Breathe Deep: St. Paul’s East Side and Air Quality Concerns
Written by Whitney Barkley, Community Stewardship Facilitator with AmeriCorps’ Climate Impact Corps program
St. Paul’s East Side is finding it hard to breathe deep. According to the American Lung Association an adult person takes about 20,000 breaths a day, or about 7.5 million inhale-exhales a year. Pollutants like lead, arsenic, and other particulate matter cause serious health issues for humans and per the Minnesota Department of Health there is no safe level of lead exposure in humans. We often are taught about the dangers of lead to our little ones when talking about older homes and lead found in paint or with lead exposure from our drinking water, but, what about lead in the air?
In local news, Northern Iron and Machine foundry has been featured for infractions against community health in relation to lead and other particulate matter exposure. East Side St. Paul has elevated levels of lead exposure from a variety of sources but the areas directly surrounding the foundry have reports that community members find extremely concerning. Children are tested by the Minnesota Department of Health for what they call EBLLs or Elevated Blood Lead Levels. They note this level is defined as a “confirmed result at or above 5 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood (mcg/dL).” You can view the map and data here, but children in the community surrounding the foundry have notable levels of lead exposure in their blood. The site itself and the few blocks north of the foundry show 2.5% of children have elevated lead levels. The area northwest and west of the site, 5.4% and 5.5% of children respectively, have unsafe and elevated levels of lead exposure. East of the foundry 4.6% of children have been impacted and to the south, a whopping 9.6% of children have elevated levels of lead in their blood. Again, the Minnesota Department of Health states that no lead exposure is safe, and while steps are being taken to address lead in the ground and water and lead in paint and in foods, community members are voicing concern about the lead and other particulate matter exposure caused by air pollution and the lack of accountability from corporations such as Northern Iron.The MDH states, “It is important to protect children and young people from lead exposure. Elevated blood lead levels (EBLLs) in young children are linked with adverse health effects, including learning problems, behavioral problems, and even death if exposures are very high.” Lead can also lead to complications during pregnancy for both birthing parent and developing child and also can be dangerous for those breastfeeding, according to the CDC, so understanding what risks community members face is crucial for those beyond childhood age alone.
On Tuesday evening, April 23rd, a few dozen community members joined together with the Payne-Phalen Community Council at Arlington Hills Community Center to meet with the CEO and fifth generation owner of Lawton Standard, Alex Lawton, about Northern Iron and Machines air pollution infraction to the local community. Purchased by Lawton Standard in August of 2022, Mr. Lawton endeavored to address what he referred to at the meeting as “inheriting a permit problem” and the challenges that his newly acquired company was facing. The issue, Lawton Standard purchased a foundry in a residential area that hadn’t had proper permitting for air quality control for over a decade and had violations per the MPCA in 2009, 2016, and 2019. Access to those documents is provided by the MPCA and also compiled by community members into a Google Drive. This last fall, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency fined the foundry $41,500 for violating air quality regulations and set a timed requirement to submit updated emissions models and apply for an amendment to their permit. They gave Northern Iron 30 days from April 16th to show compliance, however Northern Iron has the right to appeal any findings, so the date of compliance could be subject to change. The foundry is located in St. Paul’s Payne-Phalen neighborhood at 867 Forest Street North at Phalen Boulevard. According to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, “MPCA staff inspections confirmed that the company removed and replaced emission units and control equipment, failed to recertify hoods after making the changes, and was operating some of its pollution control equipment out of permitted ranges. In previous permit applications, the company also failed to fully list the facility’s activities that would have required it to conduct ambient air modeling.”
At the time of the meeting the council had called on the MPCA and their regulatory power to accomplish three things:
One, a call for immediate notification to residents via mail within a ten block radius of the foundry about the infraction. At the time of the meeting this had not occurred. A MPCA representative at the meeting stated that “8,000 flyers” were planned to be distributed within one mile of the foundry but no further details were given.
Two, the council called for an immediate installation of two air quality monitors. Before the meeting, only one had been installed and was intermittently functioning. During the community meeting many residents and business owners disclosed patchy functionality and voiced concerns on whether this was adequate enough to monitor the environmental risks. Some noted that four monitors would be more adequate to monitor pollution as wind directions shift. They also addressed accessibility of information, as the monitor’s data is not provided in layman’s terminology or in multiple languages. MN Compass notes that 46.1% of Payne-Phalen neighborhood residents speak a language other than English and a quarter of the residents don’t have fluency in English. To see the data, head to the app Purple Air and zoom in to find the Payne-Phalen neighborhood and see what monitoring is occuring.
Three, the council requested the funds from the citation be funneled back into community health testing and care, giving special focus to organizations addressing asthma and other respiratory conditions. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency noted that this is beyond their control, those funds typically go into statewide environmental funds, and this request would have to be addressed with the state legislature. The American Lung Association has ways to take action, some legislative, on their website that may be useful to those concerned about exposure and risk.
Finally, to community neighbors who wish to stay abridged on what the Payne-Phalen Community Council is working on, check the page dedicated to this issue here. On this page you will find news and updates, access to data and documents, plans of action, and important information on ways you can get involved. Other community partners, like the East Side Development Neighborhood Company, are also working on tackling lead exposure. An important informational meeting with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is coming up on May 22, 2024 at the Eastside YMCA on Arcade Street from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm. Community members can gather to voice concerns and have questions answered about steps the MPCA is taking to protect East Side’s air quality. If you are concerned about possible exposure, see your local health organization or clinic for advice on how to test risk/exposure and keep you and your family safe. You can contact the Minnesota Department of Health at 651-201-4620 or check out their contact page on lead exposure for more ways to connect. If you smell something or immediate concerns exist about your air, call the MPCA’s hotline at 651-296-6300 or 1-800-657-3864, and you also can use the online form to submit a complaint or address concerns on the MPCA website. The US Environmental Protection Agency also has a dedicated number for concerns about lead at 1-800-424-LEAD (5323). Clean air and access to health are rights we are born with and that we carry all our lives; join the effort to secure environmental justice in the East Side and let your voice be heard. And from the AmeriCorps members serving at Urban Roots on the East Side, we hope to see you there!
