Dan's Environmental Health Blog

For contra costa county, the treatment plant is in Martinez, CA. It processes 34-54 million gallons of sewage water a day. Waste water moves through the plants 1,500 miles of pipes throughout the county. The website for the treatment plant is located here: https://www.centralsan.org/treatment-plant

If I were to run a campaign against bottled water companies I think the slogan would be "Back to the Tap." I would basically have public service announcements, billboard ads, bus stop ads, radio and T.V. commercials spots saying the same things the video did. Tap water is just as good if not cleaner than bottled water and is free! It saves the planet from using fossil fuels to make the bottles and saves India from our garbage.

For contra costa county (East Bay MUD) you can find the CCR here: https://www.ebmud.com/water/about-your-water/water-quality/water-quality-report-english/ Quite an interesting pdf that contra costa has put together. I had no idea the water I drank all my life came from a river. Almost all of EBMUD’s water comes from the 577-square mile watershed of the Mokelumne River on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada. I just assumed it was from a mountain source like Mt. Shasta or Lanier. For chemicals within the water, surprisingly, most amounts were all well under the federal requirements. So, I am pleasantly pleased that my drinking water is not bad. Most of the chemicals within the water are from fertilizer and surface run off. These include chromium and vanadium. Aluminum was surprising to me. I was surprised that was there. The amounts were tiny and they list is as due to erosion of natural deposits and due to the water filtration process. However, as toxnet states, aluminum can cau...

Well, I am certainly surprised to see that the earth is composed of 366 Quintillion gallons of water and we are only able to use .007% of it. I thought for sure we had more than that based on what the second video shared in that each person in the U.S. uses 151 gallons a day just living. Farming by itself uses 53 billion gallons a day. The importance of the water act cannot be underestimated. If it weren't for the act all rivers, lakes, and streams would be polluted, no doubt. In fact, I bet most pollution today is from non point sources like cars, small businesses, and individual household draining chemicals and toxins in to the sewer system and nearby grass lands. What the act does is really help control the large companies responsible for a lot of waste to dispose of properly and for that I am glad exists. What I am also glad about is that filling requires a permit. For a company to rid a lake or small river just to build homes and the like does not sit well with me. We need t...

All three articles were interesting. All three articles provided great information on pollutants, air quality, and fragrance. I don't know that we can rid all these pollutants but we can suppress and reduce them to a level that is healthy enough for adults as well as children. Unfortunately, big business will continue to churn out products that have pollutants in them unless governed by law to remove the substances so I believe it starts here. New policy starts with the right people. We need the right lobbyists, the right environmental leaders, and the right EPA divisions backing the lobbyists to get things changed. I know we have home health RN's for those in need but what about home health RN's for preventative needs. Im sure they exist but I have not heard of them. Perhaps, a policy brief on a new tier of nurses is introduced within the EPA. Nurses specifically hired at hospitals whos sole job is preventative health in certain counties. Hospitals and counties collaborate...

That was a nicely organized website with great information. I enjoyed learning about the Dose/Response S curve and NOEL specifically, in the toxicology section. I am a big believer in compounding exposures over time that lead to cancer, not necessarily one terrible week or two of exposure to some chemicals/toxicity. One stat that really surprised me was dry cleaning. Unbelievable that 2.2million pounds of perc were drained in to our drinking water/environment. That number today, 10 years later, I am sure has doubled. For specific searches on urea formaldehyde and bleach on ToxNet, I found the following information below. Bleach is not really considered toxic. However, exposure to bleach can cause irritation to the eyes, mouth, lungs, and skin. Individuals with asthma or other breathing problems are particularly susceptible to having issues. Sodium hydroxide, bleach, can also cause non-allergenic asthma. I recommend finding alternative ways when cleaning. Lemon juice, vinegar, baki...

First off, I had no idea Radon was the #2 cause of lung cancer. I honestly would not have guessed that. I would have said pollution/inhalants/chemical type inhalation issues from a job or years on a specific job. Randon is certainly a silent killer that many don't know about. My campaign would most definitely involve the EPA, NIH, Cancer.org, and local state governments who are responsible for tenancy rights within apartments communities. Nationally, the EPA and the NIH would work hand in hand during the radon educational campaign. These two have the information needed regarding radon, how to test for it, and how to mitigate it. The NIH can then be solely responsible to educate the public on which types of health screenings are needed for those that come back with a unhealthy radon environment score. Cancer.org can assist in the screenings and education for signs and symptoms of radon exposure. Finally, the tenant association of all the apartments for every city in America should...

Interesting to read there is a tool that could help practitioners in the  Transportation and Health Tool (THT). I did not know this existed until now. This could help a lot of practitioners in cities.  In my own personal experience there are far too many cars, busses, and semi trucks on the road today. There is constant road work and work trucks dumping out loads of smog. I understand to get where we need to be we need to build and expand. The muni/salesforce tower and bus lines are finally complete, and this will help. SF is expanding van ness but all I breathe in our fumes from the concrete and endless amounts of smog from the traffic delays. I am seeing more and more walkers but I can't get past the number of uber and lyft cars on the road contributing to increased traffic and air pollution. Scooters and bikes which contribute very little to air pollution should be the norm. I feel like SF is a great place to live but there is certainly an expanding list of cons.

I know Martinez was a major hitter with the refinery but shocked that it was this bad. My top 3 polluters are: Rank Facility City Pounds 1 SHELL OIL PRODS. U.S. MARTINEZ REFY. MARTINEZ 1,142,142 2 TESORO REFINING & MARKETING CO. MARTINEZ 1,064,658 3 CHEVRON PRODS. CO. RICHMOND REFY. RICHMOND 999,328 Only 1% of houses in my county, Contra Costa (94526), have lead based paint. Contra costa county's worst toxic waste site (aka Superfund Sites) are: Who Is Polluting Your Community? Superfund Sites in Your Community 1 CONCORD NAVAL WEAPONS STATION 2 GBF, INC., DUMP 3 UNITED HECKATHORN CO. With only 3 Superfund sites in our county, we are among the best in the nation for being the cleanest. We sit at 20% while the national average is about 50% clean. For Air quality, it is not great. They are ok on some pollutants but others we are terrible. Carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, PM2.5, PM10, Sulfer dioxide, and volatile organic compounds we are ove...

I am not surprised by the facts presented on Canvas. The US and its Caucasian leaders continually turn a deaf ear towards issues that don't effect them. I am really glad Bill Clinton signed the Environmental Justices in to practice. I also enjoyed reading the Environmental Justice Strategy. Seems just right that we involve aspects of the ACA and CDC. It's strategy statement is "the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people..." This is the way it should be. Equal across the board.

Good videos on a great topic. I like the ideas of physicians getting more involved and asking bigger and broader questions will help. What are we doing about educating the patient? The patients health ultimately falls on the patient themselves. Physicians are with patients for maybe 30 minutes a year. We need to educate in doctors offices and with more public service announcements by trusted sources throughout the year and especially within vulnerable communities. Bus ads, pamphlets, posters around convenience stores etc...

Well, initially, I would want to know how to rid myself of all these chemicals. After a few weeks of this class, these lab results do not shock me although it is still bad. Only until I am maybe, 60 years old, would I see lasting change or effect as a result of the chemicals. The best way is to live life but be cognizant of what you eat and use.