Is Black Carbon Good for Kids? No.

Broughal Middle School students would be exposed to a lot less air-born “black carbon” if they avoid Broadway for their walk to and from school, according to a survey of South Bethlehem’s air quality by scientists at Lehigh University. About 250 local business and government leaders attending the annual Lehigh Valley Research Consortium’s annual presentation Thursday June 28 heard this and other statistics about the quality of life in the Lehigh Valley. The meeting was at Iacocca Hall on the mountain-top campus of Lehigh University. Black carbon is part of the air pollution in the Lehigh Valley and is associated with emissions from airplanes, train locomotives and diesel engines. It’s not gas…it’s solid microscopic particles. “Diesel [fueled] vehicles such as trucks, buses and heavy equipment are a primary source of black carbon pollution in the region,” said the report accompanying Holland’s findings. The particles are too small to be filtered by the human body’s natural systems. Black carbon particles are part of a larger family of harmful chemicals generally referred to as “fine particulate matter.” The EPA refers to this collection of air-born contaminates as “PM,” meaning particulate matter. They are tiny pieces of solid or liquid matter suspended in the atmosphere as an aerosol. They are microscopic air-born particles which often measure 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter or small enough to go straight into the lungs when breathed. A million micrometers are in one meter. The researchers, supervised by Dr. Breena Holland, a political science professor at Lehigh U., measured three spikes of near 30 micrograms of black carbon in each cubic meter (μg/m3) of air along Broadway, a route back and forth from home to school favored by a student participating in the experiment. These three spikes measured from 2:45 p. m. to 4:00 p. m. on an Oct. school day in 2011 contrast sharply with the results of a second set of measurements taken along an alternate route that avoided Broadway. The second set of measurements during the same time but on an alternative route from school to home that avoided Broadway as much as possible showed that exposure ranged from zero to three micrograms of black carbon exposure. The EPA’s daily maximum per day for exposure to PM2.5 (which includes black carbon) is 35 micrograms per day. However, Holland caution, there is no “safe” level of exposure. In the spikes measured, people were getting near the maximum that is legally allowed. Is black carbon good for kids? No, according to Holland. “In my personal opinion, black carbon in south Bethlehem poses a threat to both the elderly and the young. The young have developing respiratory systems and are therefore more vulnerable, while older adults have weaker immune systems. South Bethlehem has a lot of traffic running through it and the Valley is already non-compliant with the Clean Air Act that establishes safety standards.” Other scientists, as reported in a 2009 article on www.Time.com, say that sooty air is bad for the climate. “Black carbon may be responsible for as much as 18 percent of the planet's warming, making it the No. 2 contributor to climate change after carbon dioxide, which accounts for 40 percent,” said Bryan Walsh, writing for the website’s Science and Space column. “The world could think that we just cut CO2 and the problem is solved and we all go home, but it's not," says Veerabhadran Ramanathan, a climatologist from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and an expert on black carbon. A paper by Thomas J. Grahame of the U. S. Department of Energy presented to the Pittsburgh Coal Conference on Oct. 18, 2012 said that “highway proximity studies” show increased health risks to people living close to a major road. According to Grahame, these residents have a “significantly increased” risk of death from breathing PM2.5 particulates. He defined close proximity as being within 100 meters of a major highway or within 50 meters of a major urban road. Grahame’s paper also concluded that “oxidative stress” as caused by breathing black carbon and related particulates hastens the “shortening of telomeres, the end caps of chromosomes. This, in turn, increases biological ageing. Grahame reported that studies in Beijing, China show that wearing facemasks reduce the negative health effects of airborne particulates generated by fuel-burning vehicles. The DOE scientist, Grahame, cites a 2012 report from the World Health Organization which claims that black carbon “may operate as a universal carrier of a wide variety of …toxicity” to lungs, defense cells and, possibly blood circulation.” The general neighborhood of “Five-Points,” the area around the intersections of Wyandotte Street, Dakotah Street and Broadway in South Bethlehem, registered even higher air pollution levels for black carbon. Measurements taken over rush hour or 3 p. m. to 5 p. m. on a day in Oct. 2010 showed an average of about 375microns per cubic meter of black carbon in the air with several spikes exceeding 500. Local studies cited by the report say that the primary sources of PM2.5 pollution are “industrial processes, dust, mobile sources, and fuel combustion.” According to the research consortium, burning fuel and industrial processes “produce the largest quantity of particle pollution in Lehigh County and Northampton County.” Lehigh Valley daily average PM2.5 concentration measured in June 2011, documented exposure levels at a daily average of about 25 micrograms per cubic meter of air. Spikes to 60 μg/m3 are evident in the graph supporting the study. The lowest pollution levels recorded never dropped below 10 μg/m3. However, having your kids take the less polluted route to and from school may not be as easy as it sounds. Holland said students walk on the trafficked routes partly because they are populated by people and therefore the routes seem safer. “Addressing the pollution exposure problem will therefore, require making sure that alternative routes are also ‘safe’ for children,” said Holland in an email. And, they might want to consider face masks. Dr. Melissa Rodriquez, a naturopathic doctor living with her family in Beijing writing on www.Beijing-kids.com said, “If you must go outside on a heavily polluted day, wear a facemask. The adverse effects of air pollution on the heart have been shown to be a result of fine particles in the air, which come from vehicle exhaust and industrial sources. Wearing a facemask with a high quality filter prevents people from inhaling these potentially harmful particles.”

