Claudia's EnviroHealth Blog

Answer the following questions: What is the source of your drinking water?   Where does your water ORIGINATE?  (It is treated at a water treatment plant, but what watershed or aquifer is the sources of the water?) The Source is Surface Water, interestingly Sacramento is known as river city because with the Sacramento community and  all or parts of numerous watersheds including the Cosumnes, lower Mokelumne and Yuba rivers, as well as the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. These rivers provide the region with much of its surface water. What chemicals were found in your water that were higher than expected  1 chemical was detected under the EPA's Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 3) program in 2013 to 2015, for which annual utility averages exceeded a health guideline established by a federal or state public health authority; radiological contaminants detected between 2010 and 2015. Chromium (hexavalent) is a carcinogen that commonly contami...

Where are the sewage treatment facilities in your community?  The 3 sewage treatment facilities in my community are: 1-Sacramento Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant- 6.9 miles away 2-City of Galt Wastewater Treatment Plant- 12.8 miles away 3- Pleasant Grove Waste Water Treatment Plant- 21.0 miles away

Drink Clean, Eco-friendly, Free Water.  Say YES to Tap Water!!

I believe that everyone should have the right and access to clean water and our laws should mandate and protect this fundamental right. Prior to the passage of the Clean Water Act of 1972 many of water sources were polluted to the point of rendering the water ecosystem lifeless. Many of our nation's waters were open to sewers, turned in dumpsites for chemicals from factories and farming. Clean Water Act of 1972 made concentrated efforts to improve the  nation's quality of water. Everyone has the right to expect that our fundamental environmental laws will safeguard clean water, an essential ingredient for healthy communities. Rivers were so polluted 40 years ago that they were literally burning and waters were so degraded that they were virtually lifeless. It was clear to Americans and congress that our waters needed protection. With many of our nation’s waters then serving as open sewers, congress passed the Clean Water Act in 1972.  Our nation relies on clean water for b...

Radon Radon is a colorless, tasteless and odorless gas that causes  lung cance r . Radon can reside at dangerous levels inside homes, schools and other buildings. Exposure to radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States, after smoking. Radon-related lung cancers are responsible for an estimated 21,000 deaths annually in the United States (United States Environmental and Protection Agency, 2018).   My Radon Awareness Campaign would include the following: 1-Increase public knowledge about Radon and its harmful health effects via public service announcements similar to the tobacco cessation campaign 2- Have a radon awareness day 3-Provide free radon testing kits and include information along with resources and references for what to do if your house tests high for radon 4- Mandate a policy change requiring radon testing to be included in home inspections at the time of purchase. https://www.epa.gov/radon/health-risk-radon ...

Urea formaldehyde foam insulation (UFFI) is injected as a mixture of urea formaldehyde resin, an acidic foaming agent, and a propellant, such as air. It was commonly used in existing houses by injecting the foam into areas, such as behind walls, where it was impractical to provide conventional insulation. UFFI has been suggested as a causal agent in a variety of health problems, including upper and lower respiratory tract and gastrointestinal tract symptoms, asthma and chronic bronchitis, dermatitis, psychological  symptoms (including insomnia and depression), nasal cancer and lymphoma. Carlson, A. B. (1929). DCM 0861: Central American Indian / Whistle (Duct Flute). (C. T. Capen, Ed., E. Adler, Trans.). Musical Instrument, Tampico, Mexico: Native Central Americans. https://doi.org/10.1000/xyz123 Norman, G. R., & Newhouse, M. T. (1986). Health effects of urea formaldehyde foam insulation: evidence of causation.  CMAJ: Canadian Medical Association Journal , ...

 My commuter car is a Honda Civic Hybrid,  and I was pleased to see the following statement, "Honda adopted a new Environmental Vision in 2011. The company will continue to work under that vision to minimize CO2 emissions and other environmental impacts, and reduce the use of fossil fuels and resources. Honda’s overall goal is to develop products with the lowest in-use CO2 emissions manufactured at plants with the lowest CO2 emissions intensity (emissions per unit of production) ( North American Environmental Report, 2013). The closest grocery store from my house is 1.5 miles away so walking or riding a bike to the store is out of the question, especially with a 1 year old-that's never going to happen! I rely on my car heavily, my county isn't public transportation friendly unless you're living downtown. For most of my life that seems to be the common theme, for those living in the suburbs you can only rely on your own transportation for travel.  As my little one grow...

Who and what are the top polluters in your zip code? The top 3 polluters in my zipcode are:  Your Zip Code: 95829 Your Community: SACRAMENTO County Who Is Polluting Your Community? Reported Environmental Releases from TRI Sources in 2002 Rank Facility City Pounds 1 AEROJET - MISSILE & SPACE PROPULSION RANCHO CORDOVA 63,620 2 PROCTER & GAMBLE MFG. CO. SACRAMENTO 59,611 3 POLYCLAD LAMINATES INC. ELK GROVE 43,474 What percent of the homes in your zip code have lead-based paint?  1%  Percent of housing units in Sacramento have a high risk of lead hazard Are there Superfund sites in your zip?  (In your BLOG, make sure to tell us what a Superfund Site is) Superfund sites are the nation's worst toxic waste sites: 1,305 are scheduled for cleanup on the National Priorities List (NPL). About 11 million people in the U.S., including 3-4 million children, live within 1 mile of a federal Superfund site and confront potential public ...