May 12: ArcelorMittal not serious about pollution control: activists
 ArcelorMittal President and CEO Lakshmi Mittal |
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May 11: Mittal braced for protests on pollution
LUXEMBOURG -- "Steel giant ArcelorMittal will be accused of leaving a trail of environmental destruction in its wake this week when campaigners descend on Luxembourg to protest at its annual meeting... Liz Ilg, from Citizen Action in Cleveland, Ohio, will demand the company put more effort into cutting pollution at her local works. She said: 'This is the most urban steel mill in the US: they've got more people living around them than any other plant - 390,000 within five miles.' Mittal took over the plant from International Steel Corporation in 2004. 'The main message is: start to look at pollution prevention at your facilities. The best way to do that is to sit down and talk to community members,' said Ilg. She has collected 34,000 signatures on a petition, but says the company has so far refused to meet local people,'" Heather Stewart, The Guardian Observer.
May 9: State Senator Dale Miller urges Mittal Steel to meet with neighbors
 State Senator Dale Miller |
May 8: Mittal Steel neighbors in Central meet
CLEVELAND -- "Neighbors of Mittal Steel who live and work in the Central neighborhood met Tuesday night to discuss the odors and soot they are dealing with from the company. Central neighbor and property owner Dionne Carmichael hosted the meeting, and Mary Keith, Annie Coleman, Lashunda Lee, Henry Glover, Mary Seawright, Luther Smith, Ada Averyhart, Ina Roth, Rachael Belz, and I attended. The group plans to begin keeping logs of when they smell rotten egg odors and see soot coming into the neighborhood as well as to plan other activities this summer to educate more neighbors in Central about the pollution from Mittal Steel," Liz Ilg, Cleveland Area Program Director, Ohio Citizen Action.
May 5: Steelworker dies at Mittal Burns Harbor plant
CHESTERTON, IN -- "A steelworker died Wednesday in a 'freak accident' at the Burns Harbor facility of Mittal Steel USA, after being pinned between two girders. Paul Gipson, president of United Steelworkers Local 6787 identified the member as Russell Payne, 60, of Portage. Payne leaves a wife and two sons... A total of 27 people have died at the mill in its 42-year history, Gipson said. Most recently, in July 2006, Kevin Sullivan, 50, of LaPorte, was crushed to death at No. 1 Coke Battery when he was caught between the battery and a machine which opens its doors. 'A steel mill is a terrible place to die,' Gipson said," Kevin Nevers, Chesterton Tribune.
Apr 28: 526 Cleveland area doctors and nurses write Mittal Steel
CLEVELAND -- "Since the spring of 2007, 526 Cleveland area doctors and nurses have written Mittal Steel's plant manager Terry Fedor urging the Cleveland manager to work on pollution prevention at the downtown mill. 'Presently I work as a hospice nurse,' writes registered nurse Theresa Giersz in a letter to Mr. Fedor in September 2007. 'Dying from a lung disease is one of the hardest to witness, not being able to breathe is terrifying. I am aware that lung disease is caused by many factors. One of those factors is the pollution coming from your factory.' The Neighbors of Mittal Steel group and Ohio Citizen Action continue to invite Mr. Fedor to meet and begin dialogue on how Mittal Steel and the community can work towards the common interest of producing steel with fewer emissions," Liz Ilg, Cleveland area Program Director, Ohio Citizen Action.
LONDON, England -- Lakshmi Mittal tops The Sunday Times Rich List 2008, The Times.
Apr 25: Two Ohio counties rank among worst in nation for greenhouse gas emissions
CLEVELAND -- "Global warming gets going right here in Cuyahoga County. In fact, only three places in the United States are more responsible than we are for the carbon dioxide emissions that most scientists say are leading to accelerating climate change, a new study claims. Two Ohio counties -- Cuyahoga (fourth) and Jefferson (14th), home to Steubenville -- rank among the worst areas for the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere, according to the first-of-its-kind inventory of all 3,141 U.S. counties by researchers at Purdue University," Michael Scott, Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Apr 22: Young steel worker injured in explosion
BALTIMORE, MD -- "A young worker remained in critical condition Monday evening after suffering serious burns in a chemical explosion at the former Bethlehem Steel plant in Sparrows Point, fire officials said.
