M5.7 Sewage Facilties

FIND OUT Where are the sewage treatment facilities in your community?

Daly City is a small town adjacent to San Francisco. Its water and wastewater plant is located at 153 Lake Merced Boulevard, Daly City, CA 94015

Wastewater Treatment Plant Virtual Tour

1. Trunk Sewer:Wastewater discharged from your home or business flow into a lateral sewer, where it is conveyed by trunk sewers to the wastewater treatment plant. 2. Headworks: Wastewater first passes through an aboveground headworks where the volume is measured and a portion can be diverted to the underground treatment facilities, otherwise, the flow goes to a second aboveground headworks. In both headworks, large solids, which would interfere with pumps and other equipment are removed using mechanical bar screens. Screenings removed from the wastewater are hauled to a landfill for disposal. 3. Primary Sedimention Basins:The wastewater flows through primary settling tanks, known as "primaries". Six primaries are located aboveground and two underground. Primary treatment consists of holding wastewater for about two and a half hours to allow heavy particles to settle to the bottom as "sludge" and light particles to float to the top as "scum".(Photo above: Primary Effluent Pump, Photo at left: Primary Sed Tanks) 4.Equalization Basins:During rain storms and daily peak flow periods, primary treated wastewater is diverted to underground equalization basins. Here, up to 2.8 million gallons of wastewater can be held until the peak period passes. Equalized primary wastewater is pumped to the secondary treatment process. 5. Primary Effluent Pump Station:Wastewater treated in the aboveground primaries can either be pumped to the secondary process or flow to the equalization basins. 6. Degritter:Sludge is collected and pumped to a cyclone degritter which removes heavy grit particles such as sand, egg shells, and coffee grounds. Grit is hauled to a landfill for disposal. (Photo Below: The degritter is the blue structure on top of the gravity thickener) 7. Gravity Thickener:Degritted primary sludge is concentrated in gravity thickeners until it contains about 5% solids and 95% water. 8. Anaerobic Digester: Thickened primary sludge is anaerobically digested just as people digest their food. Here methane forming bacteria feed on sludge contained in a tank devoid of oxygen. The digesting sludge is heated to an average of 98 oF to speed up the process that takes anywhere from 12 to 25 days. 9. Electricity Generator and Gas Flare:Methane gas, produced during digestion, is burned to heat the digesters or used to generate electricity. Any remaining gas is burned in an excess gas burner. 10. Centrifuge:Digested sludge, or biosolids, is dewatered using a high speed centrifuge. The centrifuge spins the water from the biosolids until a cake containing 20 to 25% solids remains. Depending on the season, the biosolids are hauled to a landfill where they are used as daily cover or to a site where they are beneficially reused as a soil amendment.

M5.5 Campaign for Tap H2O

If you were to develop a nationwide campaign to get people to drink tap water instead of bottled water, what would be your campaign slogan?

In my nationwide campaign to get people to drink tap water instead of bottled water, my campaign slogan would be "think outside of the bottle." It's catchy! 

My campaign would use mass media that includes radio and television commercials and Internet ads that emphasize the following about American tap water:

• Regulated by the government and public health department to ensure consumer safety
• Free
• Better taste
• Includes preventative health measures such as fluoride, which protects teeth enamel
• Tap water consumption promotes environmental stewardship as it reduces plastic waste
• Reduces exposure to the chemicals in the plastic bottles

M5.4 Consumer Confidence Reports & Water Quality

M5.4 Consumer Confidence Reports & Water Quality

Daly City Consumer Confidence Report on Water Quality: https://ofmpub.epa.gov/apex/safewater/f?p=136:103:::NO:::

What is the source of your drinking water? Where does your water ORIGINATE? 

I reside in a town adjacent to San Francisco called Daly City. Daly City’s municipal drinking water wells comprise what is termed "groundwater." About half the water distributed by the Daly City Water System is from local wells that is blended with San Francisco Water. Drinking water is drawn from an average depth of 300 feet below ground from a large aquifer known as the Westside Basin that serves a large portion of the northern San Mateo Peninsula and extends north to Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. 

What chemicals were found in your water that were higher than expected?

