Environmentalists who accused an East Auckland steel pipe company of spewing carcinogenic chemicals into the surrounding air last December said regulators had ignored the issue and failed to consult with the public. filed a new lawsuit on Tuesday.
In a lawsuit filed in Alameda County Superior Court, Community for a Better Environment accuses AB&I Foundry of polluting low-income residents near the Oakland Coliseum with a carcinogenic gas that causes headaches, dizziness and nausea. I was.
They also gave the foundries an additional six years to comply with the clean air standards that the Bay Area Air Quality Management District was originally supposed to meet by the end of this year, and asked for comment. or claim that their non-acceptance made the situation worse. public.
AB&I, formerly known as American Brass & Iron, was sued in February by Attorney General Rob Bonta. He said the foundry exceeded legal standards for emissions of hexavalent chromium, a chemical that targets the respiratory system, kidneys, liver, skin and eyes. Inhalation may cause lung cancer. Bonta’s office said nearby residents had high rates of asthma, cardiovascular disease, and other health conditions caused by air pollution.
“We complain to them[air quality control districts]every day, but they ignore the community,” said Chris, who has lived in the area since he was 16 in 1992 and is a member of Community for a Better Environment. said Esther Goolsby, co-director of the Northern District program in California. She has asthma and COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which causes breathing difficulties, her children suffered from asthma, nosebleeds, frequent headaches growing up, and several of her neighbors and is dead.
There are over 52,000 people living within a mile of the factory, 15 schools within a mile, and less than a third of a mile from the Coliseum. It also emits a strong, noxious odor, like burning rubber, which often prompts neighbors to refrain from outdoor activities such as gardening and walking. Community members are required to keep doors and windows closed during AB&I business hours. There is often a
The aviation district issued 35 violation notices to AB&I between 2003 and June 2021, 16 of which were from 2012 onwards, until last year requiring foundries to install pollution controls. They didn’t, the lawsuit says. A notice last year said the district reported that the risk of cancer for neighbors was twice his at normal safety levels, and for those who worked in or near the factory he was four times.
The foundry will close at the end of December and operations will be moved to Texas. Bay Area Air Quality Management District spokesperson Christine Rocelius acknowledges pressure from the district, other government agencies and the community for a better environment for the planned closure announced in March. She said the company made the decision after the BAAQMD concluded last year that the emissions pose a public health risk, and after the district co-hosted a public workshop with environmental groups.
“As a result, health risk reductions are achieved within a much shorter timeframe, resulting in much greater emission reductions,” said Roselius. “The Air District is overseeing the shutdown and site cleanup process to ensure all air quality regulations are adhered to when the facility is closed.”
She also said the district was “following all notification requirements” and “seeked broad public comment” on the foundry’s health impact assessment.
But the district, which ordered foundries in 2017 to comply with emissions standards by the end of 2022, extended the deadline by three years in 2018 and another three years in 2020 without notice, according to the lawsuit. .
Meanwhile, the lawsuit said, “Bay Area residents continue to breathe toxic air that is endangering their health.”
Even after AB&I shut down, there are about 40 industrial facilities in the area that emit dangerous levels of emissions and have not been shut down by the aviation district, according to lawyers for environmental groups.
AB&I’s parent company, McWane Inc., did not respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit.
The environmental group’s December lawsuit and Bonta’s lawsuit, still pending, accuse Foundry of violating Proposition 65, the 1986 state ballot measure. Monday’s lawsuit alleges that the emissions impaired the habitability of entire neighborhoods and created a “public nuisance,” a private act that could lead not only to civil damages, but criminal prosecution. .
The lawsuit does not seek damages, only a court order requiring AB&I and the Aviation District to follow the law and shut down the plant immediately unless it complies with emission standards.
Bob Egelko is a staff writer for the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko
