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Life and Industry

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  • BP expanded its refinery to the northern boundary of Marktown, a 100-year-old workers village in East Chicago, in 2013. Well within a disaster blast zone, the neighborhood is a liability for BP. The firm has offered between $4,545 and $30,000 for the properties, which is not enough to buy an equivalent home, especially on a fixed income.<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
American industry disproportionately affects the health of minority and low-income communities. East Chicago, Ind. — once the country’s “most industrialized municipality” — offers a view of environmental injustices emerging throughout the Rust Belt. <br />
<br />
Nearly 80 percent of the city’s 11 square miles is zoned for heavy industry. Toxic levels of lead, arsenic and other pollutants contaminate water, soil and air. <br />
<br />
In July 2016, nearly 1,200 people in the West Calumet neighborhood learned that children had blood-lead levels six times the Center for Disease Control’s recommendation for intervention. As mandated, residents began to move, but some remain as they struggle to find housing in the city of 29,000. <br />
<br />
“We feel like we're just being thrown out,” Nayesa Walker said. Her 3-year-old daughter’s blood tested high for lead. <br />
<br />
In a letter to residents, East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland wrote, “your health and safety are my first priority,” but many say they cannot trust the government for basic services. Recently, the Environmental Protection Agency announced some of the city’s drinking water also contains high levels of lead, prompting Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb to declare a disaster emergency for the Superfund site just south of West Calumet. <br />
<br />
Two miles north, the century-old Marktown neighborhood is vanishing. British Petroleum is buying and demolishing the homes surrounding its oil refinery. <br />
<br />
"How much money will replace 56 years' worth of memories?" life-long resident Kim Rodriguez asked. "I am rich in history here.” <br />
<br />
The refinery outside Marktown also pollutes the air and nearby Lake Mich
    EastChicago-01.JPG
  • Taylor Collins, 11, lifts her 5-year-old sister Chloie up to an ice cream truck so she can choose her dessert as their sister Gianna, 6, at left, watches. Marktown, an East Chicago neighborhood, is bordered by steel mills and a British Petroleum refinery, seen at back. <br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
American industry disproportionately affects the health of minority and low-income communities. East Chicago, Ind. — once the country’s “most industrialized municipality” — offers a view of environmental injustices emerging throughout the Rust Belt. <br />
<br />
Nearly 80 percent of the city’s 11 square miles is zoned for heavy industry. Toxic levels of lead, arsenic and other pollutants contaminate water, soil and air. <br />
<br />
In July 2016, nearly 1,200 people in the West Calumet neighborhood learned that children had blood-lead levels six times the Center for Disease Control’s recommendation for intervention. As mandated, residents began to move, but some remain as they struggle to find housing in the city of 29,000. <br />
<br />
“We feel like we're just being thrown out,” Nayesa Walker said. Her 3-year-old daughter’s blood tested high for lead. <br />
<br />
In a letter to residents, East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland wrote, “your health and safety are my first priority,” but many say they cannot trust the government for basic services. Recently, the Environmental Protection Agency announced some of the city’s drinking water also contains high levels of lead, prompting Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb to declare a disaster emergency for the Superfund site just south of West Calumet. <br />
<br />
Two miles north, the century-old Marktown neighborhood is vanishing. British Petroleum is buying and demolishing the homes surrounding its oil refinery. <br />
<br />
"How much money will replace 56 years' worth of memories?" life-long resident Kim Rodriguez asked. "I am rich in history here.” <br />
<br />
The refinery outside Marktown also pollutes the air and nearby Lake Michigan.
