Mercury has been called San Francisco Bay's
public enemy number one. It is the main pollutant
driving public health concerns about eating fish
from the Bay, and it is a prime suspect in harming
the health of birds and wildlife in the Bay. Its
most toxic form is methylmercury because that form
bioaccumulates in critters in higher and higher
concentrations as it moves up the food chain.
Learn what scientists are doing to control it.
Carrying signs and shouting chants demanding protection
from pollution, nearly 60 people marched up Stevens
Creek Boulevard Saturday morning to the Lehigh Southwest
Cement entrance just outside Cupertino.
The Environmental Protection Agency is about to crack
down on cement plants because they are a known source of
potentially nerve damaging mercury pollution. Those new
regulations will have a huge impact on one of the
state's biggest mercury polluters, Lehigh Cement Plant
in Cupertino. Many say the new rules are long overdue.
The Environmental Protection Agency is
putting a major Bay Area supplier of cement on notice.
For years some residents living near the
Lehigh Cement Plant have complained about toxic
pollutants coming from the facility. Now, the EPA has
just issued what is called a "notice of
violation" against Lehigh.
In Cupertino, the city council listened
to hours of testimony Tuesday night from people who
oppose the expansion of a local cement plant. The Lehigh
Cement Plant is located south of I-280 on Stevens Creek
Boulevard.
by QUEST on
KQED Original Aired on Friday, Apr 18, 2008
You might not know it from the
textbooks, but California's gold rush was also a mercury
rush. Quicksilver mines near San Jose provided gold
miners with the mercury they needed to separate gold
from ore. 150 years later, we're still facing the
consequences of gold-rush era mercury, much of which is
lodged in the Bay's mud and in its fish.
by
QUEST on
KQED Original Aired on Tuesday, Oct 6, 2009
There’s
a hidden danger in San Francisco bay: mercury. A potent
neurotoxin that can cause serious illness, mercury has
been flowing into the bay since the mining days of the
Gold Rush Era. It has settled in the bay’s mud and
made its way up the food chain, endangering wildlife and
making many fish unsafe to eat. Now a
multi-billion-dollar plan aims to clean it up. But will
it work?
Legacy mercury pollution from mining operations
impacts on wetland restoration efforts today. Water
quality in San Francisco Bay is affected by runoff and
pollution from five main sources, which include
agriculture, industry, legacy, urban stormwater, and
sewage.
by
QUEST on
KQED Original Aired on Radio Thursday, Apr 24, 2008
Dr
Jane Hightower was one of the first Bay Area doctors to
start diagnosing mercury poisoning in her patients. In
this audio clip, she explains how to know if you might
be getting too much mercury from the fish you eat. And,
she tells us what she feeds her 10-year old twin boys.
Thought California has consigned
coal-burning to the scrap bin? Think again! California
has 11 coal-fired power plants, all used to heat
limestone into cement -- making us one of the biggest
cement-producing states in the country. In addition to
cement, these kilns produce 95% of the state's airborne
mercury pollution and 2% of its greenhouse gas
emissions.
State
Mining & Geological Board - AB3098 Meeting June 9,
2011
Demonstrators march in
front of Santa Clare County where hearings were about to start to determine
if Lehigh Cement should have vested rights over the East Material Storage Area. Having vested rights would make their
illegal dumping of mining waste there legal.
Santa
Clara County Board of Supervisor hearing about granting Lehigh Vested Rights over much of their property is packed
with Lehigh people and residents. Lehigh had come earlier with three busload of people, identified with white labels
on their shirts, to occupy most of the seats. This left residents standing in the back. Most had to leave to a room
nearby, out of sight of the press, to watch the proceedings via closed circuit TV.
Cupertino City Council
Meeting on June 7, 2011 where Steve Jobs spoke about
plans to build campus on former HP land