Baltimore County firefighters responded to an explosion at what is now the Arcelor Mittal plant just after 12:30 p.m. Monday, said department spokeswoman Elise Armacost. The contractor, who was not identified, was burned by a burst of molten slag — a 3,000-degree steel waste product — that he dumped into a pit of water, officials said," Jaime Malarkey, The Examiner.
NEW YORK, NY -- Forbes richest people in the world stocks, "The fourth-richest person in the world is Lakshmi Mittal, a resident of London and the head of the largest steel manufacturer in the world, Arcelor Mittal," TheStreet.
Apr 21: Worst offenders for carbon dioxide emissions: Top 20 US counties identified
CLEVELAND -- "The top twenty carbon dioxide-emitting counties in the United States have been identified by a research team led by Purdue University... Gurney says Vulcan, which is named for the Roman god of fire, quantifies all of the CO2 that results from the burning of fossil fuels such as coal and gasoline. It also tracks the hourly outputs at the level of factories, power plants, roadways, neighborhoods and commercial districts," Science Daily. Published April 17.
Apr 18: Mittal Steel: Ten out of twelve noise readings are above 85 decibels, the level at which hearing damage can begin
CLEVELAND -- "Donna Levandowski, neighbor of Mittal Steel on Independence Road and leader in the Neighbors of Mittal Steel group, has been taking notes on the noise levels in her backyard from Mittal Steel. The average person cannot sleep if subjected to 45 decibels of noise, according to the Columbia Encyclopedia. 'At 120 decibels the ear registers pain, but hearing damage begins at a much lower level, about 85 decibels.' The following log shows readings starting at 72 decibels. All of the following readings are taken at night or early morning hours. Eleven out of twelve of these noise readings are above 85 decibels, the level at which hearing damage can begin," Liz Ilg, Cleveland Area Program Director, Ohio Citizen Action.
Apr 15: VIDEO: Executive chatter with Terry Fedor
CLEVELAND -- "The general manager of the ArcelorMittal plant in Cleveland talks about the steel business, management and its relationship with the Steelworkers, and using technology to make steel," Crain's Cleveland Business. Published April 3.
Apr 14: Neighbors of Mittal Steel and Ohio Citizen Action speak with Ursuline College students
Ina Roth, Sara Woodson, and Liz Ilg are pictured here with students from Ursuline College and Sociology Professor Antoinette Charfauros McDaniel. Not pictured: Meegan Cox, Coordinator of Experiential Education at Ursuline College.
PEPPER PIKE -- "Ina Roth, neighbor of Mittal Steel in Old Brooklyn, Sara Woodson, Field Canvass Director with Ohio Citizen Action, and I spoke with a class of fourteen Ursuline College students last week. Sociology professor at Ursuline and member of Ohio Citizen Action, Antoinette Charfauros McDaniel, along with Meegan Cox, Coordinator of Experiental Education at Ursuline, invited us to the college to speak about women in activism and the good neighbor campaign we are working on to get Mittal Steel to modernize its downtown steel mill. A few of the students from this class are now interested in interning with Ohio Citizen Action this summer to work on the Cleveland campaign," Liz Ilg, Cleveland Area Program Director, Ohio Citizen Action.
