Community fights pollution

Residents of Southwest Detroit are fed up with harmful pollution in their neighborhood, reports Detroit News:

Jayne Mounce, an office manager and neighborhood resident, grew so tired of the pollution that she's now working for a nonprofit, Global Community Monitor. The California-based outfit trains volunteers to test for toxins, and Mounce's tests this summer found high levels of methyl ethyl ketone.

It is considered to be a hazardous substance that can be used in the making of plastics and paint. According to the federal government, high concentrations can irritate the eyes, nose and throat and cause depression, headaches and nausea.

Efforts to regulate industry and curb harmful pollutants in the area are being met with resistance by Mayor Bing and other city leaders at a time when Detroit needs all the jobs it can get:

An initial proposal for the moratorium would stop the council from giving "heavy industrial" companies tax breaks for 90 days and ask Mayor Dave Bing and the state to hold off giving permits to businesses in the ZIP code. In the interim, a study by city staffers would have been done to find ways to reduce pollution in the area.

Bing won't say where he stands on a crackdown until the council takes action, but he indicated through a spokesman he wants to avoid restrictions.

"Any limits placed on businesses may be counterproductive in this economic climate," spokesman Ed Cardenas wrote in an e-mail. "Detroit needs jobs, but residents deserve a healthy environment and a safe community."

What do you think? The city desperately needs the jobs increased heavy industry can provide, but how can we balance this with the health and safety of our families?

(image via Wikimedia Commons)