Coke Plant Linked To “Asthma Epidemic” In Pittsburgh Elementary School

"Asthma-spurring pollution swirls around children living in the shadow of the Clairton Coke Works Plant—black and poor children suffer the most "

"Children at an elementary school 15 miles south of Pittsburgh have roughly double the asthma rates of Pennsylvania children and researchers say consistent toxic pollution from a nearby coke plant is mostly to blame.

The school, Clairton Elementary School, is in Clairton, Pennsylvania—home of U.S. Steel's Clairton Coke Works, which is the biggest coke plant in the U.S.

Researchers tested 213 children from Clairton Elementary School and found that 18.4 percent of the children had asthma. "That's a very high number, typically we see 9 to 10 percent," said Dr. Deborah Gentile a Pittsburgh pediatrician and a member of the Pediatric Alliance. Gentile led the research.

In Pennsylvania about 10 percent of children have asthma."

Brian Bienkowski reports for Environmental Health News February 27, 2018.