Dutra Update & Action Plea: Petaluma Health Care District Writes to the Supes

"The Petaluma Health Care District Board of Directors sent a letter to all Sonoma County supervisors on Thursday asking them to be sure to address all health concerns before voting on whether to approve the Dutra asphalt plant on Tuesday, Dec. 14."

"In the letter sent on Thursday, Ostroff states that at a recent PHCD board meeting, community members voiced concern over the number of diesel truck trips that will be made to and from the proposed asphalt plant.
“These trips may be a primary source of particulate matter 2.5 that has been linked to heart disease, diabetes and asthma,” Ostroff wrote. “There was also concern that there was not adequate assessment of the requirements outlined by the California Environmental Quality Act for industrial projects.”
https://www.petaluma360.com/article/...ty01?p=1&tc=pg

Please write to the Board of Supervisors now urging them to vote "No" on Dutra this Tuesday 12/14.

To ensure your letter is entered in the public record please include the heading:
"Comments on the Dutra Asphalt Plant EIR, Revised Project II"
Email comments to:
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]

Please see my next 3 posts, for video links and quotable info on the links between
PM2.5 and Diabetes, Heart Disease and Asthma in Children.

Dutra, PM2.5 and Diabetes

Diabetes
Brand new evidence links particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5), a primary component of diesel emissions, to diabetes. From Diabetes Care, the journal of the American Diabetes Association, Oct. 2010

1. "In this study, we demonstrate an increase in diabetes risk even among areas that are below the EPA legal limits for PM2.5. Populations living in areas that are near, but still below, the EPA limits show a >20% higher diabetes prevalence compared with those in cleaner areas."
2. "Preventative measures should be considered to reduce exposure to PM2.5 from those at highest risk. Furthermore, evidence based on this study and others suggests that current limits on particulate matter exposure may not adequately mitigate the public health consequences."
3. https://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/33/10/2196.full?sid=82985156-b692-4d37-b030-cc6b516094a6

Dutra, Heart Disease and PM2.5

Heart Disease
PM2.5 triggers heart attack, stroke, heart failure and arrhythmia. From journal of the American Heart Assoc., 2010

1. "Exposure to PM <2.5 μg in diameter (PM2.5) over a few hours to weeks can trigger cardiovascular disease--related mortality and nonfatal events; longer-term exposure (eg, a few years) increases the risk for cardiovascular mortality to an even greater extent than exposures over a few days and reduces life expectancy within more highly exposed segments of the population by several months to a few years; reductions in PM levels are associated with decreases in cardiovascular mortality within a time frame as short as a few years..."
2. "The increase in risk for acute PM2.5-associated cardiovascular morbidity and mortality is principally among susceptible, but not necessarily critically ill, individuals. Several studies suggest that susceptible individuals at greater risk may include the elderly, patients with preexisting coronary artery disease, and perhaps those with diabetes. Recent data suggest that women and obese individuals might also be at higher risk.
3. "Because the evidence reviewed supports that there is no safe threshold, it appears that public health benefits would accrue from lowering PM2.5 concentrations even below present-day annual (15 μg /m3) and 24-hour (35 μg /m3) NAAQS [National Ambient Air Quality Standards], if feasible, to optimally protect the most susceptible populations."
4. https://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/con...urcetype=HWCIT

Asthma, Children and PM2.5

Video links below of the Sept. 30 Community Health Forum on the Health Impacts of the Dutra Proposal:

Summary of video presentation of Dr. Brock-Utne :
PM2.5 a major emission from diesel trucks, reaches the lower lungs then the bloodstream and cells. In children it disrupts the normal development of the immune system, changing the way their DNA is read, and making them more prone to asthma as well as respiratory and food allergies. Since carcinogenic Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) -- another emission of the proposed asphalt plant project -- can attach to PM2.5 for a free ride into the body, this exposure leaves children vulnerable to developing more serious diseases later in life.

UCSF Pediatric Environmental Health Specialist Dr. Brock-Utne’s presentation:
part 1 of 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwFK26SIFTU
part 2 of 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNtgnmCNBxg
part 3 of 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-LfDXK7w7g


Toxicologist Dr. James Clark's presentation:
part 1 of 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLXa5-bggAA
part 2 of 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zY7uQh9BfSk

Please write to the Board of Supervisors now urging them to vote "No" on Dutra this Tuesday 12/14.
To ensure your letter is entered in the public record please include the heading:
"Comments on the Dutra Asphalt Plant EIR, Revised Project II"
Email comments to:
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]

West County Supervisor Efren Carrillo is the swing vote on Dutra. Of the 3 Supervisors voting for Dutra at the last meeting on 10/12, he will be the only one up for re-election. The other 2 yes votes came from Kerns and Kelley who both retire within the month. Carrillo is the only one who can be held accountable if Dutra is approved.

Valerie Brown and Shirlee Zane voted "No" citing health concerns expressed by the public.

Please defend the right of all towns to refuse a toxic burden imposed by the county. A recent poll shows that 83% of Petaluma residents do not want an asphalt plant in their town: https://pulse-of-petaluma.blogs.peta...asphalt-plant/