    EastChicago-02.JPG
  • Near BP's refinery in Whiting, leaked oil sits on the surface of the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal, which feeds into Lake Michigan.<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
American industry disproportionately affects the health of minority and low-income communities. East Chicago, Ind. — once the country’s “most industrialized municipality” — offers a view of environmental injustices emerging throughout the Rust Belt. <br />
<br />
Nearly 80 percent of the city’s 11 square miles is zoned for heavy industry. Toxic levels of lead, arsenic and other pollutants contaminate water, soil and air. <br />
<br />
In July 2016, nearly 1,200 people in the West Calumet neighborhood learned that children had blood-lead levels six times the Center for Disease Control’s recommendation for intervention. As mandated, residents began to move, but some remain as they struggle to find housing in the city of 29,000. <br />
<br />
“We feel like we're just being thrown out,” Nayesa Walker said. Her 3-year-old daughter’s blood tested high for lead. <br />
<br />
In a letter to residents, East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland wrote, “your health and safety are my first priority,” but many say they cannot trust the government for basic services. Recently, the Environmental Protection Agency announced some of the city’s drinking water also contains high levels of lead, prompting Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb to declare a disaster emergency for the Superfund site just south of West Calumet. <br />
<br />
Two miles north, the century-old Marktown neighborhood is vanishing. British Petroleum is buying and demolishing the homes surrounding its oil refinery. <br />
<br />
"How much money will replace 56 years' worth of memories?" life-long resident Kim Rodriguez asked. "I am rich in history here.” <br />
<br />
The refinery outside Marktown also pollutes the air and nearby Lake Michigan. Annually, BP's Whiting Refinery outputs 2.2 million tons of the harmful byproduct petcoke. <br />
<br />
Yet, East Chicagoans are intensely proud of their community. They struggle, certainly, but also thrive and h
    EastChicago-03.JPG
  • Though the home's future is uncertain, Michael Unger installs a new sink and cabinets in the kitchen of his childhood home where he lives with his sister Kim Rodriguez.<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
American industry disproportionately affects the health of minority and low-income communities. East Chicago, Ind. — once the country’s “most industrialized municipality” — offers a view of environmental injustices emerging throughout the Rust Belt. <br />
<br />
Nearly 80 percent of the city’s 11 square miles is zoned for heavy industry. Toxic levels of lead, arsenic and other pollutants contaminate water, soil and air. <br />
<br />
In July 2016, nearly 1,200 people in the West Calumet neighborhood learned that children had blood-lead levels six times the Center for Disease Control’s recommendation for intervention. As mandated, residents began to move, but some remain as they struggle to find housing in the city of 29,000. <br />
<br />
“We feel like we're just being thrown out,” Nayesa Walker said. Her 3-year-old daughter’s blood tested high for lead. <br />
<br />
In a letter to residents, East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland wrote, “your health and safety are my first priority,” but many say they cannot trust the government for basic services. Recently, the Environmental Protection Agency announced some of the city’s drinking water also contains high levels of lead, prompting Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb to declare a disaster emergency for the Superfund site just south of West Calumet. <br />
<br />
Two miles north, the century-old Marktown neighborhood is vanishing. British Petroleum is buying and demolishing the homes surrounding its oil refinery. <br />
<br />
"How much money will replace 56 years' worth of memories?" life-long resident Kim Rodriguez asked. "I am rich in history here.” <br />
<br />
The refinery outside Marktown also pollutes the air and nearby Lake Michigan. Annually, BP's Whiting Refinery outputs 2.2 million tons of the harmful byproduct petcoke. <br />
<br />
Yet, East Chicagoans are intensely proud of their community. They strug
    EastChicago-04.JPG
  • A mile from Marktown, Happy Jacks Liquors in Whiting is one of the few stores within walking distance from the neighborhood.<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
American industry disproportionately affects the health of minority and low-income communities. East Chicago, Ind. — once the country’s “most industrialized municipality” — offers a view of environmental injustices emerging throughout the Rust Belt. <br />
<br />
Nearly 80 percent of the city’s 11 square miles is zoned for heavy industry. Toxic levels of lead, arsenic and other pollutants contaminate water, soil and air. <br />
<br />
