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Polución y Asma (Pollution and Asthma)

Por clase social y falta de recursos, personas tienen que vivir cerca de las facilidades que hacen la contaminación. Ellos no pueden mudarse a otras lugares mejores porque no tienen mucho dinero. Sus circunstancias los obligan a vivir en entornos que dañan su salud y hacen sus vidas más difíciles, especialmente las personas con asma:

Jahvonn Mair: Él es un niño de cuatro años con asma que vive en West Oakland cerca de autopistas y el Puerto de Oakland y tiene que usar su inhalador dos veces cada día.
http://blogs.kqed.org/newsfix/air-pollution-dispute-west-oakland-army-base

Pamela Tapia: Ella era una asmática que vivía en West Oakland y fue hospitalizado por dos semanas por sus ataques de asma. Ella utiliza sus experiencias para escribir historias y ahora es una activista.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_22556284/pamela-tapia-my-life-an-asthmatic

John Fitzpatrick Jr.: En 2010, fue un niño de diez años que tuvo que visitar el hospital una vez cada mes por su asma. Ha estado en la sala de emergencia muchas veces y tuvo que tomar seis medicamentos diariamente para controlar su asma.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_13919582

Because of social class and lack of resources, people have to live near facilities that create pollution. Many of them are unable to move to better places because they do not have enough money to do so. Their circumstances force them to live in environments that harm their health and make their daily lives harder, especially people with asthma:

Jahvonn Mair: He is a four year old asthmatic boy who lives in West Oakland near freeways and the Port of Oakland and has to use his inhaler twice everyday.
http://blogs.kqed.org/newsfix/air-pollution-dispute-west-oakland-army-base

Pamela Tapia: She was an asthmatic who lived in West Oakland and was hospitalized for two weeks because of her asthma attacks. She uses her experiences to write stories and is now an activist.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_22556284/pamela-tapia-my-life-an-asthmatic

John Fitzpatrick Jr.: In 2010, he was a ten year old boy who had to visit the hospital once a month because of his asthma. He has been in the emergency room many times and had to takes six medications daily to control his asthma.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_13919582

environmentalracism
militantwocs.tumblr.com

Environmental racism

Environmental racism is a “ form of racism linked with environmental factors and practices — that causes disproportionate distress on minority communities.” 

Here are 11 facts about the Environmental Racism that goes on in the US:

  1. People of color make up the majority of those living in neighborhoods located within 1.8 miles of the nation’s hazardous waste facilities.
  2. As a whole, racial disparities of color exist in 9 out of 10 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regions. [see a map of the regions 
    here]
  3. Existing laws and land-use controls have not been adequately applied in order to reduce health risks for those living in or near toxic “hot spots.”
  4. African Americans are 79% more likely than whites to live in neighborhoods where industrial pollution is suspected of causing the greatest health dangers.
  5. A Commission for Racial Justice study found that three of the five largest waste facilities dealing with hazardous materials in the United States are located in poor black communities. This study also showed that three out of every five African American and Latinos live in areas near toxic waste sites, as well as live in areas where the levels of poverty are well above the national average.
  6. Native Americans also experience environmental racism in their communities. Many Native Americans who live in communities where most people are below poverty level face some of the worst toxic pollution problems in the country.
  7. The Commission for Racial Justice contends that “approximately half of all Native Americans live in communities with an uncontrolled toxic waste site.”
  8. Living near toxic waste facilities and living in low income housing affects almost every aspect of the community’s lives. The food people eat, the water they drink, and the air they breathe are all affected by these facilities. Homes, schools, and the workplace are deemed unsafe because of environmental hazards in the buildings, which remain widely under cared for and outdated.
  9. Children of color who live in poor areas are more likely to attend schools filled with asbestos, live in homes with peeling led paint, and play in parks that are contaminated.
  10. These same children are nearly nine times more likely than economically advantaged children to be exposed to lead levels so high they can cause severe learning disabilities as well as other neurological disorders. Even more startling, 96 percent of African American children who live in inner cities have unsafe amounts of lead in their blood.
  11. As in previous budgets, the Obama administration suggested in their 2011 budget a 13% decrease in EPA funding, including cuts in the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds, EPA Homeland Securities Activities, and its Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Along with this, programs such as the Diesel Emissions Reduction Grant Program and Targeted Airshed and Water Infrastructure Grants will be terminated. (via source)
environmentalracism

