When Ismahan Alasow moved to St. Paul’s East Side five years ago, her children were healthy.
Ismahan, 36, rents a home in the Payne-Phalen neighborhood across the street from Northern Iron, a metal foundry embroiled in a legal dispute with state regulators over accusations of excessive pollution. She has six children, and moved to St. Paul from the suburbs when her apartment complex said the family was too large for the unit.
She’d heard good things about St. Paul, but when she moved in she noticed a layer of dust on her windows. Despite constant cleaning, the problem persisted. Her children started to sneeze a lot, and developed allergies, she said. Neighbors she was friendly with had similar complaints and moved away. Ismahan knew there was a factory across the street, but only learned more about what it produces and emits in the past year as the legal case developed. She plans to move in February when her lease ends…