Baltimore Pollution Tour (Daniel Quimby)

The function of this tour is to demonstrate the severity of lead pollution in Baltimore, with the geographical expansiveness of the area covered in the tour demonstrating the extent of the pollution. The tour demonstrates that there are no single, quick-fix solutions to the lead pollution crisis since the sources of pollution vary dramatically from contaminated lead pipes in schools, lead paint in dilapidated houses, and emissions from industrial plants. Moreover, the fact that most of the sites surveyed in this tour are simultaneously areas of critical poverty suggests that traditional mechanisms used in the mainstream environmental justice movement (particularly the court system) may not be effective inasmuch as they presuppose the existence of financial and legal resources not readily available to people in low-income neighborhoods.