In July 2016, nearly 1,200 people in the West Calumet neighborhood learned that children had blood-lead levels six times the Center for Disease Control’s recommendation for intervention. As mandated, residents began to move, but some remain as they struggle to find housing in the city of 29,000. <br />
<br />
“We feel like we're just being thrown out,” Nayesa Walker said. Her 3-year-old daughter’s blood tested high for lead. <br />
<br />
In a letter to residents, East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland wrote, “your health and safety are my first priority,” but many say they cannot trust the government for basic services. Recently, the Environmental Protection Agency announced some of the city’s drinking water also contains high levels of lead, prompting Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb to declare a disaster emergency for the Superfund site just south of West Calumet. <br />
<br />
Two miles north, the century-old Marktown neighborhood is vanishing. British Petroleum is buying and demolishing the homes surrounding its oil refinery. <br />
<br />
"How much money will replace 56 years' worth of memories?" life-long resident Kim Rodriguez asked. "I am rich in history here.” <br />
<br />
The refinery outside Marktown also pollutes the air and nearby Lake Michigan. Annually, BP's Whiting Refinery outputs 2.2 million tons of the harmful byproduct petcoke. <br />
<br />
Yet, East Chicagoans are intensely proud of their community. They struggle, certainly, but also thrive and hope for
    EastChicago-05.JPG
  • Sand covers a dead migratory bird along the shore of Lake Michigan. The cause of the death is unknown, though much flora and fauna suffered after a malfunction occurred at the BP Whiting Oil Refinery a month earlier. At least 15 barrels of crude oil spilled into the lake.<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
American industry disproportionately affects the health of minority and low-income communities. East Chicago, Ind. — once the country’s “most industrialized municipality” — offers a view of environmental injustices emerging throughout the Rust Belt. <br />
<br />
Nearly 80 percent of the city’s 11 square miles is zoned for heavy industry. Toxic levels of lead, arsenic and other pollutants contaminate water, soil and air. <br />
<br />
In July 2016, nearly 1,200 people in the West Calumet neighborhood learned that children had blood-lead levels six times the Center for Disease Control’s recommendation for intervention. As mandated, residents began to move, but some remain as they struggle to find housing in the city of 29,000. <br />
<br />
“We feel like we're just being thrown out,” Nayesa Walker said. Her 3-year-old daughter’s blood tested high for lead. <br />
<br />
In a letter to residents, East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland wrote, “your health and safety are my first priority,” but many say they cannot trust the government for basic services. Recently, the Environmental Protection Agency announced some of the city’s drinking water also contains high levels of lead, prompting Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb to declare a disaster emergency for the Superfund site just south of West Calumet. <br />
<br />
Two miles north, the century-old Marktown neighborhood is vanishing. British Petroleum is buying and demolishing the homes surrounding its oil refinery. <br />
<br />
"How much money will replace 56 years' worth of memories?" life-long resident Kim Rodriguez asked. "I am rich in history here.” <br />
<br />
The refinery outside Marktown also pollutes the air and nearby Lake Michigan. Annually, BP's Whiting Refinery outputs 2.2 million tons of t
    EastChicago-06.JPG
  • After living in the West Calumet Housing Complex for the first eight years of his life, Lamont Anderson Jr.'s blood tested high for lead. Embraced by his father, he and his siblings still visit his grandmother in the complex, though they moved to neighboring Gary, Indiana, earlier this summer. <br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
American industry disproportionately affects the health of minority and low-income communities. East Chicago, Ind. — once the country’s “most industrialized municipality” — offers a view of environmental injustices emerging throughout the Rust Belt. <br />
<br />
Nearly 80 percent of the city’s 11 square miles is zoned for heavy industry. Toxic levels of lead, arsenic and other pollutants contaminate water, soil and air. <br />
<br />
In July 2016, nearly 1,200 people in the West Calumet neighborhood learned that children had blood-lead levels six times the Center for Disease Control’s recommendation for intervention. As mandated, residents began to move, but some remain as they struggle to find housing in the city of 29,000. <br />
<br />
“We feel like we're just being thrown out,” Nayesa Walker said. Her 3-year-old daughter’s blood tested high for lead. <br />
<br />