Apr 13: ‘Cannon fodder’ men dying in mines of UK’s richest man, Lakshmi Mittal; The Kazakh miners say conditions were better in Soviet times
KARAGANDA, KAZAKHSTAN -- "The emergencies ministry accused ArcelorMittal of neglecting safety during the rapid expansion of Abaiskaya [mine], where production has risen more than 30% since 2001. ArcelorMittal miners alleged that alarm systems used to detect gas levels date back to Soviet times. They are faulty and lack precision. Ventilation pipes are made of a rubberised cloth that often tears. Miners repair it by hand with metal wire. Workers in Kazakhstan still use shovels and carry the 260 lb. steel pit props used to shore up the mine shafts. Lifts designed to carry often no more than 28 people are crammed with up to 40. When gas detectors start beeping, miners afraid that their pay will be docked sometimes place them on the ground, where levels are lower, or even cover them with their jackets. Four or five men dig out up to five tons of coal in a seven-hour shift. Many miners said working conditions were better in Soviet times. 'Despite three major accidents, we’ve yet to see someone from senior management resign,' said Svetlana Sarmullin, 27, who lost her husband Nurlan in the Abaiskaya blast. 'They say gas levels were very high. Why did they send my husband and the others down there?,'" Mark Franchetti, Sunday Times.
Apr 12: Pollution order in works for ArcelorMittal Dofasco
HAMILTON,
ONTARIO, CANADA -- "Environment Minister John Gerretsen says a ministry
order is being
processed for ArcelorMittal Dofasco to meet air pollution laws.
The minister couldn't say when the order will come but told reporters
yesterday it will likely be within two weeks.
The minister's comment followed a visit to Queen's Park yesterday by
east end residents fed up with industrial air pollution as well as
greasy,
black soot on cars and patio furniture. Lorna Moreau, a member of
Community Residents Against Pollution, told a news conference how she
went to bed one night recently and there was 'beautiful white snow'
falling outside, but when she awoke her property was covered in black.
'Everybody comes when you call, but nothing is done,' she said at the
conference, attended by members
of Environment Hamilton and Hamilton East-Stoney Creek New Democrat MPP
Paul Miller,'" Hamilton Spectator, article dated
April 11, 2008.Apr 10: Neighbor of Mittal Steel in Czech Republic sues company for right to breathe clean air; 1,000 Czech neighbors protest
Reporter Marta Pilarova with Czech Television Ostrava reports on pollution and noise problems from Mittal Steel Cleveland.
OSTRAVA, Czech Republic -- "On Tuesday Czech lawyer Jan Srytr brought to court the case of a Czech citizen suing ArcelorMittal for his right to breathe healthy air. This neighbor of ArcelorMittal Steel lives three kilometers or 1.8 miles from the Ostrava steel mill. According to Jan, approximately 1,000 citizens came out to protest pollution from the ArcelorMittal plant in Ostrava that same day. He says, 'In honor of the occasion we organized a demonstration in the center of Ostrava attended by approximately 1,000 citizens.' One day before this planned demonstratinon, the new general director of the ArcelorMittal Ostrava plant announced an investment plan of 120 million Euro dollars (190 million U.S. dollars). Jan explains, 'The general director had a very nice speech about their recent mistakes and their social responsibility. Of course, behind this investment is mainly the need of ArcelorMittal to modernize the plant to increase production,'" Liz Ilg, Cleveland Area Program Director, Ohio Citizen Action.
OSTRAVA, Czech Republic -- North Moravian city residents protests against air pollution, ČeskéNoviny.cz.
Apr 9: Mittal Steel: "I wouldn't mind if the noise was during the day so I could get a decent night's sleep."
CLEVELAND -- "Why should I have
to waste my time and energy to call down there every night and hear the
same thing but no action? It's quiet in our neighborhood during the
day, and then they have to release their valves at all hours of the
night from midnight until 7 in the morning. I live here and they're
supposed to be a good neighbor to us and they're not. I can't get a
good night's sleep around here. I told Mr. Krizman he should put a
trailer next to my house and try to sleep through the night. He said
that he gets off work at 3 or 4 in the afternoon. I wouldn't mind if
the noise was during the day so I could get a decent night's sleep,"
Donna Levandowski, neighbor of Mittal Steel on Independence Rd., leader
in the Neighbors of Mittal Steel group.
