Bay Area Freight Transport - Toxic Tours

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The map shows major polluters and toxic sites throughout four regions of the San Francisco Bay Area: North Richmond, West Oakland, San Leandro, and Bayview Hunters Point in San Francisco. It provides an environmental justice based approach and is intended for use by community members, activists, and allies in the struggle to create healthy communities.

Air Pollution

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Photo credit: The Pacific Institute (2006)

See or smell air pollution? File a complaint with the air district.If you have complaints about air quality including odors, smoke, and dust call 1-800-334-ODOR to document the air pollution.

Every complaint that is made is supposed to be investigated by a Bay Area Air Quality Management District field inspector. Names and addresses are confidential, and complaints can be filed anonymously.
                                               
Making a complaint:
  1. Call as soon as possible after detecting the air pollution.
  2. Try to identify the facility that is emitting the pollution.
  3. Be specific about smells, and try to compare them to common smells like rotten eggs, asphalt, or burning plastic.
  4. Explain the frequency of the problem. Is it a one time event or a reoccurring problem?
  5. Be sure to call each time or day that there is a problem.
  6. A report is written for each complaint. Request a copy of the report.
  7. Keep a written log of all the complaints that are filed.

Chemical Concerns

  • Vinyl Chloride
Vinyl chloride is one of the highest production volume chemicals in the world. Global demand in 2006 was estimated to be more than 17 billion pounds and U.S. production capacity is more than 18 million pounds. Yet this widely used toxic chemical is known to cause liver cancer, brain cancer and some blood cancers, and has been associated with breast cancer. Exposure to high levels in the air can even be fatal. Read the full article here.

  • Bisphenol A (BPA)
BPA is a very common chemical found in plastics, food and beverage can linings, and other consumer products. BPA is one of the highest volume chemicals produced in the world; according to the Centers for Disease Control, 93% of us have it in our bodies. BPA mimics estrogen and, in animal studies, researchers have linked developmental exposure to BPA to reproductive harm, increased cancer susceptibility, and abnormalities in brain development. Read the full article here.


  • Toxic Chemicals and Infertility
Infertility. Early puberty. Decreased sperm counts. Breast and prostate cancers. These are just a few of the reproductive health problems that are increasing in the United States today. More and more evidence implicates that some of these increases are linked to our constant exposure to toxic chemicals, from the air we breathe, to the water we drink, to the everyday products we bring into our homes. Read the full article here.

  • Toxic Chemicals Lobby: Exclusive Leaked Footage


The Story of Cosmetics


The Story of Stuff