In a letter to residents, East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland wrote, “your health and safety are my first priority,” but many say they cannot trust the government for basic services. Recently, the Environmental Protection Agency announced some of the city’s drinking water also contains high levels of lead, prompting Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb to declare a disaster emergency for the Superfund site just south of West Calumet. <br />
<br />
Two miles north, the century-old Marktown neighborhood is vanishing. British Petroleum is buying and demolishing the homes surrounding its oil refinery. <br />
<br />
"How much money will replace 56 years' worth of memories?" life-long resident Kim Rodriguez asked. "I am rich in history here.” <br />
<br />
The refinery outside Marktown also pollutes the air and nearby Lake Michigan. Annually, BP's Whiting Refinery output
    EastChicago-07.JPG
  • Michael Unger rests alongside a collection of My Little Pony dolls, which his niece Leilany Rodriguez placed in the wheel well of a family vehicle.<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
American industry disproportionately affects the health of minority and low-income communities. East Chicago, Ind. — once the country’s “most industrialized municipality” — offers a view of environmental injustices emerging throughout the Rust Belt. <br />
<br />
Nearly 80 percent of the city’s 11 square miles is zoned for heavy industry. Toxic levels of lead, arsenic and other pollutants contaminate water, soil and air. <br />
<br />
In July 2016, nearly 1,200 people in the West Calumet neighborhood learned that children had blood-lead levels six times the Center for Disease Control’s recommendation for intervention. As mandated, residents began to move, but some remain as they struggle to find housing in the city of 29,000. <br />
<br />
“We feel like we're just being thrown out,” Nayesa Walker said. Her 3-year-old daughter’s blood tested high for lead. <br />
<br />
In a letter to residents, East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland wrote, “your health and safety are my first priority,” but many say they cannot trust the government for basic services. Recently, the Environmental Protection Agency announced some of the city’s drinking water also contains high levels of lead, prompting Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb to declare a disaster emergency for the Superfund site just south of West Calumet. <br />
<br />
Two miles north, the century-old Marktown neighborhood is vanishing. British Petroleum is buying and demolishing the homes surrounding its oil refinery. <br />
<br />
"How much money will replace 56 years' worth of memories?" life-long resident Kim Rodriguez asked. "I am rich in history here.” <br />
<br />
The refinery outside Marktown also pollutes the air and nearby Lake Michigan. Annually, BP's Whiting Refinery outputs 2.2 million tons of the harmful byproduct petcoke. <br />
<br />
Yet, East Chicagoans are intensely proud of their community. They struggle, certainly, but a
    EastChicago-08.JPG
  • From left, friends since childhood, Janae Peyton, 13, Ashanti France, 12, Irene Wooley, 13, and Tniyah Foxx, 12, swing at the park near the West Calumet Housing Complex. The playground is part of the Carrie Gosch Elementary School, which has been turned into an EPA office. "All my memories are here. I've got to move away from my friends," Peyton said. <br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
American industry disproportionately affects the health of minority and low-income communities. East Chicago, Ind. — once the country’s “most industrialized municipality” — offers a view of environmental injustices emerging throughout the Rust Belt. <br />
<br />
Nearly 80 percent of the city’s 11 square miles is zoned for heavy industry. Toxic levels of lead, arsenic and other pollutants contaminate water, soil and air. <br />
<br />
In July 2016, nearly 1,200 people in the West Calumet neighborhood learned that children had blood-lead levels six times the Center for Disease Control’s recommendation for intervention. As mandated, residents began to move, but some remain as they struggle to find housing in the city of 29,000. <br />
<br />
“We feel like we're just being thrown out,” Nayesa Walker said. Her 3-year-old daughter’s blood tested high for lead. <br />
<br />
In a letter to residents, East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland wrote, “your health and safety are my first priority,” but many say they cannot trust the government for basic services. Recently, the Environmental Protection Agency announced some of the city’s drinking water also contains high levels of lead, prompting Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb to declare a disaster emergency for the Superfund site just south of West Calumet. <br />
<br />
Two miles north, the century-old Marktown neighborhood is vanishing. British Petroleum is buying and demolishing the homes surrounding its oil refinery. <br />
<br />
"How much money will replace 56 years' worth of memories?" life-long resident Kim Rodriguez asked. "I am rich in history here.” <br />
<br />
The refinery outside Marktown also pollutes the air and n
