Tag: arsenic

On Friday, Sept. 21, 2007, Mayor Gavin Newsom claimed “the CDC and the California Department of Public Health agree with the San Francisco Department of Public Health that there was no significant health risk created by the grading activities at the shipyard.”

“The police say to us all the time that they can’t do their jobs because we won’t talk and tell on someone. Well, we ARE telling on PG&E … so now we tell them it’s your turn. Do your job! Do it now!”

Nevertheless, recent news articles have discussed plans to speed up the pace of the cleanup and possible use of the Shipyard to house a new 49ers stadium.

“I have several friends who have died from asbestos, died from inhaling asbestos. Don’t let any of these people tell you it’s not toxic. I have complained about all those trucks with all that dust. They bring it through our neighborhood with no cover.”

I found out that Lennar pays for the studies conducted by the SFDPH. Dr. Bhatia told me that there is nothing wrong with the air or the dust and that people couldn’t possibly be experiencing health care problems.

“We have been living the Lennar nightmare for seven years. We are original owners with perpetual water intrusion. I am trying to organize my neighbors (168 defective homes) and share information in hopes that together we can make a difference ... We are absolutely devastated. I am writing from Novato, California.” — Tamara

“We’re asking for a temporary shut down of the construction at the shipyard, so we can access the levels of exposure from arsenic and lead. And we can’t trust the Health Department under Mitchell Katz to do it.”

“Last week a reading was over 21,000 particulates; 16,000 is an acceptable amount of dust you can breathe.”

“My son is sick and my grandchildren are sick. I could hope that someone would have said ‘Hold it.’ We know that there is environmental racism.”

“Bayview residents have been living with asthma way longer than the 49ers have been living with a third-rate stadium.”

The proposed dirty transfer of property from the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Priorities List would hasten development of the toxic property by removing federal, state and local government regulatory oversight.

“There’s asbestos everywhere on the base …” – Wayne Lee, inspector, Bay Area Air Quality Management District

ATSDR determined the Parcel E industrial landfill, the Parcel E Bay Fill areas and on-site soil at the Shipyard to be completed exposure pathways in the 1995 study and identified toxic metals and other compounds to be sources of contamination.

Supervisors, your constituents are furious. They call and email me constantly wondering what we're going to do, what they can do and, most of all, what you're going to do. Your constituents, 33,000 of them, demand justice. It's yours to give.

"Prior plans called for 70 percent of the units to be rentals and 30 percent condominiums to be sold. Now the first phase of construction will feature all condominiums."

Sup. Maxwell reduced the seating on the Asthma Task Force this year as she champions three development projects: the Hunters Point Shipyard, Home Depot and the Bayview Hunters Point Redevelopment Project Area, all documenting negative unmitigable impacts to human health and the environment.

All that it takes to be branded an urban terrorist evidently is to be a "troublemaker": complaining when sewage backs up into your sink or asserting your rights or defending your community in any way.

After more than 15 years of “cleanup,” the Shipyard is still a toxic mess – and now Lennar is moving forward to build residential housing on the site.

"One can only conclude that the real and unstated purpose of this project is to create a bedroom community for the affluent while making weak efforts to prevent dislocation of present residents."

Under the dirty development policies advanced by the Newsom administration, Parcel D can be surreptitiously transferred to the City and County of San Francisco for industrial development next year and housing built on radiation-contaminated soils.