Certain parts of Michigan, in or around its major city of Detroit, are among the most polluted in the nation, with scant access to heath care for those afflicted by their toxic surroundings.
Take River Rouge, a tiny city of 7,000 that borders Detroit’s southern edge. The air is filthy here, writes Zoë Schlanger, with 52 sites of heavy industry within a 3-mile radius, processing tens of thousands of pounds of chemical waste. The area has also been “out of compliance” for sulfur dioxide for years.
The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, the same department blamed for the Flint debacle, says they’re working on compliance with companies but can’t explain why its taking the state so long to address and correct the man-made causes of such dangerously polluted air.
