Environmental Health (News)

Cancer at 23: How Health Insurance Failed Me

Editor2 — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 14:04:56 -0500

By Carey Purcell

I had a job and health insurance when I got sick, but my claim was denied. And that was just the beginning.

"I'm too young for this," I thought. It wasn't the first time that those words had crossed my mind in the past few months. I thought it when I was diagnosed with advanced thyroid cancer. I thought it when the company I was working for began facing financial problems and my paychecks were bouncing. I thought it when I learned I would be dependent on a prescription drug every day for the rest of my life. And I thought it again when I got the bill. In spite of having insurance, I had been billed in full for my surgery and two nights in the hospital. The total was $20,759.89. I was 23 years old.

Governor signs anti-sprawl bill

Editor2 — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:30:37 -0500

By Kevin Yamamura

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a landmark bill Tuesday to discourage sprawl in future decades, completing a deal among environmentalists, homebuilders and local governments on the final day of bill signing.

Senate Bill 375, by Democratic Sen. Darrell Steinberg of Sacramento, will push California communities to consider climate change impacts of development in regional planning, with an emphasis on reducing car travel.

Global Starvation Ignored by American Policy Elites

Editor2 — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 17:02:29 -0500

By Peter Phillips

A new report from The World Bank admits that in 2005 3.14 billion people live on less that $2.50 a day and about 44 percent of these people survive on less than $1.25. Complete and total wretchedness can be the only description for the circumstances faced by so many, especially those in urban areas. Simple items like phone calls, nutritious food, vacations, television, dental care, and inoculations are beyond the possible for billions of people.

Starvation.net logs the increasing impact of world hunger and starvation. Over 30,000 people a day (85 percent of children under 5) die of malnutrition, curable diseases and starvation. Over the past 40 years, the number of unnecessary deaths has exceeded 300 million.

Health Officials Say Campus Bay Safe for Current Use, Not Homes

Editor2 — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500

By Richard Brenneman

While state and county health officials said a chemically contaminated site in southeast Richmond poses no dangers to their current users, concerns remain about past users and those to come.

They also acknowledge that their findings don’t include the possible interactions between the more than 100 toxic metals and chemicals found at the site.

Ethel Dotson, who initiated the Community Advisory Group [CAG] now advising the state about cleanups at Campus Bay and UC Berkeley’s Richmond Field Station, died Nov. 1 in the firm conviction her cancer was caused by exposure during her childhood.

Chevron pays a high price for refinery

Editor2 — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500

By Daniel Weintraub
Article Launched: 08/14/2008 12:37:32 AM PDT

RICHMOND - From the corner of Standard Avenue and Main Street at the big Chevron oil refinery in this gritty city by the bay, the pipes seem to stretch forever in every direction. Carrying crude oil, gasoline and everything in between, they snake for miles through the refinery - 8,000 miles, almost three trips across the United States. That's how massive this place is.

Every third car driving on Northern California roads is powered by gas from Chevron's plant. Almost every quart of motor oil sold on the West Coast has ingredients from here.

The scale of the refinery is a testament to our oil-driven society.

Environmental justice in action

Editor2 — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500

By Chris Treadway

During Richmond's recent public hearings on expansion plans for the Chevron refinery, Dr. Henry Clark was there to speak on the potential health consequences of the project on residents around the oil processing facility, particularly people in disadvantaged communities.

As executive director of the West County Toxics Coalition, a group he founded 22 years ago, Clark has been a tireless advocate on environmental justice issues before the phrase was commonly used. Five years ago, Contra Costa County recognized the cause by adopting an environmental justice policy, and last month supervisors formally accepted an Environmental Justice Framework submitted by Contra Costa Health Services for inclusion in the county health department's policy.

Chevron's record profit fleeting?

Editor2 — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500

By George Avalos

SAN RAMON — Chevron Corp. rocketed to record quarterly profits of $5.98 billion, the oil giant reported Friday, but analysts warned that the San Ramon firm's profit gusher may ebb if sky-high oil prices morph into a temporary oil bubble.

Profits for the second quarter jumped 11 percent from a year ago, Chevron said. Yet the per-share profit of $2.90 fell short of Wall Street's expectations of $3.03. Chevron's shares fell 25 cents, or 0.3 percent, to finish at $84.31.

Still, analysts were pleased about the report overall.

"These numbers were great," said Robbert Van Batenburg, head of research with Louis Capital Markets.

Richmond leaders to sit on committee distributing $10 million from Chevron

Editor2 — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 06:26:58 -0500

By Katherine Tam

In a vote shouted down by the audience, Richmond city leaders appointed themselves to a committee that will decide how $10 million from a community benefits agreement with Chevron will be spent.

Council members Nat Bates, Ludmyrna Lopez and Harpreet Sandhu will sit on the committee. Councilman John Marquez will serve as the alternate.

Swanson marches with Port drivers

Editor2 — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Assemblyman Sandré Swanson, chairman of the Assembly Committee on Labor and Employment, recently joined with nearly 1,000 labor leaders, port drivers, environmentalists, clergy and others in a march and rally to draw attention to the plight of California’s port truck drivers, including those working at the Port of Oakland.

“The current system is broken. It is wreaking economic havoc and creating a public health crisis for our workers and local communities,” said Swanson.

The march began at the Oakland Marriott and ended at the Port of Oakland headquarters near Jack London Square.

Chevron: No harmful impact from sulfur spill at Richmond refinery

Editor2 — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0500

By Robert Salonga

RICHMOND — A sulfuric acid spill at the Chevron refinery this morning has caused no injuries or adverse effects to surrounding areas, the company said.

A leak in a pipeline containing the chemical was discovered around 8:10 a.m. and involved about 1,000 pounds of the liquid, said Chevron spokesman Walt Gill.

Because the sulfuric acid was in liquid and not vapor form, there was no harmful odor emitted, Gill said. Crews have been dispatched to clean up the spill.

Even though the spill did not cause any significant damage or harm, Gill said, the volume of the spill required the company to report it to county and state authorities.