A recent report published by Clean Water Action details the history of violations of the federal Clean Air Act standards in the Mon Valley over the past 12 years.
The results found air quality monitors in the Mon Valley recorded some of the worst air, not just in Allegheny County, but throughout Pennsylvania.
The report details the failure to protect Mon Valley residents from illegal levels of both sulfur dioxide and fine particles, or breathable soot.
More than 400 exceedances of federal standards for these pollutants have been recorded by monitors in the Mon Valley since the EPA established the health based standards in 2006.
“This report makes clear that both industry and government have failed to protect Mon Valley residents. When we know that this pollution, especially from U.S. Steel, is harming people, it should not take a decade to act. There is talk of how we are improving, but in 2018 the Mon Valley clearly had the worst air in Pennsylvania,” stated Myron Arnowitt, Pennsylvania director for Clean Water Action.
