Seattle Daily Photo

If you don’t have asthma then you know someone who does. Many of us with sensitive lungs suffer from all the particulate matter floating in the air around Puget Sound. Here’s a map showing how many people are likely per million to develop cancer from particulate matter pollutants living in highlighted areas. In the hopes that more will be done to convert to alternative fuel sources and crackdown on habitual commerical polluters I have included photos of my personal experience with particulate matter in mid-Seattle.

Ships. A few feet away mammoth cruise ships attach themselves to Pier like leeches and belch out a mixture of 16,000 gallons of raw human waste into our Sound. They dock and emit a dense oily plume of diesel smoke that settles over everything in Belltown in an ignaminous mantle. Our dependence on this industry to bring $ to our local economy is in need of questioning. Estimates range from $40-$75 million annually in cruise ship income. But at what cost to our environment and quality of life?

30 days accumulation of particulate air matter on my A/C filter from July 5 to August 4, 2007 . Note the cruise ship at Pier 66 in the background. Beyond are rows of the orange colored diesel-powered cranes that work continuously to unload container ships into the Port. The Alaska Way Viaduct is just out of frame to the left.

Cars and freight trains. If you live anywhere along the water north of Georgetown and south of the Ship Canal Bridge you are in the highest category of risk for inhaling toxic cancer-causing carcinogens in the form of particulate matter. The greatest contributor to air pollution is traffic.

bumper stickers. Yep, we’ve seen ‘em. Love it you may, but from 7-9am and 4-7pm the Alaska Way Viaduct becomes a parking lot. It is well known that Alaska Way Viaduct is a crumbling anachronism that needs to be torn down and replaced with a thoroughfare that allows safe and attractive access to Seattle’s greatest asset - our waterfront. But the voters who don’t use it don’t want to pay for a replacement. And those who commute over it to reach their homes in Seattle’s bedroom communities enjoy the water view too much. But replacing it must happen, and can be done well. I refer you to Seattle’s new Sculpture Garden which has successfully joined pedestrian with waterfront access. People are even holding their wedding receptions at the Sculpture Park ~ though it’s difficult to ignore the blasts of the train horns passing below. Ultimately this park is successful in conquering the eyesore and danger of the Burlington Northern freight trains bogarting our city waterfront.

These freight trains are nothing less than a blight on this city. The noise, the pollution, the ugliness. The usurpation of waterfront access. A problem without solution it seems as the city has leased its waterfront in perpetuity to a set of train tracks. Talk is of a 3rd rail to be added to the existing set, devouring even more the residential front yards and small gardens planted along these tracks. All for freight traffic. What a shame that the means for cleaner, faster, cheaper transportation is within our grasp via Amtrack commuter trains. The ride and clean and smooth and quiet as a ghost on rails with views of nesting eagles and Puget Sound to boot. Yet Amtrack appears to have all but foundered due to the lack of ridership on this route.

Planes. Just to the south we have 2 major airports filling the skies with constant air traffic. Here is a map of Seatac’s jet air traffic from 6am to 10pm. Red paths are arrivals, green are departures. Is it any wonder that jet fuel shows up in breast milk?

Events and construction in the downtown core. In addition to the habitual purveyors of pollution bisecting our city ( I-5 and Aurora), we also have event pollution: the Blue Angels, fireworks downtown for the opening of Christmas shopping season (Macy’s), New Year’s Eve (Space Needle), simultaneous 4th of July displays by Ivar’s, AT&T (Gasworks sponsored by WaMu this year).

Construction pollution. Diesel cranes blot the skies in the downtown core. In a class by itself is the rampant development of the downtown core, each project spewing large quantities of dust, dirt, and diesel into the air in order to build their plethora of 1 million dollar shoebox condos after the recent coup in lifting building height limits…though nothing has changed the downtown core to make it more liveable. The sidewalks and alleys are still as dirty, loud and crime-ridden as ever.

As for the amenities to serve all those new downtown condos, well, eh…The new designated Belltown dog park is a mecca for the local pitbull population and other ill-willed dogs that circle the woodchipped dirt mounds enclosed by cyclone fencing. The much touted new Whole Foods location on Denny is woefully short on familial comestibles. Toothpaste is a rarity here. There is one kind of diaper. Recyclable of course. Here you CAN have your pick of single person’s meals on the go as well as 100 different kinds of energy bars. There is hope that they will expand their local and organic food sections from the current anemic offerings. But its worth the visit simply to regard a tower of oranges prominently labeled “Conventially Grown in California”. Without Organic, there would be no definition for Conventionally Grown, now would there?

So we are left scratching our heads at the quality of life currently offered in Seattle. Are we to fall in line with the mayor and governer’s plans to expand the downtown core in density housing yet suffer from the lack of green spaces and the inability to enjoy a family experience? Just when are there ENOUGH high-end shoebox condos with parking spaces just big enough for a motorcycle? If we are supposed to walk to all our amenities, as the mayor planned, don’t those amenities need to be able to service all of us, not just the 20-something set driving around the latest Hummer until they find a valet? Eventually the 20-something Hummer driver in search of a party in Bell Town must learn to slow down for news anchor Steve Raible walking his dog after work.

This entry was posted Saturday, August 4th, 2007 at 10:30 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.