Environmental Concerns Raised Over NYC Holiday Bazaars
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) - The bright lights and holiday music that complement the candy cane striped booths at the holiday bazaars in Columbus Circle and Union Square are run by noisy diesel fuel generators that one Upper West Sider complained represent environmental hazards.
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"I'm not saying they should be closed down, but it's almost Third World to put up with them" Jeffrey Brodsky told the New York Times.
RELATED: CBSNewYork - NYC's 5 Best Holiday Markets
Jewelry vendor Maria Negulescu can't say that he is off base.
"The booth is covered absolutely in gray dust by the end of the day. I mean, you really have to go home and, like, totally shower and scrub all the dust out of your hair and face," Negulescu told WCBS 880 reporter Marla Diamond.
She also said she has to yell in order for people to hear her.
But vendor Mike DeMello says he's just trying to make a buck.
"I don't think we're harming anybody. There's always going to be people that are not happy," he said.
The markets generate a lot of money for the city - $1 million in Union Square alone last year.
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