WEST VIRGINIA: Kanawha Valley Residents Take Air Monitoring Into Their Own Hands
On July 17th, Global Community Monitor (GCM) is teaming up with People Concerned About MIC (PCMIC) to implement the Kanawha Valley Bucket Brigade.
Working with People Concerned About MIC, GCM will be teaching local residents how to monitor their air quality, when and how to take odor samples and where to send the samples for scientific analysis.
“Poor air quality is a huge concern for local residents. Nearly two years after the explosion at the Bayer CropScience plant, we still don’t know what was released that night or what kind of health effects it’s had on the community. Since there’s no good air monitoring done on the fenceline of the Bayer CropScience plant, we’ve decided to take it into our own hands,” says Maya Nye, spokesperson of People Concerned About MIC. “We are hoping this initiative helps rebuild community trust and encourages timely communication from Bayer.”
Global Community Monitor is an international human rights, not for profit organization that has worked with communities in 20 countries including Canada. The Bucket Brigade works with communities to record pollution incidents systematically and effectively by taking samples while the pollution is in progress.
PCMIC worked with Southern Appalachian Labor School to secure funding from the Appalachian Community Fund and RESIST! for this project; however, additional funds are needed to do the tests. “We plan on approaching the Kanawha County Commission and the Department of Environmental Protection to partner on sustaining this initiative. In the meantime we are welcoming donations.”
People Concerned About MIC (PCMIC) is a community organization in the Kanawha Valley, West Virginia dedicated to the protection of health and safety of all who reside, work, and study in the vicinity of local chemical plants producing highly toxic chemicals. Visit our website at www.peopleconcernedaboutmic.com.
For more information or an interview, please contact Maya Nye, spokesperson for People Concerned About MIC at 304-389-6859 or
peopleconcernedaboutmic@gmail.com.
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