Residents of Curtis Bay and other polluted areas deserve cleaner air

In far Southeast Baltimore (Brooklyn and Curtis Bay) and parts of northern Anne Arundel County (Brooklyn Park and Glen Burnie) we have an industrial air pollution problem (“South Baltimore residents and activists protest CSX nearly a year after coal silo explosion: ‘We’re going to keep the pressure going,’ ” Nov. 30). This is due to the many industrial plants here. Yes, there are days when the air quality is good

— if the wind is blowing the pollution to the east. Otherwise, when there’s an outbreak of industrial air pollution, the air quality is terrible. The outside air will burn the throat, cause shortness of breath, sting the eyes and, worst of all, harm the lungs of hundreds of children, including those that attend our three public schools and those living at Brooklyn Homes and the surrounding area.

The problem is specific to our area (ZIP codes 21225 and 21226). When I’ve been downtown near the Inner Harbor, in West Baltimore or other surrounding areas, the air is much cleaner. These industrial plants are allowed to emit industrial air pollution because the Maryland Department of the Environment continually renews their air permits allowing them to continue releasing air pollution. The pollution produced by them harms us — especially the many children in the area. These plants need to be closed.

Maybe this can’t happen soon. But what can be done now is to have a longterm commitment to closing all these air polluting industries. Definitely, 20 years from now none of them should be here. It would be nice to have it done by the Maryland Department of the Environment and by Gov. Wes Moore. It can begin with a simple statement that says: “We are committed to closing air polluting industries in the Curtis Bay area by the year 2040.”

Just as rotary phones are no longer used, Maryland should no longer renew air permits in Curtis Bay.

— Lawrence Mullin, Baltimore