The West Side of Buffalo is speedily being considered for major changes in its landscape which seek to offset a residential tax base community area close to the Peace Bridge and allow its bridge operational expansion.
Questions remain over the debate of the effect the 24-7 idling diesel trucks have with their diesel particulate emissions following a trail of southwesterly winds combing an entire west side of Buffalo.
A renowned University of Buffalo professor and medical doctor specializing in asthma delivered a report On This Day, October 25, a year ago to the American College of Chest Physicians on the incidence of asthma among youth in WNY.
Jamson S. Lwebuga-Mukasa MD, PhD’s study, “Crude Asthma Incidence Rates Among Buffalo, NY Children” cited that Western New York and the City of Buffalo residents “have high asthma prevalence and health care utilization rates for asthma.”
The purpose of this study was to determine the crude asthma incidence rate among children. A cross-sectional study design was used. An 18-item survey including demographic information, asthma diagnosis, asthma symptoms, health care utilization and household triggers were included. Crude incidence was defined as the percentage of new cases of asthma diagnosed by a physician in the past 12 months over the total number of children without previously diagnosed asthma.
RESULTS: The study reports that “there were 5427 children ages 4 to 14 years, mean 7.6 _2.7 included in the analysis. Of the children, 38% were African American, 24% Caucasian, 24% Latino/Hispanic, and 14% other race/ethnicity; 49% were males. The overall crude asthma incidence was 8.2%. There was a 22.3% overall asthma prevalence. Latino/Hispanics had the highest crude asthma incidence, 14.0% compared to 6% for African Americans, 6.7% for Caucasians and 6.8% for other race (x2_63.03, df_3, p_.00). A logistic regression analysis indicated that the reported presence of allergy symptoms (B_2.8, S.E._.13, p_.00), cockroaches in the home (B_.59, S.E._.25, p_.02), being of Latino/Hispanic decent (B_.775, S.E._.14, p_.00), and having a mother with diagnosed asthma (B_.58, S.E._.15, p_.00), were most strongly associated with newly diagnosed asthma. Pets in the home, mice/rat infestations, home environmental tobacco smoke exposure and carpeting were not statistically significant in the model.”
CONCLUSION: Latino/Hispanic children residing in the City of Buffalo have a high crude asthma incidence rate.
CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: It was determined that a prospective cohort study investigating the genetic, behavioral, and environmental factors that directly
contribute to the clinical onset of asthma is needed.
For the record, Dr. Llewbuga-Mukasa is affiliated with the Center for Asthma and Environmental Exposure, Lung Biology Research Program, Pulmonary and Critical Care Division, Department of Internal Medicine, University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Kaleida Health Buffalo General Divis, Buffalo, New York.
In another well known (internationally) abstract entitled: “Traffic volumes and respiratory health care utilization among residents in close proximity to the Peace Bridge before and after September 11, 2001,” Dr. Llewbuga-Mukasa reported the following findings in the Journal of Asthma:
A recent study based on data over a 10-year period (1991-2000) showed a positive association between health care utilization and prevalence of asthma, and commercial traffic at a U.S.-Canada border crossing. We wanted to determine whether decreases in total traffic would also be associated with decreases in health care utilization for respiratory illnesses.
Following September 11, 2001, there was a 50% drop in total traffic at the Peace Bridge border crossing point between Buffalo, New York and Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada. To investigate the impact of such a traffic decline on health care utilization for respiratory illnesses, weekly respiratory admissions to Kaleida Health System, Western New York’s largest health care provider were analyzed according to ICD9CM classification and compared with total weekly traffic volumes for 3-month periods in 2000 and 2001 (August, September, and October).
The total number of patients admitted to hospital or seen in emergency departments for respiratory illnesses during the 3-month periods of both years was 5288. A 50% drop in total traffic following Labor Day and September 11, 2001, from week 4 to week 7 was found to be statistically significant (p = 0.031) when a one-way ANOVA was performed. Likewise, the drop in total respiratory cases approached statistical significance (p = 0.052) when a one-way ANOVA was conducted.
The results suggest an association between decrease in traffic volumes with decrease in health care utilization for respiratory diseases. These results suggest that current levels of traffic may be impacting on the respiratory health of residents in the nearby community.”
Teams from Harvard and Clarkson have come to Buffalo’s west side to study the asthma prevalence in recent years. It seems to be a veritable Ground Zero for asthma and respiratory distresses.
I spoke to Dr Chris Somers from McMaster’s University in Hamilton about his report on diesel particulates combing off the QEW in that region. His widely reported study showed two sets of lab mice whereby one was provided with HEPA air purification filtering, and the other was allowed to take in the off-highway particulate-filled air, which resulted in abnormal genetic offspring. Speculate easily that the same conditions, doubled by a constant air flow of diesel particulates over the west side landscape, must have deleterious health effects.
Is there an option to the ongoing problems that are sure to only get worse if the bridge expands as planned?
Well, there may just be a solution, though it’s rarely optioned in public discourse. But what if, just say, we were to rebuild a dynamic new bridge where the current Peace Bridge stands. And what if the Ambassador Bridge were also built, with its eager private funds? Now what if the Peace Bridge allowed car traffic and the Ambassador controlled all the truck traffic?
The Ambassador Bridge is designed to build the trade and manufacturing sector of the commercial and industrial district it seeks to find home upon; which in effect lures business development where it is needed the most. Currently the Peace Bridge trucks don’t even stop for gas as they move on from our area.
That could be a good health solution, in a nutshell. All other arguments serve only good wealth solutions—but to whose wealth? Not yours or mine.
Supporting the Peace Bridge intentions without proper debate is all rather like the scene of the nervous mayor in the movie Jaws who desperately tells the sheriff:
“This is tourist season, damnit—don’t mention the word shark again. My very own kids will be here tomorrow swimming on this very beach.” (sort of like: “There’s no diesel particulate issue—and even if there were, the particulates are tiny—so have a deep breath, and build the damn bridge!”)
Those ever so tiny particulates are among the most prevalent and poisonous human intakes on earth. Lawsuits are popping up in Japan and elsewhere over diesel particulates poisoning communities. Asthma experts the world over agree to its exacerbating consequences on asthma.
Yet Buffalo is moving ahead in a direction that would seem we don’t have a choice.
Do we?
If we could really openly bridge this debate, we might yet see two beautiful bridges being built. One would be for cars, community and good health; the other, a ways down river, for trucks, industry and commerce that engages Buffalo to the world.