Personas en East Oakland protestaron contra un la construcción de un nuevo crematorio grande de Neptune Society en 6 de Mayo. El crematorio quemaría 3000 cuerpos cada año. Están preocupados por la contaminación que crematorio va a crear en su barrio. Neptune Society dije que recibió un permiso de construcción y la aprobación del Bay Area Air Quality Management District. También el Neptune Society mencionó que el crematorio estaría más lejos de las zonas residenciales y más cerca al aeropuerto. Aunque la compañía argumenta que el crematorio necesita pasar y la compañía haría un crematorio actualizado que mejoraría la experiencia para familias que visitan, los grupos ambientalistas están preocupados por la contaminación del aire todavía.
Algunos sitios para mirar:
http://oaklandnorth.net/2013/04/24/mega-crematorium-still-sparking-controversy/comment-page-1/
http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2014/05/06/massive-proposed-crematorium-would-incinerate-10-bodies-a-day-in-east-oakland/
http://www.cbecal.org/dogs-and-cats-get-cancer-too/
http://oaklandlocal.com/2013/12/8417/#comments

People in East Oakland protested against the construction of a new Neptune Society mega crematory on May 6. The crematory would burn about 3000 bodies per year. The protesters are worried about the contamination that the crematory will create in their neighborhood. Neptune Society said that they received a building permit and the approval from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. The Neptune Society also mentioned that the crematory would be farther aways from residential areas and near the airport. Although the company argues that this crematory needs to be placed somewhere and that the company will make an updated crematory that will improve the experience for families who visit, environmental groups are still worried about air pollution in an area that’s already polluted.
Some sites to look at:
http://oaklandnorth.net/2013/04/24/mega-crematorium-still-sparking-controversy/comment-page-1/
http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2014/05/06/massive-proposed-crematorium-would-incinerate-10-bodies-a-day-in-east-oakland/
http://www.cbecal.org/dogs-and-cats-get-cancer-too/
http://oaklandlocal.com/2013/12/8417/#comments

¡Hola! Yo quiero hablar sobre barrios pobres con problemas de salud mala. Personas que viven en barrios pobres tienen salud mala por uso de la tierra y compañías con menos estrictos estándares. En el Bay Area, hay personas que viven cerca de toxinas y contaminación. Cosas como estas no son buenas para la salud de la gente. Por ejemplo las personas de Richmond viven en un anillo de cinco refinerías de petróleo, tres plantas químicas, ocho Superfund sitios, y docenas de otros sitios de desechos, autopistas, dos yardas ferroviarias, puertos y terminales marítimas. Es mucho para sólo una ciudad. También violaciones de reglas de calidad del aire son más frecuente en Richmond que en el resto de la región, según cálculos de la ciudad. Personas que viven en este tipo de lugar tienen sus saludes constantemente amenazada, porque son en el medio de todo. Hay grupos como Communities for a Better Environment que pueden ayudar con leyes sobre salud ambiental y tiene eventos para mejorar el medio ambiente.

Yo tomé información de estos sitios:

http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/2012/pollution-poverty-people-of-color-series-summary

http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_22553890/pollution-takes-heavy-toll-bay-area-children-asthma

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Communities-For-A-Better-Environment/77567103679

Hi! I just wanted to talk a little bit about poor neighborhoods and their health. People living in poor neighborhoods tend to have poor health due to use of the land and companies with less stringent standards. In the Bay Area, there are people who live close to toxins and pollution. Things like these are not good for their health. For example the people of Richmond live in a ring of five oil refineries, three chemical plants, eight Superfund sites, and dozens of other hazardous waste sites, motorways, two railway yards, ports and marine terminals. It is too much for a single city. Also violations of rules of air quality happen more in Richmond than in the rest of the region, according to the city. People living in this type of place have their health constantly threatened, because they are in the middle of everything. There are groups such as Communities for a Better Environment who can help with laws on environmental health and have events to improve the environment.

