Air Pollution

Who and what are the top polluters in your zip code?

The top three polluters in my local areas are as follows:

1. Kimberly-Clarke Worldwide Inc.

2. Boeing Commercial Airplane Group

3. US Marine/Bayliner Marine

The top three chemicals released within my local are are as follows:

1. Hydrochloric Acid

2. Methyl Ethyl Ketone

3. Nitrite Compounds

What percent of the homes in your zipcode have lead-based paint?

1% of homes in my county have a high risk of containing lead-based paints.

Are there Superfund sites in your zip? (In your BLOG, make sure to tell us what a Superfund Site is)
In 2004, my county was considered among the top 10% in terms of designated superfund sites. There is one superfund sites within my county, Tulalip Landfill. This site has been taken off the EPA's National Priority List. The EPA considers the human hazard of this site to be under control. There is an estimated 4 million tons of commercial, industrial, and hospital waste within the site. What is notable is that the one superfund site located within the county, is within the Tulalip Indian Reservation territory...Why?

What did you learn about the air quality in your zip code?

The air quality in my local area would be considered pretty bad. In almost all areas, the county is within the bottom 90th-100% percentile in CO2, NO2,PM 2.5, PM 10, and volatile organic compounds, when compared to nearby counties. There are 77 good air quality days per year, with 2 days of unhealthful air quality.

The counties air quality poses as an added cancer risk to many (540,977) of the residents in my county. This is primarily contributed to by diesel emissions.

How about the water quality?

There are 145 bodies of water within my county, which are all considered impaired, because none of the 145 water bodies have been reported to the EPA for TMDL priority. Primarily, the water bodies appear to be affected by pathogens. Overall, the water quality of the county compares slightly better than the state and national averages.

How did your zipcode fair on a social justice / environmental justice basis? 

In terms of race and ethnicity, peoples of color, are more negatively affected toxic chemicals, cancer risk due to air pollutants, and facilities releasing air pollutants. Whites are more negatively affected by the one super-fund site. This is interesting because the superfund site is located on a Native American reservation. Maybe this is because some of these Native Americans identify as White, or there are populations of Whites living near the superfund site. These same trends remain true for those in poverty as well.

However, renters are less likely to be exposed or be affected by toxic chemicals, air-pollutants, and facilities releasing air-pollutants than are home-owners. This is interesting, and may be due to the fact that landlords are held legally accountable for their properties.

Overall, my county follows the general trend in terms of environmental and social justice. Typically, those who are non-white and impoverished are more susceptible to the maladies of the county, than are wealthier whites.