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Leila invites a reporter into her two-bedroom apartment at Cider Mill, an 864-unit complex in Montgomery Village, where she lives with her three school-age children in a largely African immigrant and Latino neighborhood.

She walks into her tiny kitchen and fires up all four gas burners on the stove, as if to prepare a big meal. But Leila – who has asked us not to use her real name – is not cooking on this day.

This is a test.

In her hand, she holds a monitor to measure nitrogen dioxide or NO2, a toxic gas that contributes to respiratory infections, increased cases of asthma and is known to harm brain development in children.

The Environmental Protection Agency warns that outdoor exposure to NO2 at concentrations of 150-200 parts per billion [ppb] is unhealthy, especially for people with lung disease, older adults and children with asthma, like Leila’s 13-year-old-son.

Within 10 minutes a beeping alarm registers 200ppb. The readings continue to rise, and 15 minutes after Leila turns off the burners, she takes a final reading of 220ppb, a range that EPA calls very unhealthy outdoors.

The EPA has no NO2 indoor standards.

Leila’s test is just one of more than 300 that volunteers and staff with the group Action in Montgomery, or AIM, have conducted at five apartment complexes in Montgomery County. More than half of the units registered unhealthy levels of NO2, said AIM Director Cynthia Marshall. She said a final report will be issued later this year.

“I was motivated to do these tests to understand why our families are suffering,” Leila said, troubled by high readings. “[We] see a high rate of absenteeism and wonder why they miss so much school and can’t concentrate on learning with chemicals in their heads.”

Her advocacy began at the local elementary school, where she now heads the PTA.  “We organized for a new school building, and for high quality after-school programs,” she said.

Leila then engaged other parents through AIM, which Marshall said follows the iron rule: “Never do for anyone what they can do for themselves.”

Increased activism led to a leadership role with AIM, where she recruited Ana Argueta, PTA President at JoAnn Leleck Elementary in Silver Spring, to knock on doors and lobby in Annapolis for the 2024 Maryland EmPOWER Act.

“People affected by the issue are involved in the organizing, the turnout of people power, the negotiation with elected officials, and the meetings,” Marshall said.  “In 2024 we worked with a coalition, including People Acting Together in Howard, Anne Arundel Connecting Together, Interfaith Power and Light and the Sierra Club to pass EmPOWER reform in Maryland to prioritize funding for energy upgrades in low-income housing.”

AIM also worked with the governor’s staff to make electrification a priority for low-income and multifamily housing.

A team of AIM leaders, joined by Del. Lorig Charkoudian (D-Montgomery), brought their case to Kay Management, which owns two of the five buildings tested by AIM, meeting with Kay President Clark Melillo.

“We [asked for] help to clean the air in our apartments, the air that our children breathe,” Argueta said.

They pointed to funds they said could pay for the shift from gas to electric appliances that AIM advocates are calling for. Those include $50 million in state funds set aside in February to electrify hospitals, schools and multifamily housing, $69 million for energy-efficient home improvements from the Inflation Reduction Act as well as state funds to help low-income residents with energy efficiency and conservation, money set aside from a rate assessment on all home utility bills.

“We have worked to get the efficiency and electrification statute right for a number of years,” Charkoudian said. “House Bill 169 from last year finally established more equity in our EmPOWER Program and has led to a huge increase in the funds available for efficiency for affordable housing.

“This [2024] session, we passed the EmPOWER reform to allow for beneficial electrification,” or replacing fossil fuel appliances with electric alternatives that reduce toxic emissions, she said. Before that change, Charkoudian said, residents could install a more-efficient stove, but could not go from gas to electric.

“This [law] puts us into a really strong position to go to these multifamily building owners and say, ‘OK, let’s get this done now.’ We need to get these funds invested in our communities,” she said.

Kay Management did not respond to multiple requests for comment, but Marshall said she is cautiously optimistic following the meeting.

“My understanding is that Kay is in the process of applying for funds for energy upgrades and electrification, and hope that HOC[Montgomery County Housing Opportunities Commission] and other apartment owners will follow Kay Management’s lead, pursuing electrification and energy upgrades,” she said.

HOC owns Cider Mill, where Leila lives. In a statement, HOC Vice President for Public Affairs and Communications Tia Blount said: “Grady Management, our third-party manager at Cider Mill has not reported any unsafe levels of NO2 at the property. If there is evidence or date to the contrary, we would welcome an opportunity to investigate further and make any remediation found to be necessary.”

