Getting Environmental in the 94110

General Area: San Francisco’s Mission District

1. Who and what are the top polluters in your zip code?

• SF Drydock Inc.; releasing 28,942 pounds
• Chevron; releasing 13,311 pounds
• PG&E; releasing 29lbs 

2. What percent of the homes in your zipcode have lead-based paint? 

• 7% of the homes have lead-based paint. Many of the homes in the Mission have not had improvements since they were built. Some of the homes only receive improvements when they sell or when tenants move, or when they building is lost after a fire. 

3. Are there Superfund sites in your zip? 

• What is a Superfund site? A Superfund site is an incredibly polluted area which requires long-term cleaning up of hazardous materials that have been pushed into the area. 
• In your area? The Treasure Island Naval station in Hunter’s Point

4.  What can you tell us about the Superfund sites that are near where you live?

• The Naval station, which has not been used in decades continues to be targeted for clean-up efforts in order to make the area available for improvements and expansion. The area started operating in 1940, and was named “redundant” in 1994. As the area has been cleaned, parcels have been sold for development but activists still claim that the area is contaminated considering the amount of time that the shipyard was operating. The goal post clean-up is to develop the area in order to build more housing. A large project for area improvement and development has allowed for individuals and families to begin moving in, with the first group inhabiting the area in 2015. Individuals and families have lived around the area even before it was being used as a shipyard. Historically, those living in the area of Hunter’s Point have been the poorest in the city of San Francisco, where a large percentage is underserved in regards to their health and wellness. 

5.  What did you learn about the air quality in your zip code?

• San Francisco does not meet attainment status because the county fails to meet the national ambient air quality standard for the following criteria air pollutants: Ozone. The air quality is not great. Only 88% of the of days in San Francisco are considered “good air quality” days, and 12% is considered “moderate.” Thankfully non of the days in San Francisco are considered  “unsafe” for sensitive populations. San Francisco started Spare the Air days back in 1991 as a City-wide Quality Improvement project. During summer months buses and other forms of public transportation were free in order to help residents and people commuting into the city refrain from driving in order to minimize ozone pollution (smog). Residents were also asked to refrain from doing other pollution causing activities (using aerosol spray, for example).

6.  How about the water quality?

• While I always believed that the water in San Francisco was good, it’s not. San Francisco County’s water ranking was actually placed among the worst in the country moving past national averages and settling in the “dirtiest/worst counties” area of the Clean Water Act ranking. This is primarily based on the fact that the county is surrounded by salt water, and because the water source is actually outside of the county and it has to travel through a pipe system that runs 175 miles. The leading pollutants in the water surface is pesticides (76%), Sediments (24%), and pathogens (12%)- this is probably based on the total travel distance of the water, and that the pipes that run to private residences have not been updated since they were placed decades ago. That being said, San Francisco has excellent drinking water, in my opinion. 

7.  How did your zipcode fair on a social justice / environmental justice basis?

• San Francisco does well, but it’s not great. Overall people from underserved communities; communities that have been historically marginalized and have experienced disenfranchisement experience the worst in regards to the negative effects from the environment. Hunter’s Point, which is primarily an African-American and Asian American community, is the location of the closed shipyard which for years has continued to ruin the waterfront in the area-not allowing residents to enjoy the Bay the same way that residents in other areas of the Bay do (or example, Marin). The incidence of health conditions like diabetes, asthma, and other respiratory issues is very high in this community. In San Francisco’s Mission District, which was historically a Latino dominant area, the residences have not experienced any improvements which means that many of the homes still have lead paint, and rusty pipes. Acknowledging this, San Francisco is making attempts to change its resident’s future. With projects like Spare the Air, and Friends of the Urban Forest, and other programs that are being developed by the Public Utilities Commission there is opportunity for San Francisco to change its ranking-which is not bad- and provide opportunity to be a model for other cities in California and the US. 

Link to Source: LINK

Care or Get Out (Review)

Drop The Oxybenzone, Or Stop Swimming In Hawaiian Waters

Chad Blair

Civil Beat- 9/3/2016

I often struggle with "the cycle" and how in trying to prevent something for myself, I am actually causing harm to something else. I guess that there will always be taking to my giving; in giving myself the opportunity to protect my skin, I am in fact taking time away from the ocean. Everyday I am reminded of all the things that are "bad for me" or that can "cause me harm" or my personal favorite, that I'll "pay later for," and yet I am not reminded of all the things that I'm doing that is causing harm to the environment. Why is that? 

