addressing environmental health hazards at the border · cross-border pollution from toxic...
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Addressing Environmental Health Hazards at the Border
California-Mexico Border Relations Council July 31, 2017
Office of Environmental Health Hazard AssessmentLaura August, MPH
CalEnviroScreen 3.0Released January 2017
Spatial analysis of relative burdens in California communities from pollution and population vulnerability. 20 indicators combined into a
single ranked score. Includes additional information on
pollution across the CA-Mexico border Uses include: to prioritize and
direct resources within CalEPA and to identify disadvantaged communities for CA’s cap-and-trade proceeds.
2http://oehha.ca.gov/calenviroscreen/report/calenviroscreen-30
How Pollution at the Border was Addressed in CalEnviroScreen 3.0
•AB 1059 (Garcia, 2015)• OEHHA to report to the Legislature on data on air quality,
water quality, and toxic release and hazardous waste sites in order to update CalEnviroScreen.
• If possible, include data in CalEnviroScreen to better account for pollution impacts from Mexico on California communities
• OEHHA released its ‘CalEnviroScreen Data Update for the Border Region’ report in April 2017.
•In CalEnviroScreen 3.0, OEHHA incorporated information on pollution near the California–Mexico border that was not available in earlier versions.
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CalEnviroScreen Model Compares pollution levels in communities
Examines if communities are more vulnerable to pollution
Identify communities that have high pollution and high vulnerability
Indicators
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Pollution Burden Population Characteristics
Exposures Environmental Effects
Sensitive Populations
Socioeconomic Factors
Ozone
Pesticide Use
Drinking Water Contaminants
PM2.5
Toxic Releases from Facilities
Diesel Particulate Matter
Traffic
Asthma
Low Birth Weight Infants
Cardiovascular Disease
Educational Attainment
Linguistic Isolation
UnemploymentPoverty
Cleanup Sites
Hazardous Waste Generators and Facilities
Solid Waste Sites and Facilities
Groundwater Threats
Impaired Water Bodies
Housing Burden
PM2.5 Updates PM2.5 indicator estimates the concentration of
particulate matter less than 2.5 microns for 2012-2014. The data comes from the air monitoring network (CA Air Resources Board, CARB).
Data from two new air monitoring sites near the California–Mexico border at San Ysidro and Otay Mesa are not included. Only 2015 monitoring data was available, so
developed a method to estimate 2014-2015 concentrations.
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PM2.5 Monitors across the border region
Diesel Particulate Matter Diesel Particulate Matter (PM) indicator represents
diesel emissions from on-road and nonroad sources (2012). Emissions from sources of diesel PM in Mexico near
the US are included in 3.0. CARB compared diesel emissions with nitrogen
oxides (NOX) at Calexico and Otay Mesa as a surrogate. Calexico adjusted upward (found were
underestimated), while Otay Mesa did not require adjustments.
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9Diesel PM updates for San Ysidro and Calexico
Toxic Releases from Facilities This indicator represents modeled concentrations of
chemicals released to air from large facilities. The concentrations are toxicity-weighted. (2011-2013) In previous versions, the indicator did not incorporate
cross-border pollution from toxic emissions originating in Mexico. Data from Mexico’s Registry of Emissions and Pollutant
Transfer (RETC) were used to incorporate emissions <50 km of the border. These facilities in Mexico were included in the model
(US EPA’s RSEI model).
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11Toxic Releases indicator updates for the border region
Traffic Density The indicator represents the density of traffic in a
census tract, calculated by the sum traffic volumes divided by the amount of road length (2013). The following adjustments were made to account
for cross border impacts: Incorporated data on the number of vehicles
crossing the six ports of entry (2013), all vehicle types were used. Traffic density on roads in Mexico within 150 meters
of the US were also available for the Tijuana region and were included.
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Census Tract Port of EntryTraffic Percentile without Border
Adjustments
Border Crossing Traffic Volume
Adjustment
Parallel Road Adjustment
Updated Traffic Percentile with
Border Adjustments*
6073010009 San Ysidro 65 Yes Yes 100
6073010109 San Ysidro West Tract 49 No border
crossing in tract Yes 100
6073010015 Otay Mesa 58 Yes Yes 100
6073021100 Tecate 4 YesNo
information available
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6025012200 Calexico West (West tract) 40 Yes
No information
available93
6025012100 Calexico West (East tract) 60 Yes
No information
available87
6025011900 Calexico East 13 YesNo
information available
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6025012400 Andrade 4 YesNo
information available
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Traffic Indicator Results Before and After Border Adjustments
Results
Available as an interactive web map
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California- Mexico Border Region
Data Gaps and Next Steps Continue to improve characterization of cross-
border pollution impacts in CalEnviroScreen San Ysidro Air Study and other community projects such
as a drinking water study in Imperial County. CARB recently funded a collaborative study to improve
CalEnviroScreen at the US-Mexico border. OEHHA to assist with CARB funded study and other
impacts and gaps in other CalEnviroScreen indicators that are not part of the study.
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AcknowledgementsOEHHA
George AlexeeffKomal BangiaLara CushingJohn Faust Vanessa GalavizAllan Hirsch Julian LeichtyShankar PrasadRose SchmitzAndrew SlocombeRobbie WellingWalker Wieland Lauren Zeise
THANK YOU!
CalEPAArsenio MatakaGina Solomon
Other thanks CalEPA Boards and Departments, the California
Department of Public Health and the Public Health Institute, who provided comments and data
Residents and stakeholders who participated in public workshops on previous versions;
Dr. Tara Zagofsky, facilitator, UC Davis Extension Collaboration Center
Dr. Rachel Morello-Frosch, Dr. Carolina Balazs, and academic colleagues at the University of California, Berkeley
Dr. Aaron M. King, who provided expertise on drinking water systems
Graduate and undergraduate students assisting in the project
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email: [email protected]@oehha.ca.gov
more info: www.oehha.ca.gov/calenviroscreen