    EastChicago-09.JPG
  • The Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal, the largest integrated steelmaking facility in North America, juts out into Lake Michigan and lays 3 miles northeast of the West Calumet Housing Complex. The peninsula is completely manmade, using landfill and industrial byproduct for its foundation.<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
American industry disproportionately affects the health of minority and low-income communities. East Chicago, Ind. — once the country’s “most industrialized municipality” — offers a view of environmental injustices emerging throughout the Rust Belt. <br />
<br />
Nearly 80 percent of the city’s 11 square miles is zoned for heavy industry. Toxic levels of lead, arsenic and other pollutants contaminate water, soil and air. <br />
<br />
In July 2016, nearly 1,200 people in the West Calumet neighborhood learned that children had blood-lead levels six times the Center for Disease Control’s recommendation for intervention. As mandated, residents began to move, but some remain as they struggle to find housing in the city of 29,000. <br />
<br />
“We feel like we're just being thrown out,” Nayesa Walker said. Her 3-year-old daughter’s blood tested high for lead. <br />
<br />
In a letter to residents, East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland wrote, “your health and safety are my first priority,” but many say they cannot trust the government for basic services. Recently, the Environmental Protection Agency announced some of the city’s drinking water also contains high levels of lead, prompting Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb to declare a disaster emergency for the Superfund site just south of West Calumet. <br />
<br />
Two miles north, the century-old Marktown neighborhood is vanishing. British Petroleum is buying and demolishing the homes surrounding its oil refinery. <br />
<br />
"How much money will replace 56 years' worth of memories?" life-long resident Kim Rodriguez asked. "I am rich in history here.” <br />
<br />
The refinery outside Marktown also pollutes the air and nearby Lake Michigan. Annually, BP's Whiting Refinery outputs 2.2 mill
    EastChicago-10.JPG
  • BP expanded its refinery to the northern boundary of Marktown, a 100-year-old workers village in East Chicago, in 2013. In processing tar sands oil, the refinery outputs 2.2 million tons of the harmful byproduct petcoke. <br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
American industry disproportionately affects the health of minority and low-income communities. East Chicago, Ind. — once the country’s “most industrialized municipality” — offers a view of environmental injustices emerging throughout the Rust Belt. <br />
<br />
Nearly 80 percent of the city’s 11 square miles is zoned for heavy industry. Toxic levels of lead, arsenic and other pollutants contaminate water, soil and air. <br />
<br />
In July 2016, nearly 1,200 people in the West Calumet neighborhood learned that children had blood-lead levels six times the Center for Disease Control’s recommendation for intervention. As mandated, residents began to move, but some remain as they struggle to find housing in the city of 29,000. <br />
<br />
“We feel like we're just being thrown out,” Nayesa Walker said. Her 3-year-old daughter’s blood tested high for lead. <br />
<br />
In a letter to residents, East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland wrote, “your health and safety are my first priority,” but many say they cannot trust the government for basic services. Recently, the Environmental Protection Agency announced some of the city’s drinking water also contains high levels of lead, prompting Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb to declare a disaster emergency for the Superfund site just south of West Calumet. <br />
<br />
Two miles north, the century-old Marktown neighborhood is vanishing. British Petroleum is buying and demolishing the homes surrounding its oil refinery. <br />
<br />
"How much money will replace 56 years' worth of memories?" life-long resident Kim Rodriguez asked. "I am rich in history here.” <br />
<br />
The refinery outside Marktown also pollutes the air and nearby Lake Michigan. Annually, BP's Whiting Refinery outputs 2.2 million tons of the harmful byproduct petcoke. <br />
<br />
Yet, East Chicago
    EastChicago-13.JPG
  • The United Steelworkers Local 7-1 picket on Indianapolis Boulevard, which runs alongside BP's Whiting Refinery. Despite bitter February and March temperatures, the union has demonstrated for more than a month outside of the refinery, calling for safer working conditions, including shorter shifts with breaks. Refinery employees complained of exhausting 24-hour shifts and voiced concern over the under-trained contractors who have replaced them during the strike.<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
American industry disproportionately affects the health of minority and low-income communities. East Chicago, Ind. — once the country’s “most industrialized municipality” — offers a view of environmental injustices emerging throughout the Rust Belt. <br />
