Air tests reveal elevated levels of toxics around schools
1 min read
In this borough of 2,900 in the westernmost part of the state, the steel industry used to be the primary employer. Today, Midland’s schools offer the most jobs — and now are beginning to unravel a mystery that could affect the health of their students.
For five days this fall, USA TODAY monitored the air near Midland Elementary-Middle School, a red-brick building blocks from the riverside steel plants that defined the town for generations. It was one of 95 schools in 30 states where the newspaper teamed with scientists at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland to take samples and analyze toxic chemicals in the air.
