I am a Latina whose daughter was damaged by particle pollution from trucks traveling down the street where we lived. It is a heartbreak for a mother to see her daughter struggle with asthma. Luckily for us, our street was much smaller than the Turnpike, and my daughter could improve when we moved. I hope to save other innocent children from the damage of pollution from trucks.

 

I am not a resident of Milltown but I like to shop at Acme. When I heard that there is a proposal to build an apartment complex to replace Acme, I became very alarmed. The turnpike next to Acme is huge.  I thought about the kids who would suffer with asthma after moving to those appartments. I am a mother who is very passionate to help others. I knew that I needed to do something to prevent children from this suffering. I realized that I needed to go to the internet to do some research about the harm of pollution. I became amazed as to how many chronic conditions are linked with pollution. There is an endless list of harm produced by contaminated air.

New research shows that living closer than 500 feet from a highway is a health hazard that would impair the development of a child's brain and lungs. 

 

Many parents might not know of the risks of living near a highway and move to the new appartments thinking that this would provide a better school for their children. What a tragedy it would be for them. I raised two daughters in Perth Amboy.

Of course, I would prefer to live in Milltown rather than Perth Amboy, but if I had a choice between Perth Amboy and the apartments on the Acme land, I would choose to raise my daughters in Perth Amboy. I faced poverty; the father of my first daughter died when she was very young, the father of my second daughter refused to pay child support after we divorced. However, my mother and I worked very hard to do the best for my two daughters. They are both good students in a college and at a graduate school. Both are healthy and eager to be therapists to help others. Had I lived in an appartment next to the turnpike, my daughters would have had a loss of cognitive ability and not be able to fulfill their dream jobs. My older daughter' s lung would have been injured and she would have a severe case of asthma. 

We need to save the children!

 

I want to thank all my friends who helped me do this website.

Maria Rivera