Looking ahead, Charkoudian said she will push for a streamlined process, a one-stop shop for funding and the involvement of various agencies like the Maryland Energy Administration and the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development.

Nicola Tran, DHCD’s director of housing and building energy programs, said a Green and Healthy Task Force, mandated in a 2023 bill and coordinated by the department, is working to identify all existing and potential future funding available for comprehensive housing upgrades that address both greenhouse gas savings, rehabilitation, and safety.

“The report will be issued in December with a plan to drive those goals forward,” she said.

Leila said this is not the life she expected when she came to the United States in 2003. Without a working exhaust fan in her apartment, the immigrant from Niger said she has stopped using the burners on her stove and cooks instead on an induction hot plate with a single pot or pan.

Leila says the air quality is not acceptable, not for her, not for her children, not for anyone. “We were living like we were being ignored,” she said.

But she and her team, all women and all immigrants from Africa, Mexico, Central and South America, see themselves as part of the solution.

“When we come together, we have a say about our health, the air we breathe, how we are living,” she said. “We don’t want to be left behind.”

Hundreds of new laws take effect in October in Maryland, from increasing monthly Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits and banning live wild animal performances to a controversial juvenile justice law that expands the consequences for young offenders. One law, which alters regulatory requirements for the marketing and sale of electricity and gas, has already been challenged in court.

Here are other laws that went into effect earlier this week.

Pava Marie LaPere Act

The law, named after the 26-year-old entrepreneur who was killed on the roof of her apartment building in September 2023, prevents offenders convicted of first-degree sexual assault from automatically earning time off their sentences for good behavior. Jason Billingsley, who pleaded guilty to LaPere’s murder, had been sentenced to 30 years in prison for a first-degree sex offense in 2015. He was released in 2022 on credits for good conduct.

Lawmakers also banned commercial self-administered sexual assault forensic kits and passed legislation that establishes a definition of consent and removes the requirement of “use of force or threat of force” from what qualifies as second-degree rape. The statute of limitations has also been extended to five years for sex extortion and 10 years to stalking. The statute of limitations was removed for nonconsensually distributed intimate images, or “revenge porn.”

Maternal Health and more requirements for hospitals

Hospitals now are required to give instructions to an infant’s parent or guardian on how to provide a “safe sleep environment” to avoid Shaken Baby Syndrome. Newborns must also be tested for syphilis and HIV and have that considered in neonatal evaluation and treatment. Hospitals will also need to provide “evidence-based interventions” before discharging a patient who was admitted for opioid-related overdose.

The Maryland Maternal Health Act of 2024 will require providers who receive reimbursement from Medicaid for obstetric services to complete a prenatal risk assessment. Under the law, birthing centers and hospitals that provide obstetric care will also need to complete a postpartum infant and maternal referral form in cases of high-risk pregnancy. The center is also required to provide resources and information related to risk, signs, preventive measures and treatment needs for postpartum complications. The center should also call the birthing parent within 48 hours of discharging them.

Lawmakers have also changed the definition of legally protected health care to include gender-affirming treatment.

Access to Care Act

The Access to Care Act removes immigration status as an eligibility requirement for buying a health plan through the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange, allowing undocumented residents to receive coverage under certain criteria. Gustavo Torres, the executive director of CASA, an immigration advocacy group, said in a press release the legislation was the first step to ensuring affordable health care for everyone.

“The heavy burden that hospital systems and community clinics have carried for decades will lighten,” Torres said. “With people heading to preventative care instead of the emergency room.”

Under a different legislation, the State Emergency Medical Services Board is no longer allowed to require an applicant for licensure or certification to provide a Social Security number, an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number or proof of lawful residency.

Collective bargaining and wage transparency

State employees in supervisory roles can now unionize. AFSCME Maryland President Patrick Moran said in a press release the move would allow supervisors “to share their expertise and experience and be equal partners in making our state agencies and state services the best that they can be.”

Lawmakers also rolled out legislation where employers need to disclose wage, benefit and other compensation in public and internal job postings. All state employees can also now take up to 10 days of paid parental bereavement for death of a child, and firefighters can secure compensation if they develop thyroid, colon, or ovarian cancer due to contact with toxic substances encountered while in the line of duty.

