which focus entirely on cremation – have been overwhelmed by the pandemic,” said busch, who has more than 40 years of experience in the funeral industry. “not only just the number of deaths that have occurred but also in the fact that our staff and our employees have many times become infected, which puts us even farther behind with low staffing.”

this wasn’t the first time crematoriums extended hours of operation to keep up with an increased number of deaths, he said, but “nothing compared to this.”

“it was certainly a difficult time during the h1n1 pandemic,” busch said. “the covid-19 pandemic is much more.”

an estimated 151,700 to 575,400 people worldwide died from the h1n1 “swine flu” pandemic in 2009, its first year of circulation, according to the centers for disease control and prevention.

in about the same time, more than 2.5 million people worldwide have died from covid-19, according to the johns hopkins university of medicine.

dove tries to escape the emissions from paradise memorial crematory by keeping her windows and doors shut – or leaving her complex. she has stopped inviting people to her home, and some of her neighbors refrain from using their patios, she said, because they never know when the “smell is going to hit.”

“we’re not unreasonable people,” dove said. “we just need a break from this once in a while. i mean, it’s just continuously going.”

crematorium emissions depend on the materials burned in the chamber, according to a 2020 canadian study, such as natural gas used to fuel incineration chambers and particulate matter and heavy metals, such as trace amounts of mercury from dental fillings.

the cdc says obesity increases likelihood for severe illness and death from covid-19, and bodies weighing more than 200 pounds generate more smoke than those weighing less, ahearne said. paradise memorial crematory processes heavier bodies in the morning and the lighter ones in the afternoon and evening to limit visible pollution.

“the size of people that are dying of covid are larger people,” he said. “weight has a lot to do with the ability to cremate somebody, and when you can cremate them. when you have a lot of heavier people, you do those first thing in the morning.”

no matter the materials burned, or the weight of the deceased, crematoriums are allowed to release smoke visible up to 20% opacity in the air, according to maricopa county air quality regulations.

the hazardous visible aerosol particles, referred to as particulate matter, that crematoriums emit is of “minimal” concern compared with the pollution caused by vehicle traffic or backyard bonfires, said philip mcneely, director of the air quality department.

the county sets crematorium emission standards and includes regulations to test for machine efficiency, times of operation and allows for 2,500 tons, or 5 million pounds, of total material to be burned within a 12-month period. all complaints are individually investigated by the department, mcneely said.

although rare, accidents and machine malfunctions do happen, ahearne said.

a power outage march 2 interrupted an active cremation at paradise memorial and sent black smoke billowing from the chimney for 5 to 10 minutes while the system shut down, ahearne said.

“that was the worst i’ve seen,” he said. “i’ve been doing this for 50 years and it was just terrible. but once it starts, there’s nothing we can do.”

system malfunctions are not unique to paradise memorial crematory and similar situations have been reported at other crematoriums in the phoenix area.

one funeral director in sun city reported a thermocouple, a sensor used to measure temperature, malfunction and told county investigators that “black smoke was visible for about 10 minutes” during a cremation, according to county records. the thermocouple was replaced and the investigation has been closed.

despite unexpected malfunctions and the increased of cremations, the accompanying emissions still have significantly less of an environmental impact on total air quality than unregulated fires that burn at lower temperatures around 600-900 degrees, said leif abrell, an associate research scientist with the arizona laboratory for emerging contaminants at the university of arizona.

burning trash or wood used in a bonfire increases “the potential for other noncarbon dioxide pollutants” to be released into the atmosphere compared to county regulated, high-temperature burning at crematoriums, abrell said.

“that’s why one person burning trash in their backyard at a low temperature can kind of obliterate a whole bunch of work that’s done by other people (operating) at high temperatures according to regulation,” he said.

although vehicle traffic and backyard fires of of greater concern for county regulators, dove and dubner are waiting for relief from both the pandemic and the smoke wafting from the crematorium chimney.

“you can’t be inside during covid,” dove said, “because you’re not supposed to be in a closed area with people, and you can’t sit outside because sooner or later the smell is going to come up.”

ahearne said the number of cremations is incrementally decreasing, and lasting relief may be on the horizon as vaccines reach more arizonans and fewer people test positive for covid-19.

“hopefully this pandemic thing will calm down and get back to kind of normal,” he said.

—

this story originally was published on cronkite news. for more stories, visit cronkitenews.azpbs.org.