Because of its protected environment and the consistency of City monitoring results, the well water is only required to have Chloramine, a drinking water disinfectant (combination of five parts chlorine and one part ammonia). It is a more stable disinfectant than chlorine, lasts longer in water, and produces lower levels of disinfection byproducts called trihalomethanes and halacetic acids, which are suspected carcinogens. Although there were chemicals found in my city's drinking water, none were reported to be higher than regulation levels. The following were reported:

Arsenic: New regulations for reporting arsenic levels have been established at less than 10 parts per billion. Staff has completed preliminary testing of its groundwater at five local wells. Current testing standards detect arsenic at 1 part per billion, and Junipero Serra Well test results were 1.4 parts per billion, while all other wells tested were non-detect. While results are below the standard, Daly City will provide an informational statement if for any reason sampling exceeds 5 parts per billion as this testing program continues.

Chromium-6: Chromium is currently regulated under the 50 parts per billion maximum contaminant level for total chromium. There is no minimum contaminant level established at this time for Chromium-6; however, testing from three Daly City wells were as follows:

Well#4 - 19 parts per billion; Jefferson Well - 9.7 parts per billion and Vale Well - 16 parts per billion

What chemicals did you NOT expect to find in your water?

I did not expect to learn that our drinking water contains byproducts called trihalomethanes and halacetic acids, which are suspected carcinogens. While the current standard is a maximum trihalomethane level of 80 parts per billion, Daly City water currently tests at 30.2 parts per billion. Halacetic acids currently test at 17 parts per billion, well below the standard of 60 parts per billion.             Are there associated health risks with the chemicals found in your water?

Although arsenic, chromium 6 and disinfection byproducts called trihalomethanes and halacetic acids (suspected carcinogens) were documented to be below hazardous levels in Daly City drinking water, lead and copper are also included. Excessive amounts of lead levels in drinking water can cause delayed physical and/or mental development in infants and attention span and learning deficits in children. In adults, it can cause kidney problems and possible high blood pressure. In 1993 the United States Environmental Protection Agency mandated that lead and copper monitoring be conducted by all water systems. Daly City completed the required monitoring and corrosion study in 1994. In December 2001, lead and copper samples were again collected and results remained under any notification levels.  Where does your water come from? The source! Track it from the source to your tap. The Daly City water system is supplied by two sources, the San Francisco Water Department and local Daly City wells. San Francisco Water Department is supplied exclusively by their surface water system which is mostly reliant on the Hetch Hetchy Watershed, and to a lesser degree local reservoirs. The Hetch Hetchy watershed provides approximately 80 percent of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) supply. The Hetch Hetchy system captures water inflows from the watershed in the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. This reservoir, the primary source for the system, is filled by spring snowmelt, runoff and the Tuolumne River. Water in the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir is treated but not filtered because it is of such high quality. The Alameda and Peninsula watersheds provide the remaining 20 percent of the SFPUC water system. The Alameda watershed is located in the East Bay, and represents about 10 percent of the total water supply, with water captured and stored in two reservoirs: Calaveras and San Antonio. The Peninsula watershed, representing the remaining ten percent of the SFPUC supply, captures runoff in four reservoirs: Crystal Springs, San Andreas and the smaller Pilarcitos and Stone Dam reservoirs.  What did you discover about your water quality? Despite the chemicals in the Daly City drinking water, I still consume Daly City tap water without any hesitations. I haven't gotten sick yet. I have confidence in the safety of our water system and the water system operators.  Do you use a filter for your water? I do not filter my water, because I trust that my tap water is clean and safe. What are you trying to filter out? I believe that people who filter than water are attempting to rid it of particles and microbials. Do you drink bottled water?   How does this square with what you learned when you watched the Story of Bottled Water? I drink tap water and bottled water that is given to me. My parents strictly drink bottled water, because they came from a third world country where they did not trust the government or public plumbing systems. Although I showed them the video "Story of Bottled Water," they still do not believe that tap water is as safe or even as bottled water.

M5.2 Importance of Safe Drinking Water

You just finished watching the videos: Water Facts, The Story of Bottled Water, What is Ground Water? and Clean Water Act of 1972.

Note in your blog the public health importance of the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act.

