Valley residents urged to monitor air quality at Protect PT meeting

Representatives from Protect PT, a Penn Township-based environmental nonprofit, held an information session Tuesday at Monessen Public Library to discuss types of pollution as well as ways for residents to host air monitors.

Anyone who lives near the Monessen coke plant, operated by Cleveland-Cliffs, or the Westmoreland Sanitary Landfill is eligible to host air monitors used to detect pollution on their properties, according to Protect PT environmental scientist Yvonne Sorovacu.

“I am going to tell you what we will be doing in this area as a response to the concerns that we have heard from people over the years,” Sorovacu said. “I want to talk about Clean Air For All projects starting right now and really the motivation to hold this meeting.”

An EPA-funded study, “Clean Air for All” focuses on communities surrounding Westmoreland Sanitary Landfill, the Monessen coke plant and the Plum injection well.

Protect PT is reaching out to the community to find four sites around each of these locations where residents will host monitors.

“We are going to be collecting and analyzing some air quality data,” she said. “We’re getting help with the CREATE Lab that is at CMU and the Environmental Health Project. They have some important skills and abilities that we don’t have, so they are helping us out.”

The organization will utilize a couple different types of air monitors that will detect particulate matter and volatile organic compounds, which cause various health problems like asthma, cancers and lung diseases.

Pennsylvania has one of the highest concentrations of radon in the world, according to Grace Delallo, a community organizer for Protect PT.

“These are not just things not to scare you, but to help you tap into your body a little bit more, what’s the air quality like in my area, what kind of pollutants do I know I’m being exposed to,” Delallo said. “This is information you can take to your doctor and say, ‘Hey, I’ve been exposed to this. I’m not sure if an extended period of time has anything to do with my health symptoms.’

“These are things that have been identified by residents as areas of concern. They believe that has caused them issues, and so we’re doing a little bit of some monitoring here to see what is causing these issues that people are raising concerns over and wanting to listen to our members.”

Delallo demonstrated how to make a DIY Hepa Air Filter, which uses a box fan and air filters taped together for better airflow and quality in people’s homes. She also gave residents a better understanding of how to identify polluted areas, tips for dealing with unhealthy air and what they can do to help.

“Our goal is to get better information about the chemicals in the air that you are experiencing, and the potential risks with those chemicals,” Sorovacu said. “We have done other projects there that were similar to that…using additional equipment this time is going to get us answers about specific chemicals, which is something we weren’t able to do before.”

This new project has not been done before by Protect PT. Some residents attended the meeting to advocate for hosting air monitors as they have participated in other unrelated projects.

The monitoring sites will be set up for about two years — from September of this year until September 2026. The monitors will only be placed on private property of residents or small business owners who want to participate.

According to Sorovacu, there are different types of monitors, which will need to stay in one place accessible to Wi-Fi and air flow as well as an outdoor outlet. The monitor is secure, doesn’t use much power or Wi-Fi, can look at data in real time and will be checked by Protect PT staff for maintenance and for installation.

Initial data collected is based on a TO-15 analysis to detect what types of chemicals are in the area, Sorovacu said, which wasn’t measured in the last project. There will be quarterly reports and a one-year check-in with residents. They will be using two types of monitors and monitor hosts will have on-demand access to data from one kind of those monitors (the Purple Air monitor).

“One of our concerns, and this is what we have heard from people, is that if you take a few really intense events, but you average them out throughout the year, it doesn’t look like much,” Sorovacu said. “But it definitely feels like a lot to the people who are living in it. Since these monitors are continuous, they are taking readings every 30 seconds, they’re going to capture those shorter events. We’re here to support you and answer your questions the best way we can. That’s our whole purpose.”

A final report will take place at the end of the two-year period to see what residents have to be concerned about.

“Those reports are essentially going to tell us what is in the air, how the different locations compare to each other and are there health concerns with any of the chemicals we may have found,” Sorovacu said. “And we’re going to have annual meetings in the community to discuss what we’ve found and to check in with folks, see what questions they have.”

Peak data areas include parts of Donora and houses surrounding the Monessen coke plant area and Westmoreland Sanitary landfill, based on wind pattern data, according to Sorovacu.

“If there are things coming from the coke works and the landfill that are creating health issues for you all, these are the areas where it is most likely to be impacting it,” Sorovacu said.

“We’re here because we want to support community members who want to advocate for improved air quality. So, the most powerful advocates are you all. We’re here to give you tools and information to support that. That is our real goal.”

For more information, contact 724-392-7023 or go to protectpt.org.