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Monday, February 11, 2013

Emeryville Exceeds at Childhood Asthma

Emeryville Makes the Top Ten!
All those cars add up to topping a very disreputable state-wide list.  Here's another unintended consequence of being the business friendly East Bay city.  More evidence as the city council continues to deliver drive-in-drive-out condominiums, fast food restaurants and auto-centric malls, perhaps they should consider something other than helping out the developer's bottom lines.
From the Bay Area News Group:

8 comments:

  1. It's a goddamned disgrace that our air is made poisonous and our children are suffering because Berkeley's NIMBYs wouldn't let Caltrans add a lane to I-80. Now our children get to breathe in the toxins from hundreds of thousands of cars and trucks idling in a traffic jam 18 hours a day. Thank you Berkeley!

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    1. Oh, I know what you mean! What we need is more cars. We gotta keep adding lanes to the freeways and local city streets. More cars means less pollution and better quaity of life for children and everybody else. It's just like the gun debate: want to cut down on gun violence? Give everybody more guns. The NRA says it so it must be true.

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  2. Emeryville Rocks! Way to go! We're #2 We're #2!!!

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  3. My hunch is that it also follows socioeconomic lines. Older unmaintained (rental)houses have more toxic mold. It's naive to think it is strictly due to auto pollution. I'm sure there are a number of factors. Thank God there will be a County free clinic at the new school.

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    1. Yeah, except the majority of Emeryville residents live in new housing.

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    2. As a teacher in EUSD, I can testify to impact of air quality on the health of students and staff. Monthly visits by the breathmobile help, but coughing, wheezing, and absenteeism are increasingly the norm for our schools. I personally have had bronchitis four times this year and am currently home sick with it. With the move of young children to the ECCL, I am concerned with the shortcuts being taken with LEED green building compliance. Combine off -gasing of inferior, less expensive building materials with a location next to high levels of diesel emissions is a recipe for respiratory disease. What cost cutting measures are being taken for HVAC and filtration for the air our children will breath? If ECCL provides community health services, shouldn't it be a healthy place to learn and grow as well? Our children deserve better.

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    3. Wow Ingrid thank you. That is a whole issue that has not been brought up and needs to be discussed. I think the school board and ECCL Staff should look into and address this concern with the community.

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  4. Young children are the most susceptible to the fine carcinogenic particles generated from diesel exhaust. Anna Yates Elementary will now be moved within feet to San Pablo Avenue and about 200 yards away from the AC Transit bus yard that houses over 200 diesel buses. This is also the same with the newly opened EBI private elementary school on the corner of 45th and San Pablo Avenue. There are laws prohibiting the locations of schools being so near these known polluters, but Emeryville seems to view these laws only as recommendations and is ignoring the intent of the law at the cost of the children’s health.

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