The Repair Lab

NORFOLK: Come kick it with us Saturday 1-4 at Colley Community Center. This is a time to share your story, connect with the movement, ask questions and hang (: #757 #nfk #environmentaljustice #coaldustkills

Save the date! June 28, 4-7 at King-Lincoln Park – we are co-hosting a FREE community concert with @EmPowerAllVA. There will be live music @thereal5starr and a panel. Come get connected to the movement for clean air in Newport News!

#coaldustkills #iheartnn #environmentaljustice #freemusic

ID: A close-up photo shows visible clumps of black coal dust in a windowsill.

2410 Wickham Ave, Newport News, VA
#coaldustkills #downinggross #iheartnn #environmentaljustice #eastendnewportnews

Come learn about solutions to coal dust pollution at “Evidence: Coal Dust in Hampton Roads,” a public exhibition at Downing-Gross Cultural Center in Newport News.
Opening reception June 12, 5pm with a civic engagement training by EmPowerAll 5:30-7:30pm.

Some residents of East End won’t open their windows even on hot days to avoid the coal dust carried by wind. It’s not just unpleasant – it’s dangerous in a neighborhood with a dangerously high heat index.

A close-up photograph of window blinds shows them coated in coal dust.

“Evidence: Coal Dust in Hampton Roads” gathers stories from residents to show the effects of coal dust on daily life. Come join us for the reception June 12, 5pm with a civic engagement training by EmPowerAll at 5:30-7:30.

People who have lived in East End for a long time are familiar with the sight: fine black dust coating window blinds, even after they’ve just been cleaned.

A brown hand shows fingertips dusted with sparkly coal dust. The background is bright red. Text on the image matches what is above in the body text.

Opens June 12, 2025 with a reception at 5pm and civic engagement training by EmPowerAll at 5:30-7:30pm.
Downing-Gross Cultural Arts Center
2410 Wickham Ave, Newport News, VA
#coaldustkills #downinggross #iheartnn #environmentaljustice #eastendnewportnews

Wondering what we’ve been up to? The public exhibition “Evidence: Coal Dust in Hampton Roads” will show data we’ve gathered, stories we’ve collected and photographs we’ve made of coal dust in Hampton Roads. Come see and hear for yourself the connection between coal dust and quality of life.

The Repair Lab - YouTube The Repair Lab presents documentary series that explore environmental justice issues, where climate change and racial justice meet.

Yes! Our podcast CROSSWINDS is out on Youtube! www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

#environmentaljustice #environmentalracism #cleanair #iheartnn

Still getting used to being on bluesky! Who are our followers? Tell me about yourself in the comments or a dm (: Let's chat.

Newport News Mayor Phillip Jones responds following Trump anti-DEI policy taking aim at ‘environmental justice’ PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) – People who live near a chemical container yard, shipyard or coal terminal could see impacts on their health thanks to a new policy from President Trump. From day one,…

www.wavy.com/news/local-n...

University of Virginia study reveals air pollution inequities linked to industrial swine facilities are detectable from space A UVA study uses satellite data to show that air pollution from industrial swine farms in Eastern North Carolina disproportionately affects marginalized communities.

Our team members worked on this study about air pollution inequities due to CAFOS (Controlled Animal Feeding Operations) in North Carolina.

www.eurekalert.org/news-release...

#environmentaljustice

We're looking forward to kicking off our home visits to test for coal dust in Newport News this weekend. We want to make sure we're coming correct so we're starting with some practice rounds!

There's still time to sign up to have your home tested for coal dust! Do it at coaldustkills.com

Talking with some people today about public events in Norfolk and Newport News in Summer 2025!

These events will be just one way for us to share research, connect residents to the data and to each other, and critically, have a fun time with the neighborhood residents. ~*~ stay tuned friends ~*~

Participants must be 18 years or older.
University of Virginia IRB-SBS 7086
Principal Investigator Sally Pusede

Ready to participate or learn more? Visit coaldustkills.com, or give us a call or text at 757.317.0356

2. Tell Your Story.
We’re interviewing community members to learn how coal dust affects your daily life and what changes you'd like to see. Your voice matters.
Interviews are voluntary and uncompensated—but your experience can help drive real change.