“We like M&Ms."

Troi Pitt has her name in lights---really. The 15-year old math whiz’s name is literally in lights at the corner of Easton Ave. and E. Elizabeth Ave. where Liberty High School’s digital message machine trumpets successes and important events to passersby. Pitt recently won a Bronze Medal in Houston, TX when she placed in the ACT-SO math competition sponsored by the NAACP. The LHS sophomore was one of four girls that the Bethlehem Chapter of the NAACP sent to the national competition. According to her mother, Pitt maintains a 3.9 GPA and is an honor student. She credits Northeast Middle School math teacher Linda Shive and LHS 9th grade honors algebra teacher Marietta Zweifel as being inspirational teachers in her daughter’s academic success. ACT-SO is the Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics, according to www.actso.org. It is a youth program sponsored by the NAACP encouraging academic and cultural achievement among underserved minority high school students. Community volunteers and business leaders serve as mentors and coaches in promoting academic and artistic excellence among African-American and Hispanic students, according to the website. In an interview, Pitt said her love of M&Ms lead to the winner math project where she demonstrated the probability of finding brown M&Ms in any given package of the popular candy. She said there are six colors of M&Ms and that her project demonstrated that statistically there will be 10 brown ones in a batch of 100. The other colors are red, blue, green, yellow and orange, according to an internet search. Pitt plans to be a pharmacist and wants to attend the University of Maryland after high school. She is the daughter of Jennifer Harris of Bethlehem and Christopher Pitt of VA. She said her mother suggested the idea and she worked out the math that impressed local then national judges with her mastery of statistics. Pitt said she and her mom ate the M&Ms after the project was completed—that would be two 12-ounce bags. “We like M&Ms,” said Troi’s mom.

