Fox Point Air Quality

Submitted by lightningbolt1987 t3_114o1iv in providence

I’ve been living in Fox Point and often smell fumes in the air. When I look at the air quality map I see the air quality in the neighborhood is regularly terrible: like worse than New York and LA, and “hazardous” level.

Yet, my neighbors don’t know anything about it and I can’t find anything online about it. I assume it’s from the same chemical storage units in ProvPort with which Washington Park residents are concerned and the winds blow it north and it hits the hill.

Why isn’t this a bigger issue? This seems like class action lawsuit stuff if asthma-inducing or carcinogenic chemicals are in the air. Anyone have any resources about this issue?

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downpat t1_j8xi7rd wrote

You’re facing two major highways and a petroleum port right down there - makes sense that the air is horrible…

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lightningbolt1987 OP t1_j8xj3pl wrote

Agreed but the petroleum port seems like the delta and there’s not much written about it for fox point, more for Washington park.

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beta_vulgaris t1_j8yflyy wrote

This is a frequent topic of discussion at the Washington Park Association meetings (feel free to come - we often get people from outside the neighborhood who have concerns about the port!). What we have been told is that the chemical smell is coming from asphalt production from the Narragansett Improvement Company, located along the water at the apex of Upper South Providence, The Jewelry District, and Fox Point.

The smell used to be infrequent and less intense, but apparently a few years back they changed something about the method of production which has increased its frequency and intensity. They tell us that the smell is "not harmful", but Washington Park has one of the highest childhood asthma rates in the entire state. Also, when the smell is so overwhelming that you can't sit on your front porch, or hang out in your back yard, it is at the very least diminishing our quality of life.

The city decided long ago (even before I-95 was built) that this area of the city was a dumping ground and convincing them otherwise is nearly impossible because the neighborhoods most affected are high poverty and therefore the least important constituents to the powers that be.

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[deleted] t1_j8x36l6 wrote

[deleted]

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Proof-Variation7005 t1_j8xc0gj wrote

>clear all the boards and state agencies of hold overs and clean out the trash.

I can see no possible downsides of clearing anyone with a hint knowledge and experience. That certainly won't backfire at all.

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geffe71 t1_j8ynn6l wrote

It’s the asphalt plant. Been like that for decades

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boiler49 t1_j8xdtie wrote

How can you simultaneously see hazardous levels on an air quality map and not find anything online about it? I’ve been checking regularly the last few weeks and it hasn’t been elevated at all, and there’s definitely no indication of hazardous levels anywhere near here.

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lightningbolt1987 OP t1_j8xpdn1 wrote

Go onto purple air.com. It regularly passes 100. Not hazardous “wrong term” but poor air quality.

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Tightlittlemeow t1_j8z02fm wrote

I’m sure someone paid for it to say that. Welcome to RI.

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lightningbolt1987 OP t1_j8xfwyg wrote

I mean I haven’t seen anything online about problematic air quality in fox point and barely anything about it in Providence. It constantly smells like gas fumes in the neighborhood and it’s not because of 195–I’ve lived near other highways before without encountering this issue.

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cannolifan t1_j8xsn5o wrote

There is an asphalt plant off Allen’s Ave that I think is the source of a lot of the fume stench - not 100% sure though

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laurarose81 t1_j918akn wrote

Sometimes the smell of gas fumes when I’m driving on 95N then the 195 exit is super strong. I always wondered if it was from those white holding tanks off Allen’s Ave. And I know what you mean it’s not car gas, it’s like a natural gas smell. I’ve never smelled it when I’m in Fox point, but Probably just haven’t been there at those times when it smells.

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EColli93 t1_j8zfo85 wrote

It’s terrible! We had two years of respite from it due to COVID/no cars but it’s back as bad as 2019 now. Ugggh

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SonoSnappy t1_j8y6xg9 wrote

also those natural gas tanks are part of it.

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Aquarium_drinker23 t1_j8zgq1n wrote

One website to check air quality is Purple Air (https://map.purpleair.com/1/mAQI/a60/p604800/cC0). The Fox Point neighborhood is often in the yellow/orange/red zones. The main pollutant is PM2.5. I’ve had to use an inhaler for the first time in my adult life since moving here. It’s surprising this isn’t more broadly talked about…

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TwainVonnegut t1_j90aqpe wrote

I’ve lived in Fox Point between Governor and Ives for 12 years and have never noticed a problem with the air quality.

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