As a resident of South Portland, a parent of an elementary school child and a home care provider in South Portland, I want to express my support and appreciation for every effort the Department of Environmental Protection is making to end the dangerous pollution that the people in our community are exposed to.
I am most concerned about my son, the children in my care, as well as all the elderly folks in my neighborhood. I happen to live near the Betsy Ross House and I have several elderly neighbors; we all have to breathe these toxic fumes. The tank emissions have multiple toxic chemicals and we have been shown that the resulting cumulative effect is more damaging than a single chemical exposure.
David Falatko, an expert on environmental engineering, has proposed a new method for emissions testing and control. His proposal identifies how, with two limited modifications, the proposed equipment would be able to directly measure, as well as treat, the toxic emissions coming out of the heated tanks. The heated tanks are viewed as being responsible for the largest portion of the total oil tank emissions. This seems like a sound solution to me.
Now, more than ever, as we all struggle through this dangerous and uncertain time, we would be very grateful for all of the DEP’s efforts. We can’t lose sight of this during this pandemic!
Martha Baldwin
South Portland
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