In the "Water Facts" video, it states that approximately 70% of the human body is composed of water. Water is the basis of life. Access to safe potable water is not only the social and ethical duty of the government or public authorities, but in order for a community, nation or society to thrive, it is inherent. Great empires such as Mesopotamia, Babylon, Greece, Rome and the American empires all had sophisticated and efficient water systems (i.e. aqueducts, sewage and water treatment plants) that contributed to their prowess. The video, "Water Changes Everything," effectively shows the poignant reality of how scarce access to potable water impacts communities, societies, families and individuals. It is abhorrent that women and children in Africa spend hours to collect water rather than pursuing education and careers. It is even more abhorrent that here in the U.S. the youth have access to public health education, yet half take it for granted. Of all the greatest investments that the U.S. has implemented for its people, access to potable water via sewerage and water treatment plants are among the best. I have traveled all over the world in medical missions and for leisure and I have the highest confidence in American tap water than any place in the world. I have never suffered an illness from consuming American tap water.

Just like freedom, access to clean potable public water is not free. The struggle and sacrifices of our forefathers to establish efficient sewerage and water treatment plants and policies and laws that protect our sources of water were summarized in the video Clean Water Act of 1972. Although there is still much progress to be made in preventing water pollution, it is our responsibility to preserve the systems that do work and to invest in innovations that will leave a greener foot print. In the videos of "In the Story of Stuff," Annie Leonard elicits provoking truths when she points out our society's superficial priorities. Innovations and resources are being geared towards Iphones rather than clean and energy efficient methods to purify water. We really need to get our priorities straight!

The assets that we do have now are the aquifers. As a nation, we are lucky to have laws and policies that have established and preserve national parks. We need policies that limit or prohibit drilling into the earth, because not only does it disrupt the ecology, it disrupts and ruins our water supply.

M4.5 Think About It

Chemical Policy Reform & Implementation of Fragrance Free Policy

MPH 632 L-1 Environmental Health

Allyssa Montemayor

Theresa Sulit

Nicholas Vesom

University of San Francisco

Chemical Policy Reform & the Louisville Charter for Safer Chemicals

The Louisville Charter for Safer Chemicals is an extension of the outdated Federal Chemical Policy Reform of the 1970s. The 6 principles of the Louisville Charter include:

Require Safer Substitutes and Solutions

• Eliminate the use and emissions of hazardous chemicals by altering production processes

• Substitute safer chemicals, redesigning products and systems and rewarding innovation and re-examining product function

• Incentivize public and private sectors to to invest in research and develop safer sustainable chemicals, products, materials and processes

• Obligate producers and manufacturers to report chemical compositions of products

Phase Out Persistent, Bioaccumulative, or Highly Toxic Chemicals

• Phase out chemicals that are slow to degrade, high burden in our bodies or living organisms, or are highly hazardous to humans or the environment
• Practice responsibility by ensuring that chemicals eliminated in the United States are not exported to other countries

Give the Public and Workers the Full Right-to-Know and Participate

• Involve public and workers in decisions on chemicals
• Enforce obligated disclosure of chemicals and materials, list quantities of chemicals produced, used, released, and exported, and provide public/worker access to chemical hazard, use and exposure information

Act on Early Warnings

• Prevent harm from new or existing chemicals when credible evidence of harm exists

Require Comprehensive Safety Data for All Chemicals

• For a chemical to remain on or be placed on the market manufacturers must provide publicly available safety information about that chemical
• The information must be sufficient to permit a reasonable evaluation of the safety of the chemical for human health and the environment, including hazard, use and exposure information - this is the principle of “No Data, No Market.”

Take Immediate Action to Protect Communities and Workers

• When communities and workers are exposed to levels of hazardous chemicals, immediate action is necessary to eliminate these exposures
• Implement environmental justice

    Just like the “2020 national healthy goals,” dates must be set for implementing and re-evaluating these reforms. Governments and corporations impact the progress of healthier economies and societies by implementing the Louisville Charter and committing to practicing innovations for safer chemicals and processes. We must make a major reform of our nation’s chemicals policy.

Implementation of Fragrance-Free Policy

1. Identify the Need for a Policy. The need for this policy is identified below:

    Introduction:   

Fragrances that are in employees’ personal care products should not be allowed in the hospital, school, and/or other institutional setting.

