Air Pollution

Who and what are the top polluters in your zip code?

The top 3 polluters in the San Mateo county are Tyco Thermal Controls L.L.C., South Bay Marble Inc., and Peterson Prods.

The top 3 pollutants are styrene, methyl ethyl ketone, and acetonitrile.

What percent of the homes in your zipcode have lead-based paint?

Only 1% of houses in the San Mateo county have a high risk of lead hazards.

Are there Superfund sites in your zip?  (In your BLOG, make sure to tell us what a Superfund Site is)

Superfund sites are land areas in the United States that have been contaminated by hazardous waste and have been identified by the EPA as a candidate for cleanup due to the risks it has to human health and/or the environment.

Currently, there are no Superfund sites in my county.


What did you learn about the air quality in your zipcode?

Based on the Air Quality Index, the current air conditions in my zipcode are in the moderate range. Pollutants details show ozone at a good level (27) and particles at a moderate level (57).

In 1999, San Mateo county ranked among the dirtiest/worst 10% of all counties in terms of pm-2.5 (particle) emissions. Based on current data, it also ranked in the dirtiest/worst 10% of all counties in relation to the average individual's added cancer risk from hazardous pollutants.

How about the water quality?

Based on the Clean Water Act Comparative Ranking, San Mateo county falls under the dirtiest/worst counties in terms of percentage of surface waters with impaired or threatened uses and the number of impaired water bodies.

How did your zipcode fair on a social justice / environmental justice basis?

People of color, low-income families, families and kids below poverty, non-high school graduates, and working class people were shown to be more impacted by environmental burdens. 

Comments

  1. Emebet AkliluSeptember 11, 2018 at 9:57 PM

    Chris,

    Our counties sort of mirrored each other which is very interesting. (Also, makes me wonder about this false sense of security I have going on being from California). I think a huge contributor to our communities being ranked so poorly is simply their location. Both of us come from communities that are in the midst of large populous areas. There is really no avoiding all of the chemicals we come into contact with. It is definitely gross knowing that, but thats the reality. How do you think San Mateo stacks up next to your home town?

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownNovember 19, 2018 at 5:11 PM

    Hi Chris, it was awesome to read that in San Mateo only about 1% of houses have high risk lead hazards. It is definitely higher here in San Jose. The Air quality seemed pretty good as well. I was shocked to read that about 20 years ago, this city was ranked one of the dirtiest in terms of particulate matter. This is extremely scary because after much research on this topic, I have found that particulate matter is responsible for various things including respiratory issues and cardiovascular issues. One of the most interesting things that I found was that it increases systolic blood pressure, specifically.

    ReplyDelete

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