M3.4 Air Pollution
I did this assessment in San Francisco County.
Who and what are the top polluters in your zip code?
The top 3 polluters were:
1. San Francisco Drydock Inc.
2. Chevron Prods. Co. San Francisco Terminal
3. Pacific Gas & Electric Co. Hunters Point Power Plant
What percent of the homes in your zipcode have lead-based paint?
7% of houses in my area have a high risk for lead hazards.
Are there Superfund sites in your zip? (In your BLOG, make sure to tell us what a Superfund Site is)
There was only one Superfund site listed in my zip code: Treasure Island Naval Station - Hunters Point Annex. A Superfund site is a toxic waste site.
What can you tell us about the Superfund sites that are near where you live?
At this point in time, the stage of clean-up for this Superfund site is "construction underway." The threats and contaminants detected at the Superfund site in my area include ground water, sediments, soil, and surface water. These are contaminated with fuels, pesticides, heavy metals, PCBS (Polychlorinated Biphenyls) and volatile organic compounds. There is also asbestos in the soil. According to the chart on the scorecard, it is mostly ground water and surface water that are contaminated.
What did you learn about the air quality in your zipcode?
"This county ranked among the dirtiest/worst 10% of all counties in the US in terms of an average individual's added cancer risk from hazardous air pollutants."My area was in the 90th percentile for most air pollutant emissions including carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide. The air quality index is in the 40% percentile. Levels of ozone and particulate matter concentration are in the 10-20th percentiles. The percentage of days with good air quality is 88.
How about the water quality?
Percentage of surface waters with impaired or threatened uses (state + EPA data) = 80%. Number of impaired waterbodies (as reported by the state) = 60%. Leading pollutants include pesticides, sediments, pathogens, nutrients, and mercury.
How did your zipcode fair on a social justice / environmental justice basis?
In terms of environmental and social justice, I did not see a huge discrepancy in distribution of burdens by race/ethnicity. For low income families vs. high income families, it looks like low income families are much more exposed to toxic chemicals and facilities emitting air pollutants. This is also the case with non-high school graduates. It is interesting that there are more superfund sites per square mile for whites, high income families, high school graduates, and homeowners. As there was only one superfund site listed, they must be over in that area.
Who and what are the top polluters in your zip code?
The top 3 polluters were:
1. San Francisco Drydock Inc.
2. Chevron Prods. Co. San Francisco Terminal
3. Pacific Gas & Electric Co. Hunters Point Power Plant
What percent of the homes in your zipcode have lead-based paint?
7% of houses in my area have a high risk for lead hazards.
Are there Superfund sites in your zip? (In your BLOG, make sure to tell us what a Superfund Site is)
There was only one Superfund site listed in my zip code: Treasure Island Naval Station - Hunters Point Annex. A Superfund site is a toxic waste site.
What can you tell us about the Superfund sites that are near where you live?
At this point in time, the stage of clean-up for this Superfund site is "construction underway." The threats and contaminants detected at the Superfund site in my area include ground water, sediments, soil, and surface water. These are contaminated with fuels, pesticides, heavy metals, PCBS (Polychlorinated Biphenyls) and volatile organic compounds. There is also asbestos in the soil. According to the chart on the scorecard, it is mostly ground water and surface water that are contaminated.
What did you learn about the air quality in your zipcode?
"This county ranked among the dirtiest/worst 10% of all counties in the US in terms of an average individual's added cancer risk from hazardous air pollutants."My area was in the 90th percentile for most air pollutant emissions including carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide. The air quality index is in the 40% percentile. Levels of ozone and particulate matter concentration are in the 10-20th percentiles. The percentage of days with good air quality is 88.
How about the water quality?
Percentage of surface waters with impaired or threatened uses (state + EPA data) = 80%. Number of impaired waterbodies (as reported by the state) = 60%. Leading pollutants include pesticides, sediments, pathogens, nutrients, and mercury.
How did your zipcode fair on a social justice / environmental justice basis?
In terms of environmental and social justice, I did not see a huge discrepancy in distribution of burdens by race/ethnicity. For low income families vs. high income families, it looks like low income families are much more exposed to toxic chemicals and facilities emitting air pollutants. This is also the case with non-high school graduates. It is interesting that there are more superfund sites per square mile for whites, high income families, high school graduates, and homeowners. As there was only one superfund site listed, they must be over in that area.
Hi Loren,
ReplyDeleteThe air quality in my county was ranked in 10% as well in all counties in the U.S. It is crazy how two counties in California ranked in the top 10%. Makes me curious to know about California's overall air quality.