She’s Finally Rid of Tamco’s Stench

Thomas Curwen did an excellent job capturing the sights, sounds and feeling--both emotional and physical--of Tamco Steel in Rancho Cucamonga (“Steelyard Blues,” Aug. 4). He was less diligent in his devotion to realism when he ignored another sense: smell.

While living in Rancho Cucamonga before Kaiser Steel closed, we only had a few days a year (if the wind was right) when there was an unpleasant odor. People settle between Pomona and San Bernardino for the quality of life here. I then moved to Fontana about the same time that Tamco Steel was established in Rancho Cucamonga.

Little did I know that my nose would be assaulted with the stench from Tamco while driving to my job in Upland every night and returning every morning. Sometimes I liked to stop at a bagel shop on the way home, but I soon realized it wasn’t possible to use its nice patio. For 22 years I cursed Tamco and rolled up my windows reluctantly. I retired four years ago, and now avoid the area in the early morning and late evening for a three-mile radius.

Estrelda C. Thomas

Fontana