Apr 2: Interview with ArcelorMittal Chief Financial Officer Aditya Mittal
Aditya Mittal, son of ArcelorMittal owner Lakshmi Mittal, is Chief Financial Officer of the company. In this YouTube video Mr. Mittal comments on the first anniversary of the ArcelorMittal merger. Interview originally posted on YouTube on June 17, 2007
Apr 1: Kids' drawings for Mittal Steel Cleveland
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Mar 28: Mittal Steel: "We were up until four in the morning because of this noise."
 Donna Levandowski |
Mar 27: Mittal Steel: "I'm tired of the noise. We have a family to raise here."
CLEVELAND
-- "Last night about 12:12 am the jet engine airplane noise from Mittal
Steel went off again. This is the worst I have ever heard it. I called
Mittal's security but the woman I spoke with would not put me through
to Seargent Pallister to speak with him about this. The noise is
ridiculous. Why can't they get this noise under control? Tom Krizman
called me back this afternoon. He told me that they had a power outage
at the main terminal. I told him that I'm tired of the noise. We have a
family to raise here," Donna Levandowski, neighbor of Mittal Steel on
Independence Rd., leader in the Neighbors of Mittal Steel
group. CLEVELAND -- February 5 letter to Terry Fedor regarding night-time noise, Liz Ilg, Cleveland Area Program Director, Ohio Citizen Action.
CLEVELAND -- Mittal response, letter to Liz Ilg from Mary Beth Holdford, public relations, ArcelorMittal.
Mar 26: Deanne Malaker
Tremont resident and Neighbors of Mittal Steel group member
CLEVELAND
-- "Deanne Malaker has lived in Cleveland since 1983 and has
been a Tremont neighbor of Mittal Steel for nine years. His
interest in the environment and good health practices led him to Ohio
Citizen Action and the Neighbors of Mittal Steel
group. Deanne has had problems with soot from Mittal
Steel collecting on the outside of his home. 'The
black soot has eaten away at the brass
mailbox on my front porch and my aluminum
porch stoop that is pitted and tarnished as well. My
neighbors have the same problems Some of
their iron railings are disintegrating,' Deanne
explains. Deanne wants to see Mittal
Steel install state of the art anti-pollution devices in the
mill," Kathy Hart, Ohio Citizen Action.
Mar 20: Editorial: Federal and state EPAs must look more closely at steel mill's neighborhood
CLEVELAND -- "And ArcelorMittal, the world's largest steel company, is obliged to be a good neighbor to the hundreds of thousands of people who live within five miles of the West Side plant. That means sitting down with Matt Carroll, director of the Cleveland Department of Public Health, and maybe even Ohio Citizen Action, the organization that's helping nearby residents press their complaints. Perhaps a compromise can be found; certainly, one should be sought. Mittal, which has become quite profitable with the sinking dollar, isn't going anywhere and neither are its neighbors. They must talk," editorial, Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Mar 17: Local, state officials face tougher federal smog standards
COLUMBUS
-- "Heavy industry like the steel mills in Northeast Ohio have been a
prime source of air pollution for decades. The iron ore and coal
combine to make it a dirty business. Residents who live in the shadow
of the big plants believe suburbanites forget how the pollution feels
and smells.
In Cleveland's Slavic Village neighborhood, Sandra Whitey said, 'those
folks in the 'burbs don't get this smell. They don't get the dirt. They
don't get nothing. We get it, the little people that live near these
plants. And I can't afford to move.'
Neighbor, Mike Silverman added, 'I don't complain much because it's
better than losing the mills and not having the jobs,'" Michael O'Mara,
WKYC. Published
March 15. Mar 13: Environment Hamilton tracks Mittal Steel pollution in Hamilton, Ontario
ArcelorMittal's meltshop in Hamilton, Ontario.
HAMILTON, ONT -- "Hamilton needs a strong economy. We also need to be able to
breathe air without filling our lungs with toxins. The purpose of this blog
is not to promote anti-industry sentiment, but simply to encourage
industries to be good neighbours," Hamilton Stacks Blog Spot, Environment
Hamilton.
