Packed on two school busses, about 80 people on Tuesday rode through Louisville?s Rubbertown area industrial area as part of tour put on by interfaith groups.

Participants saw chemical plants, a toxic waste dump, power stations, a sewage treatment plant and other industrial facilities. They passed through neighboring residential areas where people have long complained of being unfairly burdened with pollution.

?This is something that not just the religious community should be aware of,? said Rev. Phil Lloyd-Sidle, pastor of the James Lees Memorial Presbyterian Church in the Clifton neighborhood.

The event was sponsored by the Passionist Earth and Spirit Center, an interfaith spirituality institute in the Highlands, and co-sponsored by four other organizations: Kentucky Interfaith Power & Light, Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, Kentucky Resource Center and the Center for Interfaith Relations.

?We wanted to bring about awareness,? said Tim Darst, director of Kentucky Interfaith Power & Light, a non-profit organization focused on a religious response to environmental issues. ?This is an injustice that?s been going on for a while.?

He said he hoped participants will share what they learned with their congregations.

The Rev. Ben Maas of St. Andrew?s Episcopal Church in the Highlands said he planned to do just that. He said his church?s local environmental concern is bacteria in Beargrass Creek ? an issue, he said, that ?pales by comparison? to that of air pollution, heavy industry and childhood asthma of western Louisville.

While the skies were clear and the air relatively free of strong odors, some on the tour noticed the acrid smell of certain chemicals.

?I used to work in the rail yards down here,? said Louisville historian Tom Owen, who also serves on the Louisville Metro Council. ?I know the smell.?

No industry representatives were invited to speak.

And Dr. Adewale Troutman, director of the Louisville Metro Public Health and Wellness Department, said it?s often too difficult to blame illness on pollution. He said it?s one of many factors, including poverty, lack of education and smoking.

But he said more needs to be done to address the fact that people in western Louisville have a life expectancy that?s 10 years less than those in other parts of Jefferson County.

Lauren Anderson, director of the Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District, delivered an upbeat talk that emphasized the improvement of Louisville?s air quality since the city first established a ?smoke commission? decades ago. She recalled how soot was so thick street lights came on during the day.

?We aren?t choking on coal emissions anymore,? she said.

Organizers hope to offer as many as 10 more similar tours by the end of next year.

Reporter James Bruggers can be reached at (502) 582-4645.