Invisible Wounds and the Veteran's Administration

The Department of Veterans Affairs is increasing its staff of mental health professionals to support the growing number of veterans needing mental health care. The VA is planning to hire about 35 new psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, nurses, nurses assistants and administrative support personnel according to Margaret B. Caplan, the for the VA Medical Center in Wilkes Barre, PA. Vincent L. Riccardo, Jr., the Staff Assistant to the Director and Public Affairs Officer for the Medical Center in Wilkes Barre in a recent interview was not able to say how many of these positions will be assigned to the Allentown, VA Outpatient Clinic on Hamilton Street though he said that some were definitely slated for Allentown. Caplan said the new hires are part of national effort to meet increasing mental health needs of veterans. “We have all heard of the high rates of post traumatic stress ,” said Major General Gerald Still, a retired U. S. Air Force general and currently the President of the Lehigh Valley Military Affairs Council. Stills was speaking at a recent meeting of Lehigh Valley health care professional working in cooperation with the VA to standardize the way information is collected and disseminated when a veteran is seen by one of the many hospitals, clinics and outreach programs in the Valley. Mental health for veterans is getting national attention. In a recent National Public Radio report, Erin Toner of WUWM in Milwaukee reported that this is part of an effort by the VA to recruit 1,600 mental health professionals for the country’s veterans. Toner reported that the Department of Veterans Affairs will be aggressive in recruiting candidates for the new mental health positions and hopes to have most on board within six months. According to Caplan, last year the VA provided specialty mental health services to more than 1.3 million veterans. She said in addition to the 1,600 mental health professionals being hired by the VA, about 300 support staff will be added and about five of those will be assigned to the Wilkes Barre VA Medical Center, which is the parent organization of the Allentown VA Clinic. According to Caplan, the VA has increased its mental health care budget by 39 percent since 2009 and the number of mental health professionals by 41 percent since 2007. According to the Veteran Administration’s web site, veterans who have seen combat may have been on missions that exposed them to horrible, life-threatening experiences such as being shot at, seeing a buddy shot, or seen death. “These are types of events that can lead to (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) PTSD,” according to the website. The site lists statistics describing the prevalence of PTSD among veterans: 11- 12 percent of Iraqi and Afghanistan Wars (Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom) have PTSD…or 11 to 20 veterans out of 100. Of Gulf War (Desert Storm) veterans, about 10 percent have PTSD and of Vietnam War veterans, about 30 percent have PTSD. The VA cites sexual assault and harassment as contributing to PTSD among women veterans. Among veterans using VA health care, about 23 percent of the women reported sexual assault while in the military. In addition, among the veterans using VA health care, 55 percent of the women and 38 percent of the men have reported sexual harassment when in the military. Over half of all veterans with military sexual trauma are men. “Sexual harassment can happen when drill instructors address recruits using sexually oriented language,” said Liz Bradbury, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Diversity Network, in an interview designed to put this statistic in perspective. She said that any remark by a supervisor to a subordinate or by a co-worker referring to sexual body parts or sexual activity can be considered sexual harassment. “Since October 2001, approximately 1.64 million U.S. troops have been deployed for Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq,” according to a Rand Corporation report, “Invisible Wounds,” by Benjamin R. Karney and others. According to Karney and his colleagues, these deployments have come with a disproportionately high “psychological toll” when compared to combat related injuries. Three conditions have received the most research; post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and traumatic brain injury. They report an increased risk of suicide, substance abuse, and cardiovascular disease and the associated “mental health conditions among veterans are also associated with reduced work productivity and future job prospects and may be a precursor to homelessness.”

“He believed in God, family and country.”

“He was very hard working and very loving,” said Eric Stevenson, grandson of George R. Karabin. Karabin was a church and community leader who died Feb. 9 in Bethlehem, his hometown. Stevenson and about 40 other relatives and friends gathered in the gymnasium on the campus of St. Anne Catholic Church May 12 where Father Anthony Mongiello led a ceremony naming the gym after the man who all have credited with being the leading force for its construction in 2001. “We spent a lot of time together,” reminisced Karabin’s grandson, the son of Debbie, Karabin’s daughter. “We worked on his land. We would work hard and would be sweating. He taught me to take pride in what I do.” “George was a leader in getting support for the gym,” said Fr. Mongiello in remarks to the gathering seated in the wooden bleachers of the gym. “He was a leader in the fundraising. It’s very appropriate to dedicate this gym after George.” Fred DeBellis remembered the night that Karabin got the ball rolling on the gym project. “He was the president of the Catholic Youth Organization. He got up in a meeting and made an impassioned plea for a gym,” said DeBellis. “He saw the project through to completion.” Karabin spent his life in the service of others, especially in the service of young people. He initiated sports programs for the Catholic Youth Organization; he served as the president of the Bethlehem Catholic Booster Club and was treasurer of the Northeast Little League. While church life was integral to his world, he found time to serve his country during World War II, serve his city as Bethlehem City Councilman, and serve the Bethlehem Area School District on the Board of Education. “He was one of the kindest, nicest guys I ever met,” said Jim Broughal in an interview when asked about his friend. Broughal said he first knew Karabin when they both served on the Bethlehem Area School District Board of Education. “He was a very giving guy; he always served his community.” “He would visit people when they were sick,” remember one friend. “Dad always loved to see kids play sports,” said Drew Karabin, his youngest son. “He was just a good guy.” After the brief ceremony in the gym, Fr. Mongiello led the group to the entry vestibule where a young man removed a curtain over a plaque naming the building after George Karabin. “He was a kind-hearted, decent person of great integrity,” said Robert Donchez in a recent interview. Donchez is a past president and current member of the Bethlehem City Council. “He was a person of deep faith and conviction. He was very active in CYO and church, city government, and Bethlehem Catholic High School. “He believed in God, family and country,” said Donchez.

