Protesters raise concerns about air pollution in Kalamazoo

KALAMAZOO, MI -- Citizens gathered at Kalamazoo City Hall to make their voices heard and to demand answers and action on the toxic gas found at potentially dangerous levels in the air in near their homes.

Deandre Jones, 31, was among the protesters on the steps of the city building Thursday, Sept. 8. Jones is usually hooked to a breathing machine to help keep him alive. He was at City Hall Thursday with his mother, Deann Winfield, and others.

“They’ve got to do something because I don’t want anyone younger than me on this,” Jones said through labored breaths, pointing to a breathing tube hooked to his neck. He was attached to a portable oxygen tank so he could attend the protest.

More than a dozen people were on the steps of city hall during the protest event. They held signs and yelled to cars going by.

Someone shouted “14 year death gap” from the crowd, referring a study by Bronson HealthCare in 2019 that shows a 14-year life expectancy gap when comparing residents who live within specific Census tracts in 49007, to another area of the county.

Signs read “Stop poisoning our families” and “Help us!” Protesters yelled toward the front windows of City Hall, calling on leaders to take action.

“I’m here hoping they can fix the problem,” Northside resident Timothy Johnson said. Johnson believes pollution is making his chronic obstructive pulmonary disease worse. He has lived in the neighborhood for over 20 years and his breathing problems have gotten worse in recent years, he said.

He and several others there live on the city’s Northside neighborhood, in the area of the municipal wastewater treatment plant and the Graphic Packaging International factory, which have been documented as sources of toxic hydrogen sulfide, which can harm human health at certain concentrations.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services’ in-progress health consultation will focus on their neighborhood next to the industrial facilities. The report’s release has been delayed multiple times compared to initial estimates.

Winfield said she and her son were both in the hospital at different times in August, suffering from of asthma attacks.

The protest comes on the day after MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette revealed documents that show potentially dangerous levels of chemicals including formaldehyde and others were found in the air over the city of Kalamazoo’s wastewater treatment plant. The public was not notified of the discovery.

Related: Drone sniffs out toxic chemicals above Kalamazoo wastewater treatment plant

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services told MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette last week that the agency is reviewing the data to determine whether future formaldehyde investigations in the nearby community are warranted.

Images from a drone flying over Kalamazoo's wastewater treatment plant in May 2022.

“MDHHS is reviewing the drone data collected from KWRP for all measured chemicals...” Associate Public Information Officer Chelsea Wuth told MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette on Sept. 8.

MDHHS is also reviewing data that was collected from several community locations. MDHHS will incorporate all findings into its health consultation on air quality near the wastewater treatment plant and Graphic Packaging, she said.

Former Kalamazoo resident Brandi Crawford-Johnson, who has filed several legal complaints in a fight for environmental justice, calls the area of the city being impacted a “sacrifice zone.”

“They need to do their job, They need to help people,” Crawford-Johnson said. “People’s lives are being sacrificed for capitalism.”

David Benac, a new member of the city’s Environmental Concerns Committee, said he would like to see that group given more data to be more of a part of the conversations about environmental issues with the city. Citizens should have access to the information also, he said.

“The ECC can’t be as effective as it needs to be unless the city lets us have the information,” Benac said.

Benac and Environmental Concerns Committee Chair Aaron Wright said they were not provided the drone report or the data it produced. The committee is tasked with monitoring significant environmental trends affecting the city of Kalamazoo and advising the city manager and city commission regarding environmental matters. The committee also serves as a citizens’ forum for environmental issues.

Health, odor and air quality concerns raised for years in Kalamazoo, even before factory was approved to expand

See what stinks, and where: Kalamazoo launches hydrogen sulfide dashboard with real-time data

Asthma is killing Kalamazoo family living near a stinking factory. Now the state is studying asthma in the neighborhood.

Civil rights complaint alleges Kalamazoo zoning discriminates against Black and disabled people

Residents worry ‘disgusting’ industrial odor could be harming their health

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