Pollution, health fears rise along Ohio River
Ohio River communities built around promises of economic opportunity and secluded riverside homes tucked in the hills house less than 6 percent of Ohio’s residents.
Yet the factory-dotted land near the river produces a quarter of the state’s toxic waste and 68 percent of its air pollutants, according to a newspaper analysis.
The Columbus Dispatch’s study comes as the eight-state commission that oversees the river’s water quality considers easing pollution restrictions to cope with aging sewer systems.
With river regulations divided among three federal regions and several state agencies in Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia, nearby residents worry that officials aren’t doing all they can to protect them from potential health hazards.
The air outside Alonzo Spencer’s house in East Liverpool, Ohio, once smelled like cat urine. He said he believes the hazardous waste incinerator at the bottom of the hill is a health hazard.
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