Clean Water Justice Act

Under this legislation, residents can bring civil action to ask the court to enforce laws that protect streams and nontidal wetlands from pollution. A U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Sackett v. EPA had left a regulatory void, turning the responsibility of keeping waters clean to the states.

Lawmakers have also included environmental justice, climate resilience, and equity measures into the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Critical Area Protection Program.

Identifying information and wellness check

After a shooting death of a judge, lawmakers established the Office of Information Privacy of the Courts, which will handle requests to not publish or to remove existing personal information on social media. Under a different law, minors in a criminal or juvenile delinquency case may have identifying information redacted, unless the court finds evidence there is good cause to order otherwise.

Law enforcement needs to conduct a wellness check “without unreasonable delay,” and fire, rescue or emergency medical services should also conduct the check if there are concerns about a life-threatening condition.

BALTIMORE — It’s been one week since Hurricane Helene tore through the Southeast and devastated Western North Carolina with heavy rains and severe flooding. 

Many people are trapped as hundreds of roads in Western North Carolina have been inaccessible due to the storm.  

A team of rescuers from Maryland have been working around the clock to try to get to the isolated people, many without food and water.  

Maryland Hart is made up of 24 highly skilled first responders from fire departments and emergency services departments across the Baltimore region. They’re in North Carolina right now rescuing people by helicopter from the devastation. 

At least 225 people have been confirmed dead, and officials say they expect the death toll to continue to rise as recovery efforts continue. 

“It happened in the mountains, there’s a lot of small communities and unfortunately they’ve been cut off either by the flooding, bridges washing out, or mudslides,” Michael Berna, Maryland Hart Civilian Team Administrator said. 

Berna is also one of the founding members of Maryland Hart, which stands for Helicopter Aquatic Response Team. He says the team, comprised of first responders from Harford, Montgomery, Howard, and Baltimore Counties, arrived in Western North Carolina on September 27 and immediately got to work. 

“That was the day they really saw people…I’ll say in the greatest peril. There were still floodwaters, there were still mudslides occurring,” Berna explained. 

As the days went on, Berna said people who were trapped but not in immediate danger started to run out of food, water, or medication. 

“Our air assets have been key because it’s been extremely difficult to get anything in by ground,” he said. 

Since they arrived, the team has covered 2,295 miles by air, according to Berna. As of Thursday, they’ve rescued 71 adults, 10 children, 2 infants, and over 20 dogs by way of multiple hoist missions. 

“A lot of the area is inaccessible, there may not be room to land the helicopter. If they can they certainly will, but that has forced our team to conduct a lot of hoist missions,” he said. 

Missions like these are what the Maryland Hart trains for year-round. 

Many people are trapped as hundreds of roads in Western North Carolina have been inaccessible due to the storm.  

A team of rescuers from Maryland have been working around the clock to try to get to the isolated people, many without food and water.  

 Maryland Hart is made up of 24 highly skilled first responders from fire departments and emergency services departments across the Baltimore region. They’re in North Carolina right now rescuing people by helicopter from the devastation. 

At least 225 people have been confirmed dead, and officials say they expect the death toll to continue to rise as recovery efforts continue. 

“It happened in the mountains, there’s a lot of small communities and unfortunately they’ve been cut off either by the flooding, bridges washing out, or mudslides,” Michael Berna, Maryland Hart Civilian Team Administrator said. 

Berna is also one of the founding members of Maryland Hart, which stands for Helicopter Aquatic Response Team. He says the team, comprised of first responders from Harford, Montgomery, Howard, and Baltimore Counties, arrived in Western North Carolina on September 27 and immediately got to work. 

“That was the day they really saw people…I’ll say in the greatest peril. There were still floodwaters, there were still mudslides occurring,” Berna explained. 

As the days went on, Berna said people who were trapped but not in immediate danger started to run out of food, water, or medication. 

“Our air assets have been key because it’s been extremely difficult to get anything in by ground,” he said. 

Since they arrived, the team has covered 2,295 miles by air, according to Berna. As of Thursday, they’ve rescued 71 adults, 10 children, 2 infants, and over 20 dogs by way of multiple hoist missions. 

“A lot of the area is inaccessible, there may not be room to land the helicopter. If they can they certainly will, but that has forced our team to conduct a lot of hoist missions,” he said. 

Missions like these are what the Maryland Hart trains for year-round.