Tag: asbestos

George D. Porter dedicated his career to the International Longshoremen’s Workers Union Local 34. He died in the care of his loving family on the morning of Feb. 19, 1992. His immediate cause of death was dehydration. His final cause of death was pulmonary asbestosis.

The resolution does not compel any action but calls upon the city to halt construction, order health assessments and communicate these reports to the district and the public.

It would be a liability to accelerate the transfer of a federal Superfund site from the National Priority List with the data gaps that exist in the characterization of this property. The city admits it cannot clean up the Shipyard’s radiation-contaminated sites, which comprise the bulk of Parcels D and E. Parcel F, the Shipyard’s underwater region, has not been adequately studied.

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.

Turning to Lennar’s recent activities, Sumchai’s politics came into focus. “We have to fight to control this property. We have to be stakeholders at the table of what goes on in the development of not only this property but other properties throughout southeast San Francisco.

“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.”

“Redevelopment destroyed the Western Addition,” said Bayview resident Charlie Walker. “And now they’re destroying Bayview Hunters Point. Black people are not leaving San Francisco – we are being driven out.”

“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."