• How do we define fragrance-free and what does that entail for policy implementation?
• Fragrance-free should be defined as an odorless or near odorless product that does not use any form of odor-masking chemicals
• By using this definition, employees can clearly distinguish what constitutes as being fragrance free by policy

Adverse Health Effects:

• If employees were to be exposed to fragrances, we should list the health effects it could have on not just the fellow employees, but also themselves.
• Health Effects:
• Headaches
• Allergies
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Fatigue
• Respiratory depression
• Loss of concentration

    Examples of Fragrant Personal Products:

• By identifying a list of products that could have scent(s), employees would be able to evaluate their personal products and make alternative choices to products that would benefit their work environment
• Types of Personal Products:
• Cologne/Perfume
• Deodorants
• Body lotions or creams
• Hand lotions or creams
• Cosemetics
• Aftershave
• Candles
• Hair care products (i.e. hair spray, hair wax, or pomade)
• Shampoos or conditioners
• Body Soap

Body Burden:

• Refers to the total accumulation of toxins in the body. This can include lead, mercury, fragrances, pesticides, etc.

How would this policy eliminate/decrease our body burdens and exposures?

    Benefits

• It is important to emphasize that the benefit of this policy is to create an environment that is healthier, quality driven, and free of the adverse health effects that fragrances have on fellow employees

    Presentation

• With the aforementioned points in mind, presenting the material in a clear and simplified format, likely in the form of a one-page flyer or video, will get the message across effectively
• Keep in mind that it is important to not offend the audience by exemplifying offenders or otherwise, but rather a message to unify the workplace to make it healthier for everyone.

    Evaluation

• After presenting the information and implementing the policy, it is best to ask questions to evaluate the effectiveness of the policy and have Likert scale to evaluate the effectiveness on different levels.
• Example Questions
• “After the implementation of the policy, do you feel that the quality of your workplace has improved?”
• “Has this policy impacted your personal care product routine?”
• “Do you have any suggestions to improve this policy?
• “How beneficial is it to use fragrance-free products in the school or work setting?

References

http://smartpolicyreform.org/the-charter/the-louisville-charter

https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/hsprograms/scent_free.html

M4.6 Radon

Given that there are an estimated 21,000 excess deaths from lung cancer associated with exposure to radon, how would you develop a national awareness campaign? Name some of your potential collaborators (stakeholders).

Blog about the elements of your awareness campaign.

An epidemiological statistic of 21,000 excess deaths from lung cancer associated with exposure to radon should launch a national movement on a county, state and or federal level to develop public health campaigns to save lives and national healthcare costs. 

In my campaign on lung cancer associated with radon exposure, I would require that property for sale or rent should be evaluated for lead, radon, roofing, electrical and plumbing safety. There are county/state standards for the safety of buildings (building codes) that need to be implemented in housing as well, because it involves families. Counties should implement annual or periodic building/home safety inspections that include assessing the roofing, plumbing, electrical system, vermin infestations, radon, lead and fire hazards. Having all of these home safety measures affect the cost of housing when it's on the market would incentivize sellers to ensure that the property is up to par with home safety/building codes.

Home owners/renters and families should be educated on only in emergency preparedness, but also in home safety practices. Radon and lead test kits should be made more available to residents in local fire departments, police departments and community centers. 

M4.2 National Library ToxNet

Using the National Library's ToxNet resources that you just learned about while viewingenviRN–Evidence, review and describe one or more health effects that associated with exposures to:

•     Urea formaldehyde (found in pressed board, a common building material)
•     Bleach (a cleaning/disinfectant product)

FORMALDEHYDE

IDENTIFICATION

• Colorless, clear, water-white, very slightly acid, flammable gas or liquid with a strong smell that dissolves easily in water
• Can be bought in a liquid called formalin with water and methanol

USE

• Used mostly to make resins in building materials, coatings for paper and clothing fabrics, and synthetic fibers
•  Found in smoke from burning tobacco or fuels
• Building materials with formaldehyde include certain insulation materials, glues, and pressed wood products like particle board, plywood, and fiberboard
• Used as slow-release nitrogen fertilizers in farming and gardening
• Used as a preservative in mortuaries and medical laboratories, and as an antimicrobial agent and disinfectant for industrial processes and some household purposes 
• Registered for pesticide use in the U.S. primarily as a fumigant in agricultural premises such as poultry and swine farms and processing plants as well as in citrus packing and mushroom houses.
• Registered as a materials preservative for consumer products such as laundry detergents, general purpose cleaners and wall paper adhesives