Mar 9: EPA probes air quality near ArcelorMittal's Cleveland mill
Sue Cochran, 33, whose house overlooks the ArcelorMittal steel mill, is worried how emissions from the plant might be harming her 3-year-old son, Eric Jr.
CLEVELAND -- "Ohio Citizen Action, a grassroots organization that has operated in the state for more than 30 years, has targeted the mill since 2004. The group claims ArcelorMittal can and should do more to protect its neighbors from pollutants spewing from the plant. The group sometimes uses unconventional tactics to get attention. It and neighbors of the mill once delivered straws to plant manager Terry Fedor in Cleveland, suggesting he could breathe through them to feel what it's like to have asthma. The group also points to the company's worldwide profits, $10.4 billion in 2007, and the personal wealth of Chief Executive Lakshmi Mittal, one of the richest men in the world, to suggest that paying for new and improved controls would be easy," Peter Krouse, Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Top polluters in Cuyahoga County
Mar 6: The World's Billionaires: #4 Lakshmi Mittal
 Lakshmi Mittal |
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Feb 27: Mittal Steel: "There was an odor so horrible outside that my husband couldn't breathe."
 John and Rose Vincenzo |
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Feb 25: Senator Sherrod Brown writes Mittal Steel and US EPA
 Senator Sherrod Brown |
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 Kim Foreman delivered transcripts from the November 14 public hearing to Mittal's plant manager Terry Fedor this morning. |
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CLEVELAND -- "On November 14, 2007, we comprised a panel at a public hearing on Mittal Steel and our health. One hundred Cleveland area neighbors gathered at Cuyahoga Community College to hear testimony on pollution problems from Mittal Steel and speak their mind on the topic. Neighbors of your facility testified on the problems they experience from your facility such as rotten egg odors and soot... We urge you to sit down with your neighbors to begin talking about what you can do to prevent pollution from the Mittal Steel Cleveland Works," Kim Foreman, Dr. Anne Wise and Dr. Dan Brustein, letter to Mittal plant manager Terry Fedor.
Mittal Steel and Our Health, public hearing, November 14, 2007, full-text transcript (119 KB pdf), excerpts (32 KB doc).
Feb 14: ArcelorMittal posts record profit of $19.4 bn
 Lakshmi Mittal, England's richest man, is $1.89 billion richer. |
LONDON, England -- "Double digit growth figures are rather rare in Europe's currently dismal corporate landscape. But ArcelorMittal, the world's largest steel group, reported record pre-tax profits of $19.4 billion on Wednesday, up 27% from last year, and net profits up 30% to $10.4 billion on sales of $105.2 billion... It has also made LN Mittal, UK’s richest man, richer by some $1.89 billion. In line with its dividend policy of returning 30% of net income to shareholders, ArcelorMittal also announced that it had returned $4.4 billion to shareholders through dividends and share buybacks in 2007, and will return a total of $3.1 billion in 2008. This makes the Lakshmi Mittal’s earnings, total to $1.89 billion for 2007, and $1.3 billion for 2008. LN Mittal owns 43% of the shares," Economic Times India.
Feb 6: Ron Joranko 1935 - 2008 
CLEVELAND -- "A lifelong
resident of Euclid and Cleveland, Ohio, Ron Joranko passed away at the
Cleveland Clinic recently. Ron was a very active member in the
Neighbors of Mittal Steel group working to get Mittal Steel to clean up
its Cleveland mill. Ron led the group's yard sign
project in the Tremont neighborhood by organizing friends, neighbors,
and Tremont business owners to display signs in support of Mittal Steel
reducing air pollution. When Ron retired from work
as a tax accountant for TRW, he devoted much of his time to
painting and recently completed an instruction book on how to
play tennis," Liz Ilg, Cleveland area Program Director, Ohio
Citizen Action. |
Feb 1: Mittal Steel: "I heard five booms Wednesday night starting at 9:23 pm, 10:07 pm, 10:17 pm, 10:23 pm, and then 10:34 pm."
