terrible odor drives residents to set up own air monitors
Uplifting the amazing work of community leaders and Physicians for Social Responsibility Pennsylvania (PSRP), as this recent news story details, to hold the Keystone Landfill accountable for its uncontrolled odors that is invading the towns of Dunmore and Throop. There have been hundreds of complaints from residents, and PSRP took action!
From the December 2023 news story:
"We have a lot of legacy issues, starting with coal. and it's that ongoing exposure that causes lifelong impacts," explained Verkitus. The group is installing free air monitors on a few dozen homes throughout Lackawanna County. The monitors change color depending on the air quality, and homeowners can track the data online. "They can put notes about when they smell something, if they see something if they're having a bad asthma day. Because the quantitative as well as the qualitative data helps us tell the story of what's happening," said Verkitus….The non-profit says the data give residents the power to make immediate decisions on how long they may want to spend outdoors that day or if they may want to wear a mask. Verkitus says it also helps the group and residents make informed decisions to advocate for or against potential projects in the area, like the widely debated expansion of the Keystone Landfill or the natural gas power plant in Jessup, which Verkitus says is on the top of the list for the state's greenhouse gas emission producers.”
PSRP says any interested homeowners can reach out to them for a monitor on their website.
There are over 2,600 municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills in the United States. Landfills are not just inert piles of garbage but significant contributors to the climate crisis. Worse, the public health cost of landfilling is high. In addition to methane, landfill gas contains hazardous air pollutants (vinyl chloride, benzene, toluene), precursors to ozone and particulate matter, odor nuisance compounds, and other dangerous gasses that can impact air quality, human health, and quality of life. And communities near landfills bear the brunt of their environmental impacts, including air and water pollution, truck traffic, and groundwater contamination.
Amazingly, current federal landfill air emissions regulations do not have provisions for fenceline air monitoring, which would provide basic and needed information on potential health threats to nearby residents. Despite being on the frontlines of the problem, communities have historically had little authority over how landfills operate. As the EPA works to update federal air emissions rules in 2025, they must create processes and mechanisms for community members to seek accountability from landfills that don’t play by the rules.
