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About the Lawsuit
On December 22, 2004, the law firm of Olson, Bzdok and Howard filed
a class action lawsuit against Severstal
North America for significantly contributing to the poor air
quality in the South
Dearborn neighborhood.
Read
the Complaint filed in Wayne County Circuit Court.
Ahmed et al v. Severstal North America, Inc.
Read the Request
to the Court seeking class certification for the case on behalf
of the residents of the neighborhood, filed on April 19, 2005, in
Wayne County Circuit Court.
Severstal has opposed the requested to certify the class; read
the Response
to Severstal's opposition.
If you live in the
South Dearborn neighborhood, please print and then take a few
minutes to fill out this survey.
Please send it back to the address noted in the survey.
News links:
Residents
Win Fight with Plant
Detroit News. February 27, 2006.
Severstal
Nears Settlement In Suit Brought By Neighborhood Dearborn
Press & Guide Newspapers. January 2006.
Fresh
Air for South Dearborn
Sierra Magazine. October 2005
Gasping
for air: Asthma afflicts 9% of Michigan residents, up 15% from late
1980s
Detroit News. September 18, 2005
Severstal
wins tax incentive to upgrade mill
Detroit Free Press. June 22, 2005
Residents
hope lawsuit will clear air
Press & Guide Newspapers. May 1, 2005
Class
action sought in pollution suit
Press & Guide Newspapers. April 28, 2005
Severstal
plant in Mich. target of pollution suit
American Metal Market. Feb 8, 2005
Steel
mill soot galvanizes Dearborn's south end
Detroit News. February 6, 2005
Metro
Latinos, Arabs join forces to fight dirty air
Detroit News. November 22, 2004
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Scientific Reports and Documents
Fine Particulates
Documents
"Fine particulates" essentially means very
small dust that can be breathed deep into the lungs and body. The
United States has only very recently begun to regulate fine particulates.
One of the first steps in regulating any pollutant is to decide
which counties do not meet the national standard. In letters between
the EPA
and the DEQ, the DEQ argues that it is local sources that make
the air quality in Wayne County "non-attainment." The EPA declared
7 counties to be "non-attainment" for fine particulates. The next
step will be for the DEQ to draft a plan to improve air quality
so that the standards will be met.
Fine
Particulate Matter In Urban Areas of the Upper Midwest
Lake Michigan Air Directors Consortium, (February 12, 2004)
This report documents the relative concentration
of different pollutants within the air in various midwestern cities
including Detroit and specifically Dearborn.
The
Particle Pollution Report: Current Understanding of Air Quality
and Emissions through 2003
Environmental Protection Agency (December 2004)
This report provides an overview of particulate pollution,
information related to the regulation of particulates, and some
predications about future particulate pollution in the United States.
Michigan
Annual Air Quality Reports
Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (2000,
2001, 2002, and 2003)
The DEQ annual Air Quality Reports summarize extensive
data about air quality in Michigan and include information about
how the State monitors different air pollutants in the state. The
Reports also compare the pollution levels at different locations
in Michigan, including at the Dearborn monitor (located at the Salina
School).
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Current Air Quality in the Neighborhood
Click here
to see a real time report of the air quality in the neighborhood.
Scroll down past the Michigan map to the local monitoring
site, select "Wayne County, Dearborn, PM2.5" (or PM10) to see the
current levels of fine (PM2.5) or course (PM10) particles in the
air.
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Contacts and Questions
This class action lawsuit is being prosecuted by attorneys and
staff at Olson, Bzdok & Howard, P.C. (Chris Bzdok, Tracy Andrews,
Mike Grant, and Ruth Ann Liebziet), in partnership with the attorneys
from the lawfirm Calligaro & Meyering, P.C. (Steve
Chiasson and Julie Calligaro)
734/283-2727.
Contact us or send us your questions, at: airquality@envlaw.com
Last updated
01/22/06
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