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Thick dust from Georgia Dome implosion impacting residents, businesses

 

A cloud of dust is all that remains as explosives bring down the Georgia Dome Monday, Nov. 20, 2017, in Atlanta.

ATLANTA — The Georgia Dome implosion Monday morning in downtown Atlanta caused a massive dust cloud that settled over the area, covering nearby cars and buildings in a thick coat of dirt and grime.

It also left some city residents worried about the impact of the particle pollution on their health.

Neighbors with asthma, allergies and bronchitis have been taking extra medicine and staying inside to avoid breathing in the dust, according to WSB-TV. The dust has also made an impact on nearby businesses, such as window and car-washers.

Gregory Price with 70s Car Wash told the TV station that cars have been coming in caked in the dust, which he described as a hard, clay-like consistency that’s difficult to get off.

“It usually takes about an extra 20 or 30 minutes because you got to rinse it all off,” Price said.

He wasn’t the only one who noticed the difference. A window washer said he’s never seen dust so thick; a woman claimed the soot is causing her congestion, watery eyes and difficulty breathing.

The Castleberry Hill Neighborhood Association has asked the demolition company for car wash vouchers, according to WSB-TV. The Georgia World Congress Center Authority had not responded to the station's request for comment Tuesday.