EXPOSURE

• Indoor air from pressed wood products and smoke from cigarettes and poorly vented gas stoves, wood-burningstoves, or kerosene heaters
• Workers in mortuaries, hospitals, medical laboratories, or other places that make or use formaldehyde
• Expected to biodegrade readily in soil and water

Human Health Effects

• Irritation of the skin, eyes (serious eye damage), nose and throat occurred in some individuals with short-term exposure to low concentrations 
• Allergic skin reactions
• Lightheadedness, dizziness, and incoordination also have been reported by some laboratory technicians 
• Drinking large amounts can cause severe pain, vomiting, unconsciousness, and possible death
• A number of studies of formaldehyde-exposed workers found evidence for increased risk of dying from myeloid leukemia or cancer of the nose or pharynx
• Nasal tissue damage and nose tumors were found in laboratory animals who breathed in moderate concentrations in air for 6 hours per day for most of their lives
• The International Agency for Research on Cancer determined that formaldehyde is carcinogenic to humans, based on evidence for myeloid leukemia or cancer of the nose or pharynx in formaldehyde-exposed workers and nasal tumors in laboratory animals

BLOG

Formaldehyde is ubiquitous! My parents who were born and raised agricultural communities in the Philippines know it as as "formulin." It was used as a pesticide and preservatives in the mortuary setting. As a RN, I use cleaning formulas containing formaldehyde and I am religious about using PPE (gloves, mask and eye pro), because of its carcinogenic and teratogenic properties. Because it is ubiquitous, in our cleaning products and food industry, it is important to train workers and consumers on PPE, proper use and limiting exposure. I sound like a mother when I tell environmental service workers in the hospital to use PPE when using cleaning agents. Studies have also shown that formaldehyde is a mutagen and my fellow Sergeant in the U.S. Army Reserves jokes that despite the heavy amounts of liquor he consumes, he is still preserved from the formaldehyde in the alcohol beverages. The irony of it is used in mortuaries. 

CHLORINE (BLEACH)

IDENTIFICATION

• Yellowish-green gas that is shipped as a liquefied compressed gas
• Basis of concentrated bleach
•  It is miscible in water. 

USE

• Wide range of uses as a disinfectant
• It is used in the manufacture of chlorinated organic compounds, and in bleaching, purifying water and sewage, and shrink-proofing wool

EXPOSURE

• Breathe in vapor or have direct skin contact. 
• The general population can be exposed to low levels of chlorine when drinking chlorinated water supplies or when swimming in chlorinated pools or hot tubs; however, since chlorine is very reactive the majority of chlorine used in water disinfection processes transforms into other chemicals
• Liquid chlorine, spilled on soil, will volatilize immediately into air
• Chlorine is toxic to microorganisms

Human Health Effects

• Irritation and burns to skin, eyes, nose, and throat followed by coughing and wheezing, shortness of breath and chest pain will occur at high vapor levels
• Extremely high vapor levels may cause loss of oxygen leading to cardiac or respiratory arrest and even death
• Direct contact with undiluted liquid chlorine can burn the skin and eyes
• Workers exposed to low levels of chlorine gas over a long period of time complained of persistent respiratory symptoms, including coughing, sore throat, and chest pain
• Increased asthma symptoms have been associated with exposure to chlorinated water in swimming pools. 
• No toxic effects were noted in laboratory animals that drank chlorinated water containing moderate levels of free chlorine (elemental chlorine + hypochlorus acid + hypochlorite ion) over time
• Very high levels of free chlorine in water caused decreased body weight in laboratory animals
• Tumors were not induced in laboratory animals that drank chlorinated water containing moderate levels of free chlorine over several generations. 
• The American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists has determined that chlorine is not classifiable as a human carcinogen

BLOG

Bleach is used frequently and is effective with cleaning. In the hospital setting, it is effective in killing cdiff spores and it is relieving to know that it is not primarily a carcinogen, because I'm exposed to it too frequently. We also use bleach at home in our detergent and cleaning agents, because of how effective it has proven to be. I'm still trying to convince my parents to try the "green" cleaning products at CVS, but they doubt its efficacy. Because of frequent exposure to bleach, I do recognize some of the adverse effects.