Quote Originally Posted by JBMcB View Post
So I'm guessing you have no proof that petcoke dust is any more harmful than anything else, since you're appealing to some sort of emotional/justice response than logic.

Also, you're changing the argument into a question of zoning. Looks like they dropped some lofts in the middle of a light industrial/commercial zone, right?

It's not logical to think inhaling what is basically coal dust in bad for your health? But yes there has been studies done, and not surprisingly it they found it's not really good for your health.

How am changing the argument? The residents where they're before they were storing the coke




First, the MDEQ most certainly did find that there are health threats from petroleum coke, stating that “Human exposure to fine particulate matter [[PM) emissions from petcoke storage piles, at sufficiently high concentrations and durations of exposure, could cause respiratory and cardiovascular effects characteristic of PM inhalation exposures.” In other words, inhaling pet coke dust is bad for your lungs and heart.The animal study of pet coke relied upon by both the EPA and MDEQ in their analyses of petcoke found “irreversible respiratory effects,” specifically chronic inflammation of the lungs and increased lung weights, “at all concentrations tested” [[emphasis added).
MDEQ also concluded that petcoke dust is no more toxic than dust generally in terms of other health impacts like cancer. But there are at least two good reasons to be particularly concerned about petroleum coke compared to other materials stored at industrial sites:....

  • Petroleum coke is more prone to becoming airborne than other materialsbecause it contains a higher amount of fine silt than substances like gravel or sand – so people are more likely to be exposed to higher levels of it, increasing the chance of lung and heart impacts.This point was recently made in a study conducted by CDM Smith, a global consulting firm, for the City of Chicago. As summarized by the City, the study showed that "due to its high silt content,petcoke was found to have much higher overall emissions than other bulk materials and, therefore, greater air quality impacts from outdoor storage." [[quoting the City’s Response to Comments for its public health regulations, emphasis added)
  • Not all other forms of dust are piled 4 to 5 stories high next to residential neighborhoods like the pet coke in the Calumet and Detroit areas - this proximity again increases exposure and so the risk of lung and heart impacts.

http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/mg...raight_on.html