To think that something as basic as sunscreen, something that since infancy I have been using as a method of protection is something that I now have to think twice about. It is not major of course, just buy sunscreen that is coral safe- that is all I need to do! We are currently in a stage in our existence where we question and review everything and oh how beautiful it is, exhausting yes, but oh so beautiful when considering what we are trying to protect- our planet.

Oxybenzone, while not the sole cause for the increase in coral bleaching, plays a role  and what Chad Blair's article does beautifully is remind us that it's the little things that can cause great shifts in our future. The same way that we take preventative measures on ourselves (for example running, or thinking about running) in order to promote stronger health outcomes later on, the same that we should work to promote the well-being of our oceans and their future.

Link to Article: Link

Non-Caring Tides (Review)

The Oceans Can't Protect Us Anymore- Here's Why
Christine Dell'Amore
National Geographic- 9/5/2016

"Our waters have borne the brunt of global warming for decades, but dying corals, extreme weather, and plummeting fish stocks are signs that it can handle no more." 

The article describes the situation perfectly. What do you do with a sick patient when they present and are in fact, sick. What is the solution to a fever? A cold? Someone who is just beyond physically exhausted because for the last couple of hundred years it has taken on an immense burden brought on by a foreign species? One word, one syllable- REST. 

As of now the ocean is exhausted and while it has the ability to work and provide incredible benefits to the human race, and really all living organisms on this planet, it can only do so much, especially when it lacks the opportunity to relax. What are our options? Promote conservation efforts! What are the repercussions should we not? Well we are already experiencing them. A rise in temperature in the ocean, while great for swimmers, just plain sucks for the ocean in general. For example, hurricanes. Where there was hardly ever any before, there are now double. Hurricanes love warm water and do you know what else loves warm water? Bacteria. Warmer waters increase chances of bacteria, spreading pathogens that can lead to serious damage. 

Think of it as a horror movie. We are currently in that stage where there has been an acknowledgement of A killer and we can either leave the house, continue in the house (which is never a good plan), or leave and strategize. Considering we are surrounded by water, and considering all the harm that we are doing, it might be wise to "tap out" for a while in order to allow time for strategizing next steps, thereby giving the ocean the much needed rest it so deserves. 

Something important to think 
Link to Article: LINK

The Violence of Othering in a Warming World (Media Review)

"Once the 'the other' has been firmly established, the ground is softened for any transgression; violent expulsion, land theft, and occupation. The whole point is that 'the other' doesn't have the same rights or humanity." Naomi Klein, 2016


My only thought on this wonderful presentation by someone that I would probably walk through fire for is that there has to be an understanding that the lack of acknowledgement in our current racial war, is the same behavior that is going to lead to the drowning of our coastal cities. There is so much that is already known about the the current state of our planet and injustices faced by many communities, and while leaders of our communities have acknowledged these truths there is nothing being done to actively change the motion that the society-at-large is moving in. 

Link to Video: LINK

Chemical Connections: Troubling New Science (Media Review)

 Jane Houlihan's Chemical Connections: Troubling New Science allowed me to begin thinking about the long-term effects of the personal products that I use on a daily basis.

I thought about when she said "you want to look good, and you want to feel good," a statement that has so much truth when you're at the store and thinking about the perfect item to either make you feel "cleaner" or more "sporty," or even "sexy."

I looked back on all of those times that I had breakouts, or that my hair suddenly became dry, or even when I needed a quick remedy for dry skin. There are always those moments when the phrasing on the packaging is the only piece of the pie that I take into consideration before throwing down money on a lotion that is just going to save my life. Just breaking down that phrase "save my life" is causing me to shake my head just thinking about how little that product is actually doing in regards to saving, as opposed to damaging. While I now try to take active steps in researching that which is either going to go into my body or on it, I will admit that there were many times, and sometimes even now where the most effort I put into a product before buying is calculating the sales tax.

