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Air Pollution

Air pollution is not something I regularly think about because I feel that it isn't a grave concern in the area where I live. This exercise led me to some very useful resources and I was able to assess the current status of environmental health in the 95661 zip code. Using scorecard.org and epa.gov/enviro/ I found the following:

Who and what are the top polluters in your zipcode?
In the 95661 zip code, the top polluters are shown below.
  • Smog and Soot: among the worst at 10%
  • Air Pollutants: among the worst at 10%
  • Toxic Chemical Release: among the worst at 20%


 What percent of the homes in your zip code have lead-based paint?
Based on Scorecard there are 0% homes with lead-based paint.



Are there Superfund sites in your zip? 
Superfund sites are pieces of land in the US that have been contaminated by hazardous waste and pose risks to human health and/or the environment. In this zipcode, there are no sites on the national priority list. However, there are 3 facilities that release TRI chemicals to land.


What can you tell us about the Superfund sites that are near where you live?
  • Gladding McBean a vase making company is located in Lincoln, CA. 40-50% of its major chemical releases are total environmental releases and has a 50-60% non-cancer risk score. Its top ranked non-cancer risk are barium compounds. It releases 10,520 pounds of TRI chemicals.
  • Coherent Inc. is an industrial and fiber laser solutions provider located in Auburn, CA. Its non-cancer risk score is 60-70%, and its top ranked cancer and non-cancer risk is lead. It releases 14 pounds of TRI chemicals.
  • Sierra Pine Ltd. was a home and construction company with 80-90% total environmental release. Its top ranked cancer and non-cancer risk is formaldehyde. It is now permanently closed and was based in Rocklin, CA. It releases 5 pounds of TRI chemicals.
What did you learn about the air quality in your zipcode?
70% of days have good air quality, 25% of days are moderately good, and 1% of days are unhealthful. Diesel emissions are HAPs with the highest contribution to cancer risk. 390 per million have an added cancer risk. 5 HAPs don’t have risk assessment values required for safety assessment and 37 HAPs don’t have exposure estimates.


How about the water quality?
80-90% of surface waters with impaired or threatened uses and 60-70% are impaired waterbodies. With a total of 24 impaired rivers, streams, and creeks, the leading pollutants include sediments, pesticides, nutrients, and mercury from agriculture and urban runoff. 4 lakes, reservoirs, and ponds are polluted by nutrients, organic compounds, sediments, and pesticides. 1 fresh water wetland is affected by salinity/chlorides and nutrients.

How did your zipcode fair on a social justice / environmental justice basis?
People of color are burdened more by HAPs, while high income families, homeowners, high school graduates, and non-working class individuals are slightly more burdened by releases of toxic chemicals and cancer risks from HAPs.

Comments

  1. JudyJudeSeptember 16, 2018 at 7:19 PM

    Nica, it sounds like your neighborhood is pretty established. Smog and Soot, perhaps it is wood burning or a high traffic area with commuters driving through. Good air quality 70% of the days is considerable. The 24 impaired bodies of water has to be a concern, as with the pollutants, such as pesticides, mercury and urban runoff.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Antonio SorianoOctober 9, 2018 at 5:17 PM

    Hi Nica,
    I also live in Placer County but I did my assignment on my hometown in Texas. Your blog post was very informative on the air pollution in our area. Thank you for recognizing the three waste sites in our area!

    ReplyDelete

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