“It Has Boosted My Confidence.”

The Bethlehem Chapter of the NAACP honored local high school students at the 67th Annual Freedom Fund Dinner Feb. 19 when they were recognized before an audience of about 160 people at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel in Hanover Township. Ashanti Littlejohn, Devante Littlejohn, Kristina Conaway, all from Freedom High School and Liberty High School students Troi Pitt, Imanni Gaye, Rachel Anson and Ka’yon Ross were honored by the Bethlehem Chapter of the NAACP. Each were competitors Jan. 19 in the NAACP's Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO) achievement program designed to recruit, stimulate, and encourage high academic and cultural achievement among African-American high school students. ACT-SO includes 26 categories of competition in the sciences, humanities, business, and performing and visual arts. Kristina Conaway, a senior at Freedom High School and one of the honorees said she has been competing in the ACT-SO program since she was 12. “It has boosted my confidence,” said Conaway. She won a bronze medal for a drawing. Several representatives of the Bethlehem Area School District attended the ceremony, as did David DiGiacinto who is a member of the Bethlehem City Council. “It’s important to be here because the NAACP recognizes kids as part of the community,” said DiGiacinto. BASD Superintendent Joseph Roy, Liberty High School Principal JoAnne Durante and Freedom High School Principal Michael LaPorta attended in support of their students. “The NAACP is important in the community,” said Roy. “We are happy to be here to support them.” “We’re here to see our students recognized by the community,” said LaPorta. “We are here to recognize our students,” said Durante. “The NAACP and Liberty High School has a good partnership in the community. Liberty is proud to have Junior NAACP Council. “This is a very important branch,” said Hilary O. Shelton, the NAACP Washington Bureau Director, the keynote speaker, speaking of the Bethlehem Chapter of the NAACP. “The NAACP continues to do great work in the struggle for all Americans,” said Shelton. Shelton said that Lee is well known for her hard work and strong believes and her willingness to give her time. “She is well known nationwide,” said Shelton. According to Lee, the ACT-SO winners will go to Huston, TX for a national competition in July.

"I think it recognizes peace in the world."

In a quiet ceremony at the Boy Scout Service Center on Postal Road in Hanover Dec. 14 local Boy Scouts received the Peace Light after it had made the flight from Bethlehem, Palestine via Austria. Cub Scout Pack 352 and Boy Scout Troop 352 from Notre Dame of Bethlehem Church conducted the 25th annual ceremony that included a Scout color guard and escort for the yellow flame that fluttered from a wick in red kerosene lantern carried by a Scout. The Boy Scouts who accepted lighted candles from the flaming wick of a kerosene camp lantern took the light back to share its message with their communities, families, schools and places of worship. According to information provided by the Minsi Trails Council, the Peace Light is from an oil lamp that has been burning for centuries in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. That flame was used to light an explosion proof minor’s lamp Nov. 2, and an Austrian Scout carried it to Austria aboard Austrian Airlines. Local Boy Scouts received the Peace Light as part of an annual program originated by Austrian scouting, Austrian Airlines and the Austrian Broadcast Corporation. Organizers held a flame transfer ceremony Nov. 29 at JFK International Airport’s Our Lady of the Skies Chapel. Volunteers from several countries will be distributing the Peace Light in the U. S., Canada, Mexico, and to countries in South America, according to information released by the local Boy Scout Council. The Scouts will share the Peace Light with military chaplains at Fort Hood, TX and Fort Bragg, NC “as a message to all who serve our country that we appreciate their service.” Retired New York firefighter and heroic first responder to the 911 terror attack Jim Sorenson brought the Peace Light from JFK to Bethlehem, PA. His grandson Steven Schneible, a member of Boy Scout Troop 352, and his daughter, Cathy Schneible attended the ceremony. Boy Scout Saleh Abdussalan, 9 of Lehigh Valley Academy and his mother Yasmin Abdussalan were among the several Scouts and parents in the small audience. “I think it recognizes peace in the world,” said Cub Scout William Wyckoff from Easton Area Middle School.

