AFTER AN EXPLOSION AT A FACTORY OUTSIDE OF PITTSBURGH KILLED TWO WORKERS AND HOSPITALIZED TEN OTHERS THIS WEEK, SOME AIR QUALITY ADVOCATES ARE DEMANDING ANSWERS ABOUT THE FACTORY’S FUTURE.

SOUNDBITE (English) Matthew Mehalik, Executive Director, Breath Project:

“We’ve been concerned about this plant for years. The first thing is the community health harms need to come to a close and the worker health harms as well too.

THE U.S. STEEL CLAIRTON COKE PLANT BAKES COAL IN SPECIAL OVENS FOR HOURS AT HIGH TEMPERATURES TO REMOVE IMPURITIES THAT COULD OTHERWISE WEAKEN STEEL.

THE PROCESS CREATES COKE GAS, WHICH IS LINKED TO CERTAIN CANCERS AND RESPIRATORY PROBLEMS ACCORDING TO THE U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY.

THE BREATHE PROJECT, AN ORGANIZATION WORKING TO IMPROVE THE AIR QUALITY IN SOUTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA, CAUGHT THE MOMENT THE EXPLOSION OCCURRED.

THEY SAY IT DEMONSTRATES A PATTERN OF UNDERINVESTMENT IN THE PLANT BY U.S. STEEL.

SOUNDBITE (English) Matthew Mehalik, Executive Director, Breath Project:

“You have a plant that is so old and in such bad shape and now after this incident, the damage being pretty extensive. It’s imperative to ask the question does it make sense to keep dumping resources into such a plant?”

U.S. STEEL DID NOT AGREE TO AN ON-CAMERA INTERVIEW WITH THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, BUT ITS CEO, DAVID BURRITT TOLD REPORTERS THE DAY AFTER THE EXPLOSION THAT SAFETY REMAINS THEIR TOP PRIORITY.

JAPANESE STEELMAKER NIPPON STEEL PROMISED TO INVEST IN U.S. STEEL'S PLANTS AND KEEP THEM OPERATING AFTER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP APPROVED A MULTIBILLION DOLLAR ACQUISITION OF THE AMERICAN COMPANY.

SOUNDBITE (English) David Burritt, CEO of U.S. Steel:

“This facility and the Mon Valley are here to stay. We’re investing money here and we wouldn’t have done the deal with Nippon Steel if we weren’t absolutely sure that we were going to have an enduring future here in the Mon valley. You can count on this facility to be around for a long, long time.”