Aluminium
Major Uses: domestic consumption, transportation, building, electrical
Import Dependency for U.S.: 38%
Major Importers: Canada, Russia, China, Mexico
Promoting the development of American mineral resources.
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Disposal of Hazardous Materials Causing Concern in California
California produces tons of hazardous material and has hundreds of hazardous waste and Superfund sites
California is known for its good weather and laid back way of life, but there is another side to the Golden State that few people know about: a growing hazardous waste problem. Silicon Valley near San Jose is where the computer industry grew up. The technology produced there has created an electronic boom, but also a flood of electronic waste. Where do all those old smart phones go when they get tossed aside for a new model? How about the batteries and their byproducts in all our electronic gadgets?
And that’s just the tech industry. California has a slew of chemical and aerospace companies along with military installations that produce hazardous material, too.
What kind of hazardous material is impacting communities in California?
- Arsenic
- Asbestos
- Cyanide
- DDT and other Pesticides
- Oil and Gas (includes petroleum, oil, diesel, gasoline, and motor oil)
- Radioactive elements (includes uranium)
What effects can these pollutants have on our health?
- Heart disease
- Cancer
- Blood disease
- Lowers IQ in children
- Lung diseases – COPD, Mesothelioma
- Headaches
- Birth defects
- Asthma
- Autism
- Kidney damage
- Anemia
- Brain damage
- Tremors
- Mental retardation
- Endocrine disruption
- Death
Environmental Justice
To pursue true environmental justice, the state of California must not only promise to keep its communities clean of hazardous wastes, but must also take full responsibility for the waste produced within its borders. To protect its residents, the California legislature, governors and agency officials have supported some of the toughest hazardous waste regulations in the country. The current practice of moving hazardous waste to states with less stringent rules and making it someone else’s problem violates this concept of environmental justice.
All people, no matter what state they live in, should be protected from the hazardous waste produced in California. It should be dealt with swiftly and effectively – in California.
Furthermore, California should make removing hazardous waste from polluted sites in communities, many of which are less advantaged, around the state a top priority. Leaving contamination in the ground because there is nowhere to take this hazardous waste should not be an option. California officials need to address this problem now.
California has adopted stringent rules for the disposal of hazardous waste material and there are three landfills in California that can correctly and safely dispose of this hazardous waste. However, as the Modesto Bee reported last year, the largest of these landfills is running out of space and, as a result, has had to slow down the amount of waste they take in. Hazardous waste produced in California is now being trucked to Nevada, Arizona and Utah, which have less stringent rules than California.
The notion of fair distribution of environmental benefits and burdens doesn’t only apply to protecting underserved communities. It should also apply to moving waste out of state, washing our hands of it and making it someone else’s problem.
KEY FACTS
- There are 515 sites polluted with hazardous material in the state of California according to the California Department of Toxic Substances Control
- There are 98 Superfund sites in the state of California (United States Environmental Protection Agency: http://www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/query/queryhtm/nplfin.htm)
- California has the second-highest number of Superfund sites of any state (after New Jersey) (United States Environmental Protection Agency: http://www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/query/queryhtm/nplfin.htm)
- There are only 3 landfills in the state of California that can handle hazardous materials (Emory University Environmental, Health and Safety Office: http://www.ehso.com/cssepa/tsdflandfills.php)
- Waste is being trucked out of state due to a lack of capacity in California to deal with the quantity of hazardous waste. (Modesto Bee: http://www.modbee.com/2012/08/05/2314022/hazardous-waste-dump-is-environmental.html )
- The waste is going to states with less stringent rules for disposal of hazardous waste. (Association of Light and Mercury Recyclers: http://www.almr.org/support_files/stringency3.html)
RESOURCES
California Hazardous Waste Sites with Pollutants (retrieved from the California Department of Toxic Substances Control, April 15, 2013)
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Iron
Major Uses: construction, transportation (predominantly automotive), cans and containers
Import Dependency for U.S.: 7%
Major Importers: Canada, European Union, China, Mexico -
Cobalt
Major Uses: aircraft gas turbine engines, cemented carbides for cutting, wear-resistant applications
Import Dependency for U.S.: 81%
Major Importers: Norway, Russia, China, Canada -
Copper
Major Uses: building construction, electric and electronic products, and transportation equipment
Import Dependency for U.S.: 30%
Major Importers: Chile, Canada, Peru, Mexico -
Palladium
Major Uses: catalysts to decrease harmful emissions in light- and heavy-duty vehicles, also used in chemical and petroleum refining sector, and fabrication of laboratory equipment
Import Dependency for U.S.: 94%
Major Importers: South Africa, Germany, United Kingdom, Canada -
Silver
Major Uses: coins and medals, industrial applications, jewelry and silverware, and photography
Import Dependency for U.S.: 65%
Major Importers: Mexico, Canada, Peru, Chile -
Tantalum
Major Uses: automotive electronics, pagers, personal computers, and portable telephones
Import Dependency for U.S.: 100%
Major Importers: Australia, China, Kazakhstan, Germany -
Rhenium
Major Uses: petroleum-reforming catalysts, superalloys used in turbine engine components
Import Dependency for U.S.: 86%
Major Importers: Chile, Netherlands -
Platinum
Major Uses: catalysts to decrease harmful emissions in light- and heavy-duty vehicles, also used in chemical and petroleum refining sector, and fabrication of laboratory equipment
Import Dependency for U.S.: 94%
Major Importers: South Africa, Germany, United Kingdom, Canada -
Gold
Major Uses: Jewelry and arts, electrical and electronics, dental and other
Import Dependency for U.S.: 33%
Major Importers: Canada, Mexico, Peru, Chile