CLEVELAND -- "I had a bad
migraine Wednesday night [January 30] and my daughter came
into my room when she started hearing the booms. I heard five
booms starting at 9:23 pm, 10:07 pm, 10:17 pm, 10:23 pm, and
then 10:34 pm. I called the security guard at Mittal and they
said they were done with the explosions last week. He said,
as always, that they would look into it. I told the
security guard that my head was pounding and that I was hoping
it wouldn't be another night of noise. I took my
migraine medicine and fell asleep around 11:30 pm," Donna
Levandowski, neighbor on Independence Road, leader in the Neighbors
of Mittal Steel group.Jan 30: Lorain County Community College students test air near Mittal Steel for particle pollution
ELYRIA -- "Tremont neighbor Becca Riker and I visited Lorain County Community College Professor Ruby Beil's Environmental Monitoring course last Wednesday. These students will be studying levels of particle pollution in neighborhoods around Mittal Steel compared to neighborhoods further away. Over the weekend, three Mittal Steel neighbors in Tremont, three in Slavic Village, and a control group of six people living further away from Mittal Steel set pumps outside their homes that collect particles small enough for humans to breathe them in. Galson Laboratories in East Syracuse, New York will test the pump filters and the students at Lorain County Community College will analyze the results. Becca spoke to the students about rotten egg odors and soot from Mittal Steel in her neighborhood. She also explained to students the profitability of the company and how she believes they can install new pollution control equipment and be a better neighbor," Liz Ilg, Cleveland area Program Director, Ohio Citizen Action.
Jan 29: 478 Cleveland doctors and nurses write Mittal Steel
CLEVELAND -- "Since the spring of 2007, 478 Cleveland area doctors and nurses have written Mittal Steel's plant manager Terry Fedor urging the Cleveland manager to work on pollution prevention at the downtown mill. These doctors and nurses state that air pollution can cause or worsen lung and heart diseases, along with aggravating asthma and emphysema. In Terry Fedor's written response to Cleveland doctors and nurses he says 'a myopic focus on our factory won't solve the problem,'" Liz Ilg, Cleveland area Program Director, Ohio Citizen Action.
Jan 25: Mittal blasting has neighbors rattled
CLEVELAND -- "Neighbors of
Mittal Steel are complaining as late night dynamite blasts have rattled
windows and awoken the neighborhood this week.
The steel-maker has been using dynamite to free molten iron as it does
maintenence on one of its blast furnances.
'The windows were rattling,' says Donna Levandowski of the blasts.
'At night, it sounds like, it's just a boom, just a loud boom!' adds
Donald Prater... 'If you had a neighbor who was blowing off dynamite in
their backyard, or even playing music loudly, you would call the police
and they'd be asked to stop,' says Elizabeth Ilg of Ohio
Citizen Action. 'Neighbors here have been calling Mittal
Steel asking them to stop and they have not done that,'" Vic Gideon, WKYC.
Jan 24: Mittal Steel: "There were explosions at 12:10 am, 12:24 am, 3:12 am, 4:30 am, and 6:58 am."
CLEVELAND
-- "Mittal Steel was exploding again all night last night. There were
explosions at 12:10 am, 12:24 am, 3:12 am, 4:30 am, and 6:58 am. The
one at 12:24 am was so loud it woke me out of a dead sleep. My sister
Denise who lives upstairs asked if I heard the big boom this morning. I
asked her which one. She looked out the window at 7 am and saw orange
smoke coming out from the steel mill. After the midnight explosions I
called the Mittal security guard at the gate. She wouldn't put me
through to Seargant Dennis Pallister who asked me to contact him if I
hear these. At 3:12 am I called back to Mittal security and left Dennis
a message," Donna Levandowski, neighbor on Independence Road, leader in
the Neighbors of Mittal Steel group. Jan 24: Mittal Steel: "It has been quiet with the jet engine sounds the past week. Now we have explosions instead."
