North and Northeast Minneapolis have an industrial air pollution problem, and a new study indicates that residents near the Lowry Ave. Bridge may be paying with their lives.
The Environmental Impact Study compares four census tracts surrounding the Lowry Bridge on both sides of the river to data from a same-sized control area in Mound, Minnesota. Results show a rate of air pollution related deaths in the Lowry area census tracts as 330 percent higher than the rate of air pollution related deaths in the Mound area. Overall cancer deaths are 310 percent higher in the Lowry area than in the Mound area while death rates from asthma are 844 percent higher than in the Mound area.
| Per 100,000 | All Deaths | All Cancers | Lung Cancer | Leukemia | Bladder Cancer | Asthma | Other Cancer | Air Pollution Related
Deaths |
| CT1005 Marshall Terrace | 790.02 | 172.17 | 49.88 | 0.00 | 2.45 | 4.99 | 119.85 | 57.31 |
| CT1009 McKinley | 901.50 | 177.33 | 42.43 | 2.26 | 1.33 | 1.33 | 122.50 | 45.08 |
| CT1016 Hawthorne | 2110.51 | 325.31 | 93.20 | 7.92 | 10.40 | 7.92 | 213.79 | 111.52 |
| CT1017 Bottineau | 1207.24 | 249.66 | 73.26 | 4.49 | 11.91 | 0.00 | 160.00 | 85.17 |
| Lowry Area Census Tracts | 1103 | 212.15 | 58.19 | 5.33 | 5.18 | 2.28 | 142.98 | 65.67 |
| Mound Area Census Tracts |
238.47 | 68.40 | 17.89 | .98 | 1.77 | .27 | 47.96 | 19.93 |
| Minnesota | 651.5* | 161+ | 40.4+ | 7.64+ | 4.04+ | ___ | ___ | ___ |
| US Overall | 747* | 171.7* | 47.4* | 6.9* | 4.4* | ___ | ___ | ___ |
*Data from 2010 only
+Data from 2009-2013
East Side Environmental Quality of Life (EEQL) is a group of concerned citizens from neighborhoods near the Lowry Avenue Bridge on both sides of the river who are working to solve serious air pollution concerns in their communities. Funded and coordinated by the Bottineau Neighborhood Association (BNA), Phase One of EEQL’s Cancer and Air Pollution Death Study is now complete. Except where noted, data in the table above (95 percent confidence, 1.96 percent margin of error) was derived from 19 years of vital statistics provided by the Minnesota Department of Health. For statistical comparison to other epidemiological studies, all data is calculated at a rate of occurrence per 100,000 residents.
The study’s research coordinator, Tonye Slyvanus, is a Master of Public Health candidate at the University of Minnesota and a practicing MD from Nigeria. He was assisted by Stephanie Yuen, a BNA and EEQL volunteer who has a Master of Public Health degree focused on biostatistics and epidemiology from Oregon Science and Health University.
The next phase of EEQL’s cancer study will be to interview residents and former residents in the four Lowry census tracts indicated above to determine the extent of cancer illnesses among the living. People who are willing to volunteer for phase two of this study should contact Bottineau Neighborhood Association at 612-367-7262 and leave a message, or email bna@bottineauneighborhood.org. Duties will include mailing out the cancer survey, follow-up phoning of residents, Facebook and social media outreach, and neighborhood canvassing.