With the quiet blow of the wind comes a heavy, “industrial” stench–don’t bother holding your breath. The smell of factory smoke in Woodbridge can arrive in currents-without warning, seeping under the door, filling the room, and remaining until one contemplates opening a window to air it all; but that would be of no help.
Occasionally, these currents of foul air arrive and make breathing even outside uncomfortable. There is one factory I can see far off in the distance from my bedroom window. But I do not know where exactly the source of the scent comes from or how safe it is to breathe in. New Jersey is notorious for a skyline billowing with gray smoke. And occasionally one must deal with the waft of a stinky smell intermingled with the breeze, even in the small, clean town of Woodbridge.
“It can be annoying. When I’m on my way home I smell it sometimes and I have no idea where it comes from. It’s probably safe but its unfortunate we have to breathe that stuff in anyway,” said one resident.
New Jersey’s Air Quality Awareness Week begins April 30th through the fourth. This time is set aside for residents to pay closer attention to what we put out into the atmosphere, and what we breathe in. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection website offers information on how residents can do simple things at home to improve the quality of air in their communities. For more info click here: (http://www.state.nj.us/dep/aqaweek/tips.htm).
I think this is a great story because it highlights the reality that seemingly trivial issues like smog and pollution still affect people on a personal leve lin NYC. Getting a city official, environmental activist or an individual profoundly affected by the pollution would be great.