<br />
Nearly 80 percent of the city’s 11 square miles is zoned for heavy industry. Toxic levels of lead, arsenic and other pollutants contaminate water, soil and air. <br />
<br />
In July 2016, nearly 1,200 people in the West Calumet neighborhood learned that children had blood-lead levels six times the Center for Disease Control’s recommendation for intervention. As mandated, residents began to move, but some remain as they struggle to find housing in the city of 29,000. <br />
<br />
“We feel like we're just being thrown out,” Nayesa Walker said. Her 3-year-old daughter’s blood tested high for lead. <br />
<br />
In a letter to residents, East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland wrote, “your health and safety are my first priority,” but many say they cannot trust the government for basic services. Recently, the Environmental Protection Agency announced some of the city’s drinking water also contains high levels of lead, prompting Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb to declare a disaster emergency for the Superfund site just south of West Calumet. <br />
<br />
Two miles north, the century-old Marktown neighborhood is vanishing. British Petroleum is buying and demolishing the homes surrounding its oil refinery. <br />
<br />
"How much money will replace 56 years' worth of memories?" life-long resident Ki
    EastChicago-14.JPG
  • After living in the West Calumet Housing Complex for the first eight years of his life, Lamont Anderson Jr.'s blood tested high for lead. From inside his grandmother's home at the complex, he plays with his brother Logan Anderson, 19 months.<br />
--<br />
<br />
American industry disproportionately affects the health of minority and low-income communities. East Chicago, Ind. — once the country’s “most industrialized municipality” — offers a view of environmental injustices emerging throughout the Rust Belt. <br />
<br />
Nearly 80 percent of the city’s 11 square miles is zoned for heavy industry. Toxic levels of lead, arsenic and other pollutants contaminate water, soil and air. <br />
<br />
In July 2016, nearly 1,200 people in the West Calumet neighborhood learned that children had blood-lead levels six times the Center for Disease Control’s recommendation for intervention. As mandated, residents began to move, but some remain as they struggle to find housing in the city of 29,000. <br />
<br />
“We feel like we're just being thrown out,” Nayesa Walker said. Her 3-year-old daughter’s blood tested high for lead. <br />
<br />
In a letter to residents, East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland wrote, “your health and safety are my first priority,” but many say they cannot trust the government for basic services. Recently, the Environmental Protection Agency announced some of the city’s drinking water also contains high levels of lead, prompting Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb to declare a disaster emergency for the Superfund site just south of West Calumet. <br />
<br />
Two miles north, the century-old Marktown neighborhood is vanishing. British Petroleum is buying and demolishing the homes surrounding its oil refinery. <br />
<br />
"How much money will replace 56 years' worth of memories?" life-long resident Kim Rodriguez asked. "I am rich in history here.” <br />
<br />
The refinery outside Marktown also pollutes the air and nearby Lake Michigan. Annually, BP's Whiting Refinery outputs 2.2 million tons of the harmful byproduct petcoke. <br />
    EastChicago-15.JPG
  • Ryan Rodriguez embraces Adriana Munoz with whom he has a one-year-old son. The two both grew up in Marktown and have known each other most of their lives. Munoz said of living in Marktown, "I think the main thing is it being family-oriented. Whether you're blood or not, everyone has a strong connection. We all take care of one another. If somebody needs something down the block, we're all going to help you."<br />
<br />
||||<br />
<br />
BP expanded its refinery to the northern boundary of Marktown in 2013. Well within a disaster blast zone, the neighborhood is a liability for BP. The firm has offered between $4,545 and $30,000 for the properties, which is not enough to buy an equivalent home, especially on a fixed income. Residents say they have felt more vulnerable with each of the nearly 20 buildings demolished in the past year.<br />
<br />
Many homeowners, including some whose families have lived in the neighborhood for four or five generations, are rallying to save Marktown, though the steel and oil industriesÌ pollution continues to plague their health. Tar sands oil production is a particularly dirty process, and after the plant expansion, the refinery is more than tripling its output of petcoke to 2.2 million tons a year. And though the steel industry employs fewer people now than fifty years ago, its productivity has increased. East Chicago air tests among the stateÌs highest in levels of cadmium, lead and other airborne toxins.
