Rights To A Clean Environment For All

In many parts of the bay, we enjoy comfortable lives. We have clean air to breathe and clean water to drink. We live in quiet, peaceful neighborhoods, and we don’t have to worry about our safety when we step out the door. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the citizens of West Oakland.

Residents of West Oakland are surrounded on all four sides by highways, and breathe car exhaust every day. They are forced to cope with pollution from the trucks that come and go everyday to pick up and drop off supplies at the Port of Oakland. Worst of all, the citizens of West Oakland live among factories that make unbearable noise while releasing toxic fumes into the residential neighborhood.

The levels of lead inside of EXCEL High School in West Oakland were found to be 54 times higher than the EPA standard. The levels of other toxic metals such as cadmium and nickel were all at least eight times the safe levels.

Dioxins, chemicals that cause cancer, have not been tested for yet because the tests are too expensive. When we first heard about the situation in West Oakland, we were stunned that such terrible circumstances would be allowed to exist in America, and we were inspired to take action.

(The reporting was done with the support of SpotUs.)

If you have any questions/comments, please do not hesitate to contact me { Kirill Volchinskiy } at volchinskiy at gmail.com or contact Alex Hillan at hillexallen at gmail.com