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Neighbors near Georgia Dome worried about dust from implosion

ATLANTA — Some residents of Southwest Atlanta neighborhood Castleberry Hill told us they’re concerned about the dust from the Georgia Dome implosion and how it might be affecting their health.

Tuesday, dust from an excavator on site kicked up dust, as it rooted through the rubble Tuesday afternoon. A crew pressure washed the side of Mercedes Benz stadium, where grime was visible from the ground.


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"I've never seen dust this thick," longtime window washer Marc Charles told Channel 2's Rikki Klaus, as he cleaned business' windows along Nelson Street SW. Charles told Klaus he's been in the window washing business for almost a quarter of a century.

“Everything’s coated. It’s layered,” said Charles. He believes the dust came from the dome implosion Monday morning.

He says he can taste the particles. “Chalky in my mouth.” That concerns him, since he says he has bronchitis.

Charles showed us dark grey water in his bucket that he said would usually be clear after two jobs.

“Usually it takes about four or five jobs before the water starts to discolor,” Charles said. “This here, this is filthy. This is bad.”

Nearby, Zakiya Blake says the dust is causing her congestion, runny eyes and difficulty breathing. She’s concerned for her health – and others’.

“I’ve just kind of been using my scarf to protect [my] breathing,” said Blake. “We don’t know everything that we’re breathing in.”

Channel 2 Action News emailed and called the Georgia World Congress Center Authority to ask about the dust. We're waiting to hear back.