Today, the Kandid Coalition and Citizens' Environmental Coalition reported their first set of Bucket Brigade test results, which showed levels of toxic chemicals in the air around Kodak Park, including methylene chloride seven and ten times above the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation's (DEC) ambient air guideline. Methylene chloride is classified as a potential carcinogen by the Environmental Protection Agency and a workplace carcinogen by the Occupation Safety and Health Administration.

"I have lived a few blocks from Kodak Park for decades, and today I have advanced prostate cancer," said Charlie Roemer, a Rochester resident who lives near Kodak. "Now that we know that levels of methylene chloride are above state guidelines, Kodak and New York State need to take more steps to protect our health. Even though we don't know for sure that these emissions are causing health problems we do know that toxic air exacerbates existing health problems. Kodak needs to mitigate the effects of chemical production on neighbors and employees. My immune system is already precarious and I don't need to be inhaling methylene chloride to make it worse. Even if the chemicals were proven harmless---the stink degrades living here and assaults the senses."

The September 29, 2003 sample was taken in the middle of the night (12:30 am) at West Ridge Plaza, adjacent to the Kodak fenceline, when Kodak was discharging large amounts of chemicals into the air. Samplers noticed extremely strong odors while the sample was being taken, and experienced headaches during or after the sample was complete. Levels of methylene chloride were detected at 18.3 ppb, or 10 times above the DEC ambient air annual guideline concentration. Kodak reported releasing 855,000 lbs of methylene chloride into the Rochester environment in 2001 alone. A toxic soup of twelve chemicals was also detected in the sample.

"The people in this community have the right to know about chemicals released into their neighborhood," said Sue Mihalyi, of the Kandid Coalition. "For many years, we've been asking for more information. Now, we're taking matters into our own hands by monitoring the air ourselves."

"This data proves that Kodak continues to violate our right to a clean and healthy environment," said Mike Schade, Western New York Director of Citizens' Environmental Coalition. "Why was Kodak dumping significant amounts of toxins in the middle of the night on September 29th? It is unacceptable for Kodak to act as though they are above the law, spewing dangerous chemicals into the air at rates that are above ambient air guidelines. It is time for the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and Kodak to install additional ambient air monitors in the neighborhoods around Kodak, and phase out the use of toxic chemicals at Kodak Park."

"Kodak should be ashamed for knowingly and blatantly poisoning people," said Maureen Reynolds of the Kandid Coalition. "The consequences of their arrogance have been found in people living close to Kodak. These include: reduced height, low birth weight, respiratory irritation, leukemia, liver and kidney disease, dermatitis, pancreatic and skin cancer, spontaneous abortions, arthritis, and bronchitis."

The June 30, 2003 sample was taken across from Eastman Kodak's Kings Landing Water Treatment Facility and Building 95 hazardous waste incinerator. That sample was taken when odors were minimal, and found concentrations of methylene chloride at 12.5 ppb, or 7 times above the DEC ambient air annual guideline concentration. Eleven additional chemicals were detected in the sample.

"Before the bucket brigade started, the smells were even worse than they are today," said Dave Paprocki, a Rochester resident who lives near Kodak. "It makes me wonder what was in the air back then, knowing now that high levels of chemicals are in the air today,"

The "Bucket Brigade" is named for an EPA-approved, easy-to-use air sampling device housed inside a 5-gallon plastic bucket. Using specially designed buckets, citizens can measure everyday pollution levels or respond to accidental releases at a chemical facility. The Bucket Brigade has received national and international attention in films such as HBO's Blue Vinyl and PBS's Fenceline. Rochester residents are following in the footsteps of Norco, Louisiana, a community that used the Bucket Brigade method to win protection from a Shell Chemical plant's harmful pollution. Community members took air samples using the "Bucket Brigade" to show harmful chemicals were crossing the fenceline. Other communities nationwide are employing the Bucket Brigade in similar battles.

The Bucket Brigade was started in Rochester in December 2002 when Denny Larson, Director of Global Community Monitor, presented a workshop to introduce Bucket Brigade community monitoring of ambient air. Denny Larson is working in dozens of other communities across the United States and around the world, helping communities monitor air pollution. Since the training, Citizens' Environmental Coalition has worked with community groups across New York State in Albany and Buffalo to start similar bucket brigades and empower citizens to monitor their air. Members of the Kandid Coalition will continue to take air samples in the months to come, and plan to issue a report analyzing the bucket brigade results by the end of the year.