Big Defeat for Polluters of the Chlorine Industry!

www.greenaction.org/zerodioxin/sf032299.shtml

The following is the text of the resolution adopted unanimously by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors on March 22, 1999

ESTABLISHING DIOXIN POLLUTION AS A HIGH PRIORITY FOR IMMEDIATE ACTION FOR THE CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO IN ORDER TO RESTORE WATER, AIR AND TOTAL ENVIRONMENT QUALITY

WHEREAS, The term dioxin represents the group of chemicals that includes furan and biphenyl compounds; and,

WHEREAS, Dioxin is a toxic waste byproduct that occurs when chlorinated waste is burned and when other organic chemicals that contain chlorine are manufactured and which in itself has no commercial or industrial use; and,

WHEREAS, Dioxin is dangerous to humans and is a human carcinogen and reproductive toxicant; and,

WHEREAS, The United States Environmental Protection Agency estimates the lifetime risk of contracting cancer from dioxin exposure is generally above accepted safe levels; and,

WHEREAS, Dioxin exposure has been linked in some reports to endometriosis, immune system impairment, diabetes, neurotoxicity, birth defects, decreased fertility, testicular atrophy, and reproductive dysfunction in both men and women; and,

WHEREAS, Dioxin exposure is significant and universal ; more than 90 percent of human exposure to dioxin occurs through diet and every person in the world now carries a "body burden" of dioxin; and,

WHEREAS, Americans ingest a daily amount of dioxin that already is substantially higher than EPA "safe dose" levels and the EPA estimates that eating just one-quarter pound of San Francisco Bay fish daily causes cancer risks that are 10 to 100 times greater than those generally considered to be acceptable in California; and,

WHEREAS, San Francisco residents who consume fish from the Bay are at additional risk since dioxin contamination in fish reaches health advisory levels through the San Francisco Bay; and,

WHEREAS, Respected expert associations and agencies, including the California Medical Association, the American Public Health Association, the Chicago Medical Society and the International Join Commission , comprised of the governments of Canada and U.S., have agreed upon the need to reduce or eliminate dioxin in the environment; and,

WHEREAS, Dioxin has been detected in at least 27 measurements of treated waste water discharged from pollution sources in the Bay Area; and,

WHEREAS, The San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board has resolved that dioxin is a high priority for immediate action to restore water quality and protect public health; and,

WHEREAS, primary sources of dioxin include medical and hazardous waste incineration, the production of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastics, biomass combustion, pesticide manufacturing, paper production, oil refineries, metal recovery furnaces, chemical drum recovery furnaces, foundries, cement kilns, coke-fired electric power generation, and fires in electrical and industrial equipment containing PCBs; and

WHEREAS, The healthcare industry is one of the largest consumers of products that create dioxin in the United States. Bay Area and out of state public health care institutions generate significant amounts of medical waste that threaten or harm public health, fishing, and aquatic life through out the San Francisco Bay; and,

WHEREAS, A strategy that eliminates the production of dioxin is the only viable course in protecting public health because once dioxin is produced, it is very difficult to destroy or degrade; and,

WHEREAS, Adverse health effects from dioxin exposure can be reduced through purchasing decisions that reduce or eliminate products that produce dioxin (such as PVC-free plastic chlorine free paper); and alternatively, less toxic options exist for many products that create dioxins; and,

WHEREAS, Pollution prevention is recognized as the most effective waste management strategy and dioxin production has been eliminated at the source by preventing chlorine inputs to dioxin-forming reactions in the paper industry and other industries; and,

