ABout
Pollution in Detroit
Air and water pollution have both been major problems in Detroit. Like other big cities, Detroit’s air is being polluted by various activities such as, burning fuel, industrial manufacturing and even driving cars. Detroit is bordered by various different lakes and streams, which can easily get contaminated. For example, the Detroit River is an international area of concern. Many different oil spills have occurred in the river causing unclean and unsafe water that people use throughout their everyday lives. These spills also make it hard for water animals to live. In 1950, eleven-thousand ducks died from external oil feathering that made the ducks drown (Hartig and Stafford). Also, according to the Environmental Protection Agency 16-41 spills of unknown volumes have occurred each year since 1995. In 2002, 100,000 gallons of oil spilled into the Rouge River. Sewer overflow has also created a problem in the Detroit River and the Great Lakes. Air pollution in Detroit is caused by chemicals, entering the air. The burning of fossil fuels contribute to the air pollution the most. Also, fuel burning releases sulfur, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, heavy metals and particulates into the air that raises a person’s chance of having cancer or asthma (Dyne).
We became actively involved and motivated to make this website because pollution is a major current issue in Michigan. Detroit is one of our major cities that’s getting more and more uninhabitable every day. We thought it would be an interesting subject to learn about by spending time researching and interviewing people about. We interviewed one of our family members asked what she thought of the issue and how it affected her when she was living in Detroit. Pollution is getting better, but more people should
become more educated on the subject and learn about the issues in their
state.