    EastChicago-16.JPG
  • Contractors for the EPA test soil in a home in Zone 2 in the West Calumet neighborhood. The EPA has classified three zones of concern related to the 79-acre Superfund site where a USS Lead facility once stood.<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
American industry disproportionately affects the health of minority and low-income communities. East Chicago, Ind. — once the country’s “most industrialized municipality” — offers a view of environmental injustices emerging throughout the Rust Belt. <br />
<br />
Nearly 80 percent of the city’s 11 square miles is zoned for heavy industry. Toxic levels of lead, arsenic and other pollutants contaminate water, soil and air. <br />
<br />
In July 2016, nearly 1,200 people in the West Calumet neighborhood learned that children had blood-lead levels six times the Center for Disease Control’s recommendation for intervention. As mandated, residents began to move, but some remain as they struggle to find housing in the city of 29,000. <br />
<br />
“We feel like we're just being thrown out,” Nayesa Walker said. Her 3-year-old daughter’s blood tested high for lead. <br />
<br />
In a letter to residents, East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland wrote, “your health and safety are my first priority,” but many say they cannot trust the government for basic services. Recently, the Environmental Protection Agency announced some of the city’s drinking water also contains high levels of lead, prompting Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb to declare a disaster emergency for the Superfund site just south of West Calumet. <br />
<br />
Two miles north, the century-old Marktown neighborhood is vanishing. British Petroleum is buying and demolishing the homes surrounding its oil refinery. <br />
<br />
"How much money will replace 56 years' worth of memories?" life-long resident Kim Rodriguez asked. "I am rich in history here.” <br />
<br />
The refinery outside Marktown also pollutes the air and nearby Lake Michigan. Annually, BP's Whiting Refinery outputs 2.2 million tons of the harmful byproduct petcoke. <br />
<br />
Yet, East Chicagoans are inten
    EastChicago-17.JPG
  • Stephanie King visits the East Chicago Housing Authority's West Calumet Management Office as she prepares to move her five children out of the neighborhood. Two and a half years ago, King left Chicago's South Side to find a safer environment for her children, but her youngest son, Josiah King, 3, pictured at right, had blood lead levels test results above the CDC’s threshold for action. <br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
American industry disproportionately affects the health of minority and low-income communities. East Chicago, Ind. — once the country’s “most industrialized municipality” — offers a view of environmental injustices emerging throughout the Rust Belt. <br />
<br />
Nearly 80 percent of the city’s 11 square miles is zoned for heavy industry. Toxic levels of lead, arsenic and other pollutants contaminate water, soil and air. <br />
<br />
In July 2016, nearly 1,200 people in the West Calumet neighborhood learned that children had blood-lead levels six times the Center for Disease Control’s recommendation for intervention. As mandated, residents began to move, but some remain as they struggle to find housing in the city of 29,000. <br />
<br />
“We feel like we're just being thrown out,” Nayesa Walker said. Her 3-year-old daughter’s blood tested high for lead. <br />
<br />
In a letter to residents, East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland wrote, “your health and safety are my first priority,” but many say they cannot trust the government for basic services. Recently, the Environmental Protection Agency announced some of the city’s drinking water also contains high levels of lead, prompting Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb to declare a disaster emergency for the Superfund site just south of West Calumet. <br />
<br />
Two miles north, the century-old Marktown neighborhood is vanishing. British Petroleum is buying and demolishing the homes surrounding its oil refinery. <br />
<br />
"How much money will replace 56 years' worth of memories?" life-long resident Kim Rodriguez asked. "I am rich in history here.” <br />
<br />
The refinery outsid
    EastChicago-18.JPG