 Donna Levandowski with son Jimmy, daughter Joie and dog Fluffly |
Jan 23: Mittals to make $935 million in dividends
 Lakshmi and Usha Mittal |
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Jan 22: ArcelorMittal repairing furnace
One of the two blast furnaces at ArcelorMittal Cleveland.
CLEVELAND -- "The ArcelorMittal Cleveland plant along the Cuyahoga River has taken one of its two blast furnaces out of service to repair stress cracks in the hearth shell. Spokesman Dave Allen said he didn't know how soon the blast furnace might be running again. 'As quickly as possible,' he said. The second blast furnace at the plant will operate full throttle, and production will be supplemented by slabs shipped in from other ArcelorMittal plants. The slabs will be rolled into coils on the hot strip mill. The company does not expect service to customers to be interrupted, Allen said," Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Jan 21: Oberlin College students visit Mittal Steel neighbors
Pictured from left to right: Katie Phillips, David Mange, Lisa Brown, Luke Depner, Arlene Green, and Jeff Green holding son Michael.
CLEVELAND -- "Oberlin College students Katie Phillips, Lisa Brown, and Luke Depner visited Mittal Steel neighbors Arlene and Jeff Green on Friday, January 18, as part of their Biblical Justice in Action project with the Oberlin Christian Fellowship. The students, led by Oberlin College staff member David Mange, listened to testimonials from Arlene and Jeff about breathing and skin problems for their children, Arlene's migrane headaches, and the rotten egg odors, loud night-time noises, and metal flake showers the family has experienced since moving next to Mittal Steel," Liz Ilg, Cleveland Program Director, Ohio Citizen
Action.
Jan 18: Mittal Steel: "The noise and the rumbling is interrupting my sleep."
 Donna Levandowski |
Jan 17: Mittal and pollution in Kazakhstan
TEMIRTAU, Kazakhstan -- "Kazakhstan's Arcelor-Mittal plant provides the people of Temirtau with a livelyhood but its pollution is also the reason for their short lives," Regis Genté, France 24.
Jan 14: Mittal Steel: "It is a hissing swoosh, a clanging, grinding sound. It's like an atomic bomb."
Noreen and Fred Doubek
CLEVELAND -- "We appreciate the attempts being made by Mittal Steel to make Independence Road look nice with a fence and trees. What they have to realize is that these are peoples' homes up here. Fred doesn't always hear the noise with the windows closed but I [Noreen] can hear them at night with the windows closed. It is a hissing swoosh, a clanging, grinding sound. It's like an atomic bomb. It sounds like the steel mill is blowing something out of their stacks. The sound will last for 15 to 20 minutes. The windows rattle and everything inside rattles. When LTV owned the mill we used to hear these sounds during the day. Now we hear them at night. We wonder what it's going to be like in the summer with our windows open. Living near the steel mill we've learned not to use white paint on the walls. We make some compromises in that way. But the sulfur odors get annoying and the last two years have been worse for my asthma [Noreen]. And it is so embarrasing to have family and friends over, swimming in our pool in the backyard and see that they have black streaks running down their legs because of the soot that has collected on our furniture and in the pool. We feel like the neighborhood was taken more into consideration when LTV owned the mill. If the snow was grey because of a release from the steel mill the EPA would be out here the next morning giving the company a fine. Now we have big metal flakes and graphite on our cars and it is all being ignored," Noreen and Fred Doubek, neighbors of Mittal Steel on Independence Rd.
CLEVELAND -- ArcelorMittal restarts west side, Cleveland Plain Dealer.
EAST CHICAGO, IL -- Worker dies in crash at Mittal, Sharlonda Waterhouse, Chicago Post-Tribune.
Jan 11: Mittal Steel: "There are a lot of elderly in the neighborhood and the noise can hurt their ears."
