Toxic City: Birmingham’s Dirty Secret

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Nov. 27, 2013 - PRLog -- A nonprofit health-advocacy organization today announced a crowd-funding campaign (http://igg.me/at/toxic-city/x/5523356)  or a documentary film called, “Toxic City: Birmingham’s Dirty Secret.” Hunter Nichols is directing the film, which will investigate the well-documented problem of industrial pollution in Collegeville, Harriman Park, and Fairmont, for GASP.

The campaign (http://igg.me/at/toxic-city/x/5523356)  hosted on popular crowd-funding website Indiegogo, aims to raise $20,000 to help fund a full-length documentary. A trailer for the longer film shows residents of the north Birmingham neighborhoods talking about how pollution has affected their quality of life. Many speak of health conditions, such as asthma and cancer, which they believe are related to the pollution coming from nearby industries.

“We’re fighting for our lives,” one man chillingly said, recounting loved ones he's lost over the years.

Recently, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it had sent letters to several potentially responsible parties (PRPs) after soil texts concluded that many properties in the area were well above safe levels of contamination.

“Neighborhood groups have been working on finding a solution to the problem for decades, to no avail,” said Kirsten Bryant, GASP outreach coordinator. “I’ve been working with agencies and residents for years now. We decided a high-profile documentary would not only expose the suffering being caused by pollution, but also pressure our leaders to find a solution sooner rather than later.”

The crowd-funding campaign will last for 45 days and features a number of perks for various levels of giving. GASP is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, so donations are tax deductible.