Zalaka Thompson lives less than a mile from the biggest oil refinery on the East Coast. Though the Schuylkill Expressway separates her home from the Philadelphia Energy Solutions (PES) crude facility, she feels its presence daily. Her 14-year old son has asthma and carries an inhaler with him at all times, on the doctor’s orders. And some mornings, she can’t keep her windows open for long without smelling gas or sulfur. “I like to open my windows for fresh air, but sometimes I have to close them,” she says.
WHYY: “With South Philadelphia Refinery In Bankruptcy Proceedings, Neighbors See An Opportunity For Cleaner Air”
January 31, 2018