3.4 Air Pollution



 
The top 3 polluters in 94533, Solano County, are Valero Refinery, Ball Metal Container Corp., Rexam Beverage Can Co. The percent of homes in 94533 that have lead-based paint is 1%. I am happy that only 1% of homes in Solano County have a high risk of lead hazards. In 2004, Solano County was considered one of the safest/cleanest counties in the U.S. There is one superfund, Travis Air Force Base in my hometown of Fairfield. A superfund is US federal government program  designed to fund the clean up of toxic wastes. There were three landfills used in 1943-1977 that had solvents, cyanide, pesticides, and other industrial chemicals. The water in the Suisun Marsh was threatened, this can lead chemicals into the San Francisco Bay and further harm wildlife there too.

The air quality is among the dirtiest counties in the nation according to data from 2003. There are high levels of carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, PM-2.5 PM-10, sulfur dioxide, and volatile organic compounds emissions.


There are three watersheds in Solano County, Lower Sacramento, San Pablo Bay and Suisun Bay. The surface water quality is impaired/threatened at 55%. However there are data limitations.

On a basis of social justice/environmental justice, 94533 faired on the side of affecting mostly low-income families, communities of color, those with lower educational attainment, and renters. However, I would like to point out that release of toxic chemicals affected higher income, whites, with high educational achievements, and homeowners more than their counterparts. I found that to be interesting. Also, in Fairfield there are not many families that are low-income.

 

Comments

  1. Krissy PamatmatSeptember 26, 2017 at 3:12 PM

    Hi Mayra,

    I also find it interesting that higher income population are affected more by toxic chemicals. Aside from that, it is good to know that there are only 1% of houses that are lead-based paint in your county. Solano County seems like a good place to live in since it was considered to be one of the safest and cleanest counties in the U.S. I wish all the counties have these qualities.

    - Krissy

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownSeptember 28, 2017 at 4:58 PM

    Hi Mayra,
    it's interesting that the Superfund site is located in a high-income area. I wonder if that's why there's only 1 Superfund site and not more in Fairfield. For my area, i found 3 Superfund sites and i wasn't surprise because this is a low-income area. Also, i'm glad to know both of our cities are low in lead-based painted houses. This means that the lead policy is actually being enforced and working. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Environmental Health MusingsSeptember 30, 2017 at 11:02 PM

    Hi Mayra,

    It was very surprising to see that those who live in a higher-income area are located near a Superfund site. It was also surprising to see that Solano County is considered to be one of the cleanest counties in the U.S., despite it housing Travis AFB. I assumed that Travis AFB would create more toxins in and that it was the only Superfund in your area.

    ReplyDelete

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