CLEVELAND
-- "I've lived in this area near the steel mill for 37 years. The noise
I hear at night has been going on for a long time. It's a loud
whistling noise that is hard to explain. It's like a jet or a diesel
noise. When the rest of the neighborhood is quiet at night it will wake
you up and go on for 30 to 45 minutes. There are a lot of elderly in
the neighborhood and the noise can hurt their ears. It would be good
for the steel mill to clean up because I know so many people in my
neighborhood who have breathing problems. I have asthma and bronchitis.
My son-in-law has asthma and the husband of my neighbor across the
street had breathing problems while he was still alive. There was also
a woman who moved in down the street, not from the area, and when she
moved in her asthma got worse. She's passed now too and it's really
sad. We also have a lot of problems with the soot on our houses. It's
terrible for white siding. You can see it on your clothes when you hang
them out to dry," Betty Maraessa, neighbor of Mittal Steel on Beyerle
Rd. KARAGANDA, Kazakhstan -- Seven more Kazakh Mittal mine deaths in spite of investment in safety measures, Mineweb.
Jan 8: Mittal Steel: "When an airplane flies overhead the noise lasts for one minute. The other airplane noise I hear will go on for half an hour or 45 minutes."
 Donald Prater |
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CLEVELAND -- "I've lived
in this neighborhood since 1980. When an airplane flies overhead the
noise lasts for one minute. The other airplane noise I hear will go on
for half an hour or 45 minutes. I'll wonder when it is going to quit.
It's very aggravating. I turn up the TV but I can still hear it. I
heard the longer airplane noise early on Saturday morning
[January 5]. I even went out and looked up and down the street to see
what it was. There was someone blowing leaves on the
street making noise but when that stopped I could still hear
the jet engine noise. I heard the noise again on
Sunday morning [January 6] at 9 am. It woke me up and went on
for 30 minutes or so. I tried to go back to sleep but couldn't. It's a
real loud roaring noise at first and it dies down and gets louder
again, like they're opening and closing a valve," Donald
Prater, neighbor of Mittal Steel on Beyerle Rd.
Jan 7: Kids' drawings
for Mittal Steel Cleveland
Jan 4: Mittal Steel says it will investigate
night-time jet engine noise from the Cleveland Works
 Donna Levandowski |
Jan 2: Mittal Steel: "I get one to two hours of sleep a night because of the noise."
CLEVELAND
-- "Mittal has not stopped the noise. It went on Saturday
night, December 22, Sunday night, December 23, and every night
all the way through last night, Wednesday, December 26. Last
night was the worst. It sounded like my whole house was ready to fall
down. It's ridiculous. Tom Krizman said the problem was fixed and the
problem isn't fixed. Last night it sounded like there really was a jet
airplane in my backyard. I had to get up and make sure that there
wasn't an airplane there. I didn't call Mittal security right away
because there is no use to keep on calling and waste my time. They'll
tell me the same thing - that they have to release the pressure
somewhere - it's a waste of my time. You hear the same stuff rom Mittal
security over and over - that they first have to find where the problem
is. Mr. Krizman said that he had the problem fixed. Now we have to
listen to this every night. I'm so sick of it. I don't get any sleep at
night and I'm crabby. I did call Mittal Steel this morning. Tom Krizman
was on vacation so I spoke with someone else. I asked the security
guard how much sleep he gets a night. He said he gets eight or nine
hours. I told him I get one to two hours of sleep a night because of
the noise. He kept saying he was sorry and I eventually hung up on him.
I'm so sick of it," Donna Levandowski, neighbor on Independence Road,
leader in the Neighbors of Mittal Steel group.
Mittal Steel news from July-Dec 2007, Jan-Jun 2007, Jul-Dec 2006, Jan-Jun 2006, Jul-Dec 2005, Jan - Jun 2005, 2004
46,324 neighbors have sent handwritten letters, postcards, slips, and petitions urging Cleveland Works management to be good neighbors as of May 1, 2008.
Of these, 34,414 have been written since Mittal Steel took over in 2005.
Pollution log
Older Mittal news
Jul-Dec 2007
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