Natasha Dado

I have worked as a general assignment reporter for The Arab American News since May 2010 primarily covering southeast Michigan’s Arab and Muslim communities, crime, education, immigration and politics. The newspaper is based in Dearborn, Michigan. I am a graduate of Wayne State University’s journalism school. In 2013 I earned and completed the New America Media Women’s Immigrants Fellowship, and was recently selected as a fellow for the 2014 National Health Journalism Fellowship. I also worked as a news anchor and television host for Middle Eastern American TV and Radio based in Southfield, Michigan. My health fellowship project will focus on pollution in the South End of Dearborn and neighboring communities including Southwest Detroit.

Articles

Perspective: More in-depth reporting on air pollution in Michigan's Wayne County could save lives

Air pollution from industrial sources in Michigan’s Wayne County is linked to deaths and life-threatening respiratory diseases, reports Michigan journalist Natasha Dado. She argues there's an urgent need for more watchdog reporting to give voice to pollution's often-overlooked victims.

Race and Equity

Poverty and Class

Environmental Health

Chronic Disease

Malek Ali, a resident of Dearborn's southend, forwarded this photo of what she described as a "devastating" air pollution violation that occurred at AK Steel's facility on Dec. 20. Residents complained about the odor from the facility that day. One resident said the smell was unbearable.

Part Four: MEDC was involved in state environmental group’s permitting process

Natasha Dado wrote this series for The Arab American News as a fellow in the 2014 National Health Journalism Fellowship, a program of the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. This story was also published by New American Media. Read earlier parts of this series here:...

A fence separates Salina Elementary School in Dearborn's southend from industrial sources, including the former Severstal plant that is pictured here right across from the school. (Photo by Arab American News)

Part Three: Are industrial sources near schools jeopardizing students' health?

Dearborn resident Ranaa Saaidi often worried about her 10-year-old son breathing in toxins at school. The Southend neighborhood is a predominantly low-income, Arab-American neighborhood classified by the Environmental Protection Agency as an Environmental Justice Community.

An air pollution violation that occurred at Severstal's former factory in Dearborn, Mich. in August. Residents living nearby complained about breathing and smelling sulfuric acid after the explosion.

Part Two: Detroit residents complain of health effects of breathing in toxins

The Environmental Protection Agency has designated a sizable portion of Michigan's Wayne County as failing to meet federal air quality standards for (SO2) sulfur dioxide. Air pollution violations and sulfur dioxide emissions are major environmental justice issues in Wayne County.

(L-R) SDEIA members Hashem Saeed, Ahmed Alwahaishi, Mohamed Saleh, Mohamed Ahmed, Abdo Bapacker and Zouher Abdel-Hak met with The Arab American News on Nov. 15 to discuss the four lawsuits the organization has initiated involving Severstal.

Part One: Environmental groups seek to overturn controversial emissions permit

In May, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality issued a controversial emissions permit to Severstal, a steel company located in the southern end of Dearborn, where sulfur dioxide levels have exceeded state and federal standards.

Photo courtesy of Flickr.com/CreativeCommons

Residents in Dearborn express worry over potential pollution increases

On Mar. 6 representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) held a meeting at the Delry Community Center in Detroit to get input on potential Supplemental Environmental Projects (SEP)....

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Natasha Dado

Articles

Perspective: More in-depth reporting on air pollution in Michigan's Wayne County could save lives

Part Four: MEDC was involved in state environmental group’s permitting process

Part Three: Are industrial sources near schools jeopardizing students' health?

Part Two: Detroit residents complain of health effects of breathing in toxins

Part One: Environmental groups seek to overturn controversial emissions permit

Residents in Dearborn express worry over potential pollution increases