No air quality alarms in study

The concentration of industrial particles flying over Charleston, even in Neck Area neighborhoods where there has been great concern over air pollution, is comparable to that in other Southeastern port cities, a state health study has found.

The results are part of testing done ahead of the new port facility planned for the former Navy base. The purpose was to set a "baseline" for following how air quality might change in the Neck as the port terminal comes on line.

It was based on measuring stations set up in Accabee, Chicora-Cherokee, Howard Heights and Union Heights.

A state health official who briefed residents Tuesday said that for the most part, Charleston's air particle concentration is better than in most cities in the state, with industrialized Greenville among the worst.

Charleston "and the coast is blessed by sea breezes," said Scott Reynolds, director of the Division of Air Quality Analysis at the Department of Health and Environmental Control.

The tests, conducted over several months beginning last year, did not measure specific toxins, only particle concentrations. They showed significant fluctuations tied to the clock, seemingly rising around times of the daily rush hours as car and truck traffic increases.

The briefing, held at the St. Matthew Baptist Church Fellowship Hall, was part of a continuing effort to monitor air pollution around the Neck.

Another air quality project, announced last month, is an Environmental Protection Agency plan to monitor air outside North Charleston's Chicora Elementary School. It is part of a nationwide effort to determine if toxic releases from industries pose health hazards to children.

Chicora Elementary is in a low-income neighborhood near the old Navy base and is the only school in South Carolina on the EPA's testing list. It fared poorly in a report by USA Today and several universities that said the air outside hundreds of schools in South Carolina and elsewhere had high levels of toxic chemicals.

Various attendees at the meeting said they remained concerned about chemical levels in North Charleston, with some citing media reports and mixed messages on how severe the problems are and how to address them as they are verified.