1. Test the Dust.
We’re collecting dust from buildings to see if it contains coal. Our tests will look for specific metals that come from coal dust. We’ll visit your home twice for about an hour each time (scheduled when it’s best for you!) As a thank you, we offer your household $100 in gift cards.

Got Dust? We Want to Test It! We’re researching the impact of coal dust in Southeast Newport News and Lambert’s Point to push for changes that will cut down on coal pollution— and we need your help!

2 Ways to Get Involved: Test the Dust. We’re collecting dust from homes and neighborhood buildings to see if it contains coal. Our tests will look for specific metals that come from coal dust 2. Tell Your Story! We’re interviewing community members to learn how coal dust affects your daily life and what changes you'd like to see. Your voice matters!

Let's tackle coal dust together! 1. Dust Testing. We’ll visit your home twice for about an hour each time (scheduled when it’s best for you!). As a thank you, we offer your household $100 in gift cards. 2. Share Your Story. Interviews are voluntary and uncompensated—but your experience can help drive real change. Ready to participate or learn more? Visit coaldustkills.com, or give us a call or text at 757.317.0356 Participants must be 18 years or older University of Virginia IRB-SBS 7086 Principal Investigator Sally Pusede

Got Dust? We Want to Test It!
We’re researching the impact of coal dust in Southeast Newport News and Lambert’s Point to push for changes that will cut down on coal pollution— and we need your help!

2 Ways to Get Involved:

We're collecting all the data, interviews, photos, research and meeting notes we've generated in the past two years into a coal dust wiki. Will go live in the first part of 2025. ( :<

A gloved hand holds a white wet wipe that has thick black dust smeared across its surface. Asphalt in the background.

We swiped the sides of houses in Hampton Roads with EPA standard wipes earlier this fall. Now, the dust is being tested.

Sometimes politicians and industry executives claim it's not coal dust but highway exhaust that makes the dust. Soon we'll know for sure.

#coaldustkills#environmentaljustice

The Windy.com map with the blue stars and red circles from the previous two maps indicating the terminals and the EPA sensors. It’s clear that the sensors are pretty far from the terminals. The wind direction wouldn’t suggest that airborne particles would reach the sensors from the terminals.

Based on these maps, does it seem like the sensors would detect airborne coal dust?

Screenshot of Windy.com wind maps with yellow arrows showing the direction the wind typically blows, and is blowing on today’s date Monday 12/9/24: towards the northeast, from the southwest direction.

Here is the wind pattern around the coal terminals and sensors (yellow arrows):

Screenshot of Google Maps radar image with a blue star over Dominion and Kinder Morgan Terminals in Newport News and a second blue star over Lambert’s Point Terminal in Norfolk.

And here are the coal terminals in Hampton Roads (blue stars):

Screenshot of EPA's map of PM10 and PM2.5 air quality sensor sites in Hampton Roads. Three red circles show the sites at Langley Airport, South Ghent and the Southeast corner of Norfolk over a radar-style map.

Who regulates coal dust?

The EPA has regulations for dust that includes coal dust. To maintain those standards, they compare the amount of dust measured by sensors. Those sensors are sited regionally. Here are the sensors for the Hampton Roads region (red circles):

Google maps screenshot of a strip mine site in Southwest West Virginia.

So… if a mountain of coal moved through the Lambert’s Point terminal in a month… what about where that mountain used to be?

That's up 10% since last year, unfortunately #coalsnotdead

How much coal moves through Lambert's Point Terminal?

1.11 million tons in September of this year.

Imagine a cube measuring almost one football field on each side. Now imagine it full of coal. A mountain, essentially. In just one month.

(via uscoalexports.org/2024/10/24/h...)

-collect interviews from people who live with the effects of coal dust every single day
-host an exhibition and public events to inform and activate towards cleaner air in Hampton Roads.

Check out our website for what we've done so far:
coaldustkills.com