BALTIMORE — Coal trains line the tracks in Curtis Bay, just a few hundred feet from homes.
Testing from researchers at Johns Hopkins University shows coal is making its way to the community.
"With this study, we just sought to answer a very basic research question, would we find evidence of coal dust in these dark dusts if we started to collect the dark dust," said Chris Heaney, PHD associate professor of environmental health and engineering.
Heaney and his team got involved in this research after hearing about the community's issues.
People have long reported not being able to open windows for years and even made claims of health problems.
"We were, as academic scientists, surprised to learn that there hadn't been a systematic investigation of this research question of the residents of a community that neighbor a large coal storage and export facility," said Heaney.
The scientists trapped the dark dust in double-sided tape and then used an electron microscope to determine if coal particles were in the dust.
"So the approach that we set up we think is quite practical and feasible for communities that are similar to Curtis Bay to be able to answer this question all across the country," said Heaney.
Community members have taken issue with the CSX terminal which houses and transports coal at the edge of the Curtis Bay community.
CSX responded to the research with a statement saying "Our coal pier operations adhere to strict regulatory standards, and we regularly invest in technologies and practices that go above and beyond those standards set by federal and state governments and maintain our own operational standards for environmental management."
Currently, the Maryland Department of the Environment is reviewing public comment on a permit renewal for the terminal.
The public has until mid-December to comment on the permit renewal.
A look into the CSX draft renewal permit