From the June 13, 2007 Free Times:

Recently, Mittal Steel quietly admitted to the Ohio EPA that it spewed 3.2 million more pounds of pollution into the air over Cleveland in 2006 than it had the year before. For those keeping count, that brings the annual weight of the shit blasting out of the factory to a whopping 44.2 million pounds. That includes carbon dioxide, soot, volatile organic compounds and lead.

"I am especially concerned with the cardiovascular risks from fine-particle air pollution," wrote Dr. Robert Bahler, a MetroHealth cardiologist in a letter to Mittal's Cleveland plant manager in March. "The population surrounding MetroHealth Medical Center is especially at an increased risk for cardiovascular disease in view of their proximity to Mittal Steel."

Liz Ild, Cleveland Program Director with the local activist group Ohio Citizen Action, says the news of more pollution coming from Mittal Steel is especially disconcerting now that summer is upon us and people are spending more time outside. According to Ild, over 1,000 residents downwind of Mittal have placed signs in their yards that read: "Mittal Steel: Clean Up for Real."

But she adds, "Mittal's Cleveland managers have yet to respond to the signs or to meet with community members to discuss ways to begin solving the problem of air pollution shared by residents and the steel mill."

Some advice for Mittal Steel managers: It's probably best to meet with these guys before some Tremont hippie sprouts a third arm. - James Renner