A bird’s-eye view over Kalamazoo’s Northside neighborhood shows rows of homes and a playground just steps away from a massive paper manufacturing plant.
The plant, owned by Graphic Packaging International, has been blamed for releasing odors neighbors describe as smelling “rotten” or like “bad garbage or wet, moldy clothing.”
MLive’s latest documentary examines why the odor situation is raising concerns of environmental racism in the community, and the steps the city and the company are taking to address it.
The predominately Black Northside neighborhood has a history of social and health inequities. It sits within the 49007 ZIP code, which has the lowest life expectancy in the region.
Asthma hospitalization rates in the ZIP code are the highest in Kalamazoo, five times higher than in two neighboring ZIP codes.
The paper mill has racked up eight odor code violations from state regulators since 2010. The odors are believed to be from hydrogen sulfide, an unregulated gas that has been associated with respiratory problems at higher concentrations.
State and federal toxicologists are currently studying whether the amount of hydrogen sulfide that has been detected in the area poses a public health risk.
Graphic Packaging tells MLive it does not agree it was the source of the odors in all eight instances, and says it has been working with experts and consultants over the past year to make significant improvements to reduce potential odors.
This is the second in a two-part video series on the fight for environmental justice in Michigan. Click here to watch the first video, about Detroit residents living in the shadow of Michigan’s only oil refinery.
Related: Environmental injustice and racism in Michigan: A new MLive documentary
Lori Chapman is a producer on MLive’s video team.