Chester PA, The Toxic Dump Site

   Chester, PA is a town with a population around 44,000 with about 65% of the residents being African American.  The poverty rate of the town is three times higher than than the national average at 25%. The small town is host to four toxic and waste treatment facilities, which handle 67% of our nations total waste and 95% of the Chester African American population are those who live the closest to the toxic dump sites.  One of the facilities is the nations largest infectious medical waste treatment facility.  Chester handles the medical waste from five neighboring states: Ohio, Virginia, Maryland, New York, and New jersey.  Next to the medical waste dump, sits DELCORA, the sewage treatment plant that receives about 90% of the sewage from Delaware County.  Residents began to notice an increase in sore throats, headaches and skin disorders.  

   After many complaints to the state, the EPA finally conducted a risk assessment study in 1994, and their findings are absolutely astonishing  The study found that Chester had a  mortality and lung cancer rate that is 60% higher than the rate for the entire Delaware County.  Also, Chester has the highest rate of low-weight births for the entire state of Pennsylvania, which is double the national rate.  The children of Chester, PA have the highest concentration of lead in their bloodstream in the state; on top of that, the residents of Chester are already in poor health so they are more susceptible to being effected by the pollution.  The findings of the EPA report reinforce the claims of the residents, however the EPA claims they have no real power to stop this environmental racism.  Under the direction of the state, the Department of Environmental Protection continues to grant permits to Russel, Rea & Zappala- the company that builds the toxic waste dump sites.  

   Since they are receiving no support from the government, the citizens have fought this injustice by joining some grass-roots organizations.  In the past, they peacefully protested and wrote letters to the DEP, in one instance they blocked the road to the dump site, so the truck driver couldn't get through.  The driver decided to turn around, but the president of the trucking company got into the truck and sped through the line of people, hitting a woman.  After their attempts to fight the injustice by themselves, they decided fight in a more united and coordinated way.  The Chester Residents Concerned for Quality Living (CRCQL) successfully defeated three proposed plants in 1997, two soil remediation plants and an animal crematorium plant.  Also in 1997, the legal verdict was made requiring DELCORA to have higher plant standards and to make improvements to their plant.  In addition, DELCORA will fund a children's lead prevention program in the community.

   The best thing to do would be to shut down these unsafe plants, but because they are complying with federal standards, that remains just a dream.  Impoverished communities voice's are being silenced, and the capitalist minded vultures are feeding off of poor communities, especially poor colored communities.  Personally, I think the vultures should go on a diet and stop this injustice.  

~ Eve Hansen

Articles to reference:

http://www.ejnet.org/chester/ewall_article.html

http://www.umich.edu/~snre492/polk.html 

YouTube Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Opr-uzet7Q 

A young boy playing in trash and pollution just outside of Chester, PA

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