M3.4- Air Pollution

• Who and what are the top polluters in your zip code?
• F. Korbel & Bros. Inc. (Korbel Winery, Guerneville, CA.) is the top polluter in my county. In 2002 it ranked in the 60^th percentile of dirtiest/worst facilities in the U.S. I was appalled to hear this, because I have been to this beautiful facility and we buy their champagne frequently. I will have to do some more investigating to see where they rank now.
• The top chemicals produced in my zip code are: 1) Ethylene Glycol (33,216 pounds), which is a suspected cardiovascular/blood toxicant as well as a developmental toxicant; 2) Styrene (7,444 pounds), also a suspected carcinogen as well as cardiovascular, blood, endocrine toxicant; 3) Phenol (250 pounds).
• What percent of the homes in your zip code have lead-based paint?
• 1% of homes in my zip code have lead-based paint. This was pleasantly surprising because while many of the homes in my area have been built in the recent decades, a lot of them are in the historic part of town consisting of very old, Victorian homes.
• However, we are the 4^th highest lead releasing county in the state for lead to air emissions.
• Are there Superfund sites in your zip?
• In 2004 we ranked among the cleanest/best 20% of all counties in the U.S. in terms of designated Superfund Sites.
• Sola Optical USA, Inc. was the only Superfund Site in the community.      
• Superfund is a federal program that funds the cleanup of sites contaminated with hazardous pollutants and chemicals. Sites under this program are called “Superfund Sites.”
• What can you tell us about the Superfund sites that are near where you live?
• Sola Optical USA, Inc. produced optical lenses on its 35-acre property from 1978 to 2001. This site has groundwater contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOC) and solvents. After the cleanup, the EPA took the site off of the Superfund program’s National Priorities List in 2013 (EPA).
• What did you learn about the air quality in your zip code?
• In 1999, my county ranked among the dirtiest/worst 10% of all counties in the U.S. in terms of pm-2.5 emissions.
• 96% of our annual days are with good air quality, 4% of our days are with moderate air quality, and 0% of our days are with unhealthy air quality. I would be interested in seeing recent data to see the impact of last year’s firestorms on these statistics.
• How about the water quality?
• 90^th percentile in percentage of surface waters with impaired or threatened uses; 50^th percentile in number of impaired water bodies as reported by the state; 63% of waterbodies were infectd by pesticides in 1997-1998.
• We have a VERY heavy agricultural presence (chickens, cows, etc.), and I have a feeling the levels of pesticides were due to combatting other diseases typically encountered with livestock waste and common illnesses associated with live animals.
• How did your zip code fair on a social justice / environmental justice basis?
• White people release 1600 toxic chemicals compared to 1,000 from people of color.
• Low income families release 2,100 toxic chemicals compared to 1,300 from high income families. 

Petaluma, California, 94952