“I Didn’t Realize My Father’s Impact."

The bicycles and their riders started to gather about 7 a. m.; bright sun was starting to warm the air. It was a cloudless day with brilliant blue sky. The “Pat Ytsma Ride Safe Bike Tour” Sunday, June 2 was getting underway at the Earl Adams Memorial Park in Breinigsville where organizers were expecting about 200 riders to register. Registration fees for this year’s event and for last year’s bike ride were going toward tuition costs for Willem and Caroline Ytsma, the teenaged children left fatherless when highly respected bicycle safety enthusiast Patrick B. Ytsma was killed Dec. 8, 2011 on Bethlehem’s Fahey Bridge by a motorist. Willem, just finishing his freshman year at Lafayette College, and Caroline, just ending her sophomore year at Freedom High School, wore yellow tee shirts and with about 10 other yellow-shirted volunteers, helped at the registration table. Their mother Judy Parr helped, too. Kirk Koehler was in charge of Sunday’s event. Koehler had been a close friend of Ytsma’s and a co-worker at Spillman-Farmer Architects where Ytsma was an architect. According to Koehler, whose wife Kristin was at the registration tables, the considerable logistics support for the charitable bike ride had been donated. Even a prize, a new Trek bicycle, had been donated by the Trek Bicycle Company and Bike Line, a bicycle company with locations in Allentown and Bethlehem. Many of volunteers were Spillman-Farmer employees. “Spillman-Farmer people have been embracing the kids,” said Koehler. “They have really stepped up to help with their school tuition. “This is a lot of work that no one had to do—but here we are.” Caroline Ytsma recognized the magnitude of what was being done in her father’s honor. “You would never expect so many people … we’re grateful for it. It’s a lot of work that they do,” said Caroline, a tall, slender 17-year old. Her brother, Willem, was also thankful. “It’s nice to see all of these people here,” said Willem, 19. “I didn’t realize my father’s impact. It’s easy to see now—with all of these people here in his memory.” A token of Bethlehem’s esteem for Pat Ytsma is eloquently expressed by the white bicycle chained to a light pole at the north end of the Fahey Bridge in Bethlehem. Willem said he plans to major in mechanical engineering and fine art. Koehler said Bicycling Magazine, published in Emmaus, also contributed to the event. There were many others who contributed. Bike Line had a couple of support trucks manned by Scott Kleinschuster of Orefield and Lauren Grafton of West Chester. They checked tires and chains and pumped air. Michele Nolter, Catasauqua resident and Sheckler Elementary School teacher, said she was going to do the 20-mile route. She and Bike Line’s Grafton shared some laughs while Grafton put some air in Nolter’s tires. Terry Grandfield from Center Valley entered the riding event. “I saw the ad,” he said. He said he is an avid bike rider. He brought his personal support team—his wife, Danese and daughter, Rebekah. Bethlehem residents Terry and Sharon Faul also came for the ride. Terry is an attorney in Bethlehem and Sharon said she is 7th grade science teacher at Moravian Academy in Bethlehem Township. “We’re bike riders,” said Sharon Faul. “We want to help people have an awareness of bikes on the road. We appreciate courtesy and awareness from vehicle drivers.” “When Pat passed away we decided to honor him,” said Sal Verrastro, a principal at Spillman-Farmer. “We also wanted to help the children with a benefit to finance a college fund.” Bicyclists could choose either of two routes; a 20-mile route or a 40-mile ride. The 20-milers started from Breinigsville, went through Topton then along High Road and back to their starting point via Trexler Road. For those choosing the 40-mile trip, they continued through Topton then through Bowers and out to the intersection of Route 222 and School Road before heading back via Kutztown.