By Matt Leingang
Enquirer staff writer

LOWER PRICE HILL - One day after fire ripped through Queen City Barrel Co., the air remained thick and heavy with a hint of smoke and acidity.

But that was hardly unusual.

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This is a low-income neighborhood that is clustered around factories and waste sites with long histories of pollution problems. It is located just west of downtown at the end of the Eighth Street Viaduct, near the Bengals' former practice field at Spinney Field

About 1,200 people live here. Most are Appalachian descendants, but Hispanic immigrants have been moving in.

For many residents, heavy smoke from Thursday's fire didn't raise any health concerns beyond those that already existed.

"It's something that we live with every day," said 64-year-old Robert Bryant, who lives on St. Michael Street. "There are times when I have to go inside and shut the windows because I can't take the smell."

Among residents, Queen City Barrel is the most notorious factory here. The company, which cleans, paints and recycles industrial barrels, has been under government pressure to cut air pollution and clean up residue that sometimes spills out.

"I can't say I'm shocked about the fire," said Mike Henson, a project coordinator at the Urban Appalachian Council, a nonprofit community group that gives "toxic tours" of Lower Price Hill to politicians, environmentalists, students and academics.

"It was an accident waiting to happen, and it vindicates the concerns that we've had for years," Henson said.

No formal health studies have been conducted in the neighborhood, but a 1998 survey by the Appalachian Council showed that 188 out of 264 children reported suffering from asthma and other breathing problems.

It is unclear whether those health problems are connected to industrial emanations. The survey also revealed, for example, that 90 percent of households had one or more adult smoker.

Like other impoverished city neighborhoods, Lower Price Hill is a shell of what it once was.

Much of its manufacturing district and residential buildings were built in the mid-1800s and early 1900s. Today, the buildings are in various states of disrepair. But there are still several well-maintained brownstone walkups reminiscent of New York City.

Ten years ago, Guatemalan immigrants began moving to the neighborhood, starting a mini-Hispanic boom that continues with newcomers from Mexico, El Salvador and Honduras. Many take jobs in construction, restaurants and nearby factories, including Queen City Barrel.

"It's hard work. These are jobs that Americans don't always want to do," said Silvia Martinez, a 66-year-old native of Mexico who owns Tienda Mexicana, a small grocery store on Eighth Street. "Life is hard, but we are proud of this neighborhood."

Lower Price Hill by the numbers

Population: About 1,200

Race/ethnicity: 80 percent white, mostly Appalachian descendants; 12 percent Hispanic; 7.3 percent black

Poverty: 56 percent of families live below the federal poverty level ($18,000 for a family of four). That's the second-highest poverty rate in the city behind Fay Apartments near North Fairmount.

Unemployment rate: 16 percent.

Sources: U.S. census; Urban Appalachian Council.

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E-mail mleingang@enquirer.com