Jessica Sarrach ‘24, Editor-in-Chief
With its nickname being “the Motor City,” Detroit is historically known for its industrial plants and car creation. Being the national home for much of the auto industry, it is no surprise that manufacturing plants used to litter much of downtown Detroit and surrounding areas. However, a booming job market was not the only side effect of this large industry. Factories are known for the pollutants they create, and the automotive industry is no exception; as such, even though the industry has faded from its roots, Detroit remains notoriously high in its amount of pollution.
The American Lung Association released a report in 2023 entitled State of the Air. This comprehensive report detailed some of the more nasty pollutants cities are seeing, and Detroit ranked highly for its excessive amount of particle pollution, as well as high amounts of ozone.
As defined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), particle pollution is “a general term for a mixture of solid and liquid droplets suspended in the air.” As such, the air is always polluted with particle pollution, and we breathe it in every day; however, some cities have absurdly large amounts of particulate matter which makes the air that much more dangerous. Detroit, for example, was found to have more micrograms of particulate matter per cubic centimeter than is healthy, according to the American Lung Association. Detroit is now recognized as the twelfth most polluted city for annual particulate matter out of the U.S. metropolitan areas.
Particulate matter is not just dangerous to the sanctity of the environment, but also to the safety of the people. The New York State Department of Health said, “Particle pollution from fine particulates (PM2.5) is a concern when levels in air are unhealthy. Breathing in unhealthy levels of PM2.5 can increase the risk of health problems like heart disease, asthma, and low birth weight. Unhealthy levels can also reduce visibility and cause the air to appear hazy.” It is important to monitor daily air quality trends as the amount of particulate matter in the air changes daily. On days more dense with particles, it may be worth it for at-risk groups to wear masks or avoid leaving their homes in general.
Particle pollution is not the only danger being posed to Detroit’s environment. Ozone pollution remains a prevalent risk in this large city. Ozone is often thought of as a good thing, as it surrounds Earth and protects us from radiation brought by the sun. Yet, Ozone at ground level is highly dangerous. The Washington State Department of Ecology said, “At ground level, ozone is an air pollutant that harms people and plants. Ground-level ozone forms when nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds react with each other in sunlight and hot temperatures.”
Detroit has recently made strides in reducing its ozone pollutants—but still has far to travel. The American Lung Association has Detroit charted as the 32 most ozone-polluted metropolitan area. This is a far jump from just a year earlier when Detroit sat as the 25 most ozone-polluted city.
Pollution seems like it is here to stay, and due to Detroit’s large automotive industry and manufacturing plants, it is likely that we will remain an at-risk group for air quality. As the city does its best to reduce pollutants, citizens also have a responsibility to keep themselves safe. Those in higher-risk groups should look into air purifiers for their household and become more open to the idea of wearing air-purifying masks when outdoors. It is time to not only take care of the great Motor City, but also ourselves.
Lyon Life 