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Federal agency says River Terrace air is a 'health hazard'
(Published April 19, 2004)

A federal agency has labeled air quality in Northeast Washington’s River Terrace neighborhood to be an "indeterminate public health hazard."

The finding, made public April 9 by the National Center for Environmental Health’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, came as a result of a public health assessment of the Ward 7 neighborhood’s air pollutants. The federal agency is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control, based in Atlanta.

The D.C. Department of Health requested the federal assessment after the Sierra Club’s Environmental Justice Program helped neighborhood residents conduct their own door-to-door health assessment during the summer of 2001. That study found rates of asthma, cancer and bronchitis among River Terrace residents to be significantly higher than the citywide rates for those illnesses.

"Exposure to the air would not be expected to harm healthy River Terrace residents. However, maximum levels of ozone, sulfate and particulate matter may aggravate pre-existing respiratory diseases such as asthma, emphysema and chronic bronchitis," according to the federal assessment.

The finding of an "indeterminate public health hazard" means more information is needed before conclusions can be made about the health impact on a community, according to the federal agency. The agency recommends continued air sampling, the collection of health data on respiratory ailments and cancer, and promotion of community awareness about air pollution in the River Terrace area. The study’s finding requires that a "public action plan" be devised, specifying how the agency’s recommendations will be carried out.

A copy of the agency’s full report is available for public review at the Benning, Capitol View and Deanwood branches of the D.C. Public Library. Written public comment on the report may be submitted to the federal agency through July 14, after which a final report will be issued. A spokesman for the agency said a public meeting will be scheduled to discuss the study with River Terrace residents before the public comment period concludes.

The federal study sampled outdoor air from an air monitoring station in River Terrace and also evaluated historic air monitoring data for the area gathered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The study did not attempt to link air pollution to specific facilities in the area, although River Terrace residents have complained about past pollution from Potomac Electric Power Co.’s Benning Road electric generating plant and a nearby D.C. government trash incinerator.

"Attributing airborne exposures to individual facilities is often an extremely difficult task, particularly in urban areas such as River Terrace with many different sources of environmental contaminants," according to the study.