I got information from these sites. Take a look:

 

http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/2012/pollution-poverty-people-of-color-series-summary

http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_22553890/pollution-takes-heavy-toll-bay-area-children-asthma

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Communities-For-A-Better-Environment/77567103679

Fracking

¿Qué es fracking? Fracturamiento hidráulico o “fracking” es el proceso para sacar gas natural de la tierra. El proceso incluye la perforación profunda de la tierra y la inyección de una mezcla de agua de alta presión. La alta presión fractura las rocas que libera gas natural. Esto se usa como fuente de energía. El gas natural de fracking produce menos emisiones de carbono que el carbón pero hay problemas con fracking todavía. El proceso usa mucha agua y el mezcla tiene muchos productos químicos con toxinas y carcinógenos (sustancias que causan cáncer) que pueden contaminar el medio ambiente (como la agua subterránea). Tengo unos sitios aquí si quiere aprender más sobre fracking:

http://www.npr.org/2013/09/16/223122924/despite-leaks-during-production-natural-gas-still-better-than-coal

http://www.350bayarea.org/stop_fracking

http://www.dangersoffracking.com/

 

What is Fracking? Hydraulic fracturing (fracking) is the process of extracting natural gas from the ground. The process includes deep drilling of the earth and the injection of a water mix at high pressures. The high pressure fractures the rocks which releases the natural gas in the rocks. This gas is then used as a source of energy. Natural gas from fracking produces less carbon emissions than coal but there are still problems with this process. Fracking uses a lot of water and the water mix contains many chemicals with toxins and carcinogens (substances that cause cancer) that can contaminate the environment (like the groundwater). Here are some sites if you to learn more about fracking:

http://www.npr.org/2013/09/16/223122924/despite-leaks-during-production-natural-gas-still-better-than-coal

http://www.350bayarea.org/stop_fracking

http://www.dangersoffracking.com/

¡Hola! Esto está relacionado con los sitios de Superfund. Hay un sitio en Oakland (AMCO) y tuvo un reunión en 3 de marzo de 2014. Información y un documento están aquí:

http://southprescottcommunityforum.org/technical-archive.html

Especialmente si tu vives en Oakland, este es un sitio bueno para aprender sobre cosas como el sitio de Superfund, AMCO, intoxicación por plomo, protección de salud, y más.


Hi! This post is related to Superfund sites. There is a Superfund site in Oakland (AMCO) and here is just some information about the meeting they had on March 3, 2014:

http://southprescottcommunityforum.org/technical-archive.html

This is a good site to check out especially if you live in Oakland. It has information about Superfund sites like AMCO, lead poisoning, health protection, and more.

 

Proyecto de Chevron en la Refinería de Richmond (Chevron Richmond Refinery Project)

¿Recuerda el incendio de la refinería en Richmond? Hay un borrador de un Environmental Impact Report (EIR) de los planes de Chevron (un Environmental Impact Report es del California Environmental Quality Act y informa a las agencias gubernamentales y el público sobre impactos ambientales de un proyecto). Chevron quiere empezar un proyecto de construcción que es $1 billón. A través de este proyecto, Chevron reeamplazaría una tecnología vieja en su refinería en Richmond. Aunque usaría tubas nuevas, no serían el tipo recomendado por el Chemical Safety Board. Con los tubos nuevos, Chevron procesaría petróleo que tiene más azufre. Unas personas tienen una problema con esta idea por la explosión de agosto de 2012. En 2012, los niveles de azufre causaron corrosión en los tubos que causó el incendio. Chevron dijo que este proyecto haría 1000 empleos de construcción y que Chevron priorizaría residentes locales para los trabajos. A pesar de este hecho, muchas personas están preocupados más por la seguridad y contaminación. El ayuntamiento de Richmond tuvo reuniones públicas para informar y escuchar los comentarios del público.