Thinking about all the new chemicals that enter the market everyday, and the growing long-term effects that are associated with exposure to these chemicals, it is insane to think about just how well I will be able to keep up with all of the new possible threats to my life (or after viewing this presentation, my sperm count).

Caring for My Home: Mrs. Meyers

I will admit, I LOVE the smell of clorox when I walk into a home. Usually when I walk into patients homes or SRO rooms it is a sign that the place has been cleaned and therefore not as likely to be hosting bedbugs. Often times I question my patient's safety when I sit with them in a counseling session surrounded by the items they found on the street or are holding for friends (because they were the lucky ones to get a permanent room). Either way, the discussion of making sure that their place stays "clean" always comes up. Studies have shown that unkept rooms are associated with poor health, and while that could mean something to a lazy teenager at home with their parents; it means an entirely different thing to someone who used to be homeless, has a compromised immune system, and may or may not have a hoarding problem: "if your environment is disorganized, chaotic and out of control, then your mindset, decision making, goal setting and motivation are likely also disorganized, chaotic and out of control."(Dr. Malone, 2013)

In my own home I have personally become a fan of Mrs. Meyers (I also may or may not have gone overboard one day while cleaning the bathroom with a bottle of Clorox which may or may not have caused me to faint). 

Mrs. Meyers prides itself as being the aromatherapeutic cleaning solution; which is really nice when you think about it while washing a pile of dirty dishes, or three weeks worth of laundry- I'm feeling calm just thinking about it right now! The company's goal is to create clean and happy homes, and that while it may be tough on grime, it will be gentle on the house. 

An item that I use quite a bite...if you can consider a bit everyday/all day is their hand soap (in particular the rhubarb scent). The ingredients, which are posted on the back do a wonderful job at informing what you can find in the bottle and what you won't find included. Active ingredients include: plant derived ingredients, natural essential oils, aloe vera extract, glycerin, and olive oil. What is missing from the hand soap you may be wondering? Items like artificial colors, formaldehyde, and triclosan are all not invited to this cleaning party, and why? Because not including those products is not only gentle on the house-but in this particular case it is incredibly gentle on the skin. BUT there is an issue here....so do not get too excited. 


Mrs. Meyer's does one thing badly...they lie about the ingredients in their product. A spin of the bottle shows you very difficult to pronounce words in a very small font. Here ingredients read like a recipe for Cheetos, and upon further investigation through a fellow bloggers like "I Read Labels for You," I came to find that Mrs. Meyer's is not so gentle- in fact, she is down-right harsh. 

The soap contains ingredients like Cocamidopropyl Betaine (a foam booster) and Sodium Benzoate (a preservative). It also contains PEGs which the soap has two of and while some “natural product” resources have determined that this is oay, the EWG has voted otherwise stating that the PEGs in the Mrs. Meyers products are not ideal for continued use. PEGs (Polyethylene Glycols) have been known to get contaminated as a result of the ethoxylation process used during production. Trace levels of 1,4-dioxane, which if you remember from the previous post is associated with cancer. Another item to look at on the soap is fragrance. While the company makes a note to state that rhubarb is one of the “first signs of spring,” the use of fragrance in the soap leads to search for signs elsewhere. Fragrance is an undisclosed mixture of chemicals, meaning that the company can pretty much just make a mixture and call it fragrance without having to report what it is they’re actually using. The EWG gave the Mrs. Meyer’s hand soap a rating of 8 because fragrance mixes have been associated with allergies, dermatitis, respiratory distress, and potential effects on the reproductive system. 

Overall I think I am going to pass on Mrs. Meyer's from here on out. While I have come to find myself growing as a conscious product consumer I still find myself looking back on the days of Clorox smelling bathrooms, but I have to keep moving towards the "Conscious Right" as I like to call it. Further investigation has lead to use Dr. Bronner's, they're ingredients not only being great for the skin, but also on the water going down the drain. When I help patients shop for cleaning products I won't advise them to buy the items that are going to get the job done (those 99.9% killing cleaning products), but instead I will work with them on being conscious consumers in regards to their cleaning products and that while it may not feel like it is getting the job done the way Clorox would, it is and it's actually a lot better for them and their new environment.