  • In a letter to residents, East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland wrote, “your health and safety are my first priority,” but many say they cannot trust the government for basic services. Recently, the Environmental Protection Agency announced some of the city’s drinking water also contains high levels of lead, prompting Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb to declare a disaster emergency for the Superfund site just south of West Calumet. <br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
American industry disproportionately affects the health of minority and low-income communities. East Chicago, Ind. — once the country’s “most industrialized municipality” — offers a view of environmental injustices emerging throughout the Rust Belt. <br />
<br />
Nearly 80 percent of the city’s 11 square miles is zoned for heavy industry. Toxic levels of lead, arsenic and other pollutants contaminate water, soil and air. <br />
<br />
In July 2016, nearly 1,200 people in the West Calumet neighborhood learned that children had blood-lead levels six times the Center for Disease Control’s recommendation for intervention. As mandated, residents began to move, but some remain as they struggle to find housing in the city of 29,000. <br />
<br />
“We feel like we're just being thrown out,” Nayesa Walker said. Her 3-year-old daughter’s blood tested high for lead. <br />
<br />
In a letter to residents, East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland wrote, “your health and safety are my first priority,” but many say they cannot trust the government for basic services. Recently, the Environmental Protection Agency announced some of the city’s drinking water also contains high levels of lead, prompting Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb to declare a disaster emergency for the Superfund site just south of West Calumet. <br />
<br />
Two miles north, the century-old Marktown neighborhood is vanishing. British Petroleum is buying and demolishing the homes surrounding its oil refinery. <br />
<br />
"How much money will replace 56 years' worth of memories?" life-long resident Kim Rodriguez asked. "I am rich
    EastChicago-19.JPG
  • During a family barbecue, Michael Unger Jr. stands with his two-year-old cousin Ryan Rodriguez Jr. during the Fourth of July in Marktown.<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
American industry disproportionately affects the health of minority and low-income communities. East Chicago, Ind. — once the country’s “most industrialized municipality” — offers a view of environmental injustices emerging throughout the Rust Belt. <br />
<br />
Nearly 80 percent of the city’s 11 square miles is zoned for heavy industry. Toxic levels of lead, arsenic and other pollutants contaminate water, soil and air. <br />
<br />
In July 2016, nearly 1,200 people in the West Calumet neighborhood learned that children had blood-lead levels six times the Center for Disease Control’s recommendation for intervention. As mandated, residents began to move, but some remain as they struggle to find housing in the city of 29,000. <br />
<br />
“We feel like we're just being thrown out,” Nayesa Walker said. Her 3-year-old daughter’s blood tested high for lead. <br />
<br />
In a letter to residents, East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland wrote, “your health and safety are my first priority,” but many say they cannot trust the government for basic services. Recently, the Environmental Protection Agency announced some of the city’s drinking water also contains high levels of lead, prompting Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb to declare a disaster emergency for the Superfund site just south of West Calumet. <br />
<br />
Two miles north, the century-old Marktown neighborhood is vanishing. British Petroleum is buying and demolishing the homes surrounding its oil refinery. <br />
<br />
"How much money will replace 56 years' worth of memories?" life-long resident Kim Rodriguez asked. "I am rich in history here.” <br />
<br />
The refinery outside Marktown also pollutes the air and nearby Lake Michigan. Annually, BP's Whiting Refinery outputs 2.2 million tons of the harmful byproduct petcoke. <br />
<br />
Yet, East Chicagoans are intensely proud of their community. They struggle, certainly, but also thrive
    EastChicago-20.JPG
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