Tengo unos sitios aquí si quiere más información:

http://www.kqed.org/a/forum/R201404160930

http://www.contracostatimes.com/west-county-times/ci_25387387/richmond-report-concludes-chevron-refinery-project-wont-increase

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Communities-For-A-Better-Environment/77567103679



Remember the explosion in the Chevron oil refinery in Richmond? Well there’s a draft of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) out about the plans of Chevron (an EIR is from the California Environmental Quality Act and informs agencies and the public about the impacts that a project has on the environment). The construction project that Chevron wants to do in the Richmond refinery costs $1 billion. Through this project, Chevron would replace some old technology and pipes in the oil refinery.  Although they would use new pipes, the pipes would not be the type that the Chemical Safety Board recommended. With these new tubes and technology, Chevron would process oil that has more sulfur in it. Some people have a problem with this idea, because sulfur levels caused corrosion in the pipes that led to the fire in August 2012. Chevron said that this project would create 1000 construction jobs and that they would give priority to Richmond locals. Despite this fact, many people are more worried about safety and pollution. The city council of Richmond has held public comment hearings in order to inform people and listen to public commentary.

If you want to learn more about this, here are some sites to check out:

http://www.kqed.org/a/forum/R201404160930

http://www.contracostatimes.com/west-county-times/ci_25387387/richmond-report-concludes-chevron-refinery-project-wont-increase

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Communities-For-A-Better-Environment/77567103679

Sitios de Superfund (Superfund Sites)

¡Hola mi gente! Yo quiero informarle sobre sitios de Superfund. Sitios de Superfund son lugares abandonados en los Estados Unidos que tienen residuos peligrosos. Los residuos tóxicos que fueran causados por cosas como las fábricas, bases militares antiguas, etcétera pueden afectar el medio ambiente y la salud de la gente. Hay al menos 1000 sitios en este país de este año. El gobierno empezó el programa del Superfund en 1980 para que el EPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency) o las personas responsables del desastre pueden limpiar los sitios. El EPA añade un sitio contaminado propuesto a el National Priorities Lists (NPL) como un sitio de Superfund cuando el EPA usa el Hazard Ranking System (un sistema que el EPA usa para evaluar las amenazas potenciales o reales de un sitio contaminado), lee los comentarios del público, y aproba el sitio. El EPA investiga el sitio más y crea un plan para limpiar el sitio cuando el sitio es en el NPL.

Los personas pueden reportar posibles sitios peligrosos y comentar en lugares propuestos para el NPL. Aquí están más sitios, si quieres ser más informados e involucrados con el investigaciones y proceso de limpieza del program de Superfund:

http://www.epa.gov/superfund/spanish/index.htm

http://www.epa.gov/superfund/students/clas_act/haz-ed/thisissf.htm

http://toxmap.nlm.nih.gov/toxmap/superfund/select.do

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/s/superfund/

Hi guys! Today I just wanted to inform you about Superfund sites. Superfund sites are abandoned areas in the U.S. where land is contaminated with toxic waste caused by factories, military bases, etc. that can affect the environment and people’s health. There are at least 1000 of these sites in the country this year. The government started the Superfund program in 1980 in order to clean up these hazardous sites. Through this program, the EPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency) can clean up or make the people responsible for the waste clean up these contaminated sites.

When a serious hazardous contaminated site is proposed to be added to the National Priorities List (NPL), and the EPA approves after putting the site through a Hazard Ranking System Screening (a scoring system that evaluates potential or real threats from a contaminated site) and looking through the public comments, the site becomes eligible for more investigation and a cleanup plan under the Superfund Program.

People can report possible hazardous waste sites and comment on places proposed to be on the NPL. If you want to be more informed about Superfund Sites and/or involved in the investigation and cleanup process of these sites, here are a few links you can take a look at:

http://www.epa.gov/superfund/community/index.htm


http://www.epa.gov/superfund/students/clas_act/haz-ed/thisissf.htm


http://toxmap.nlm.nih.gov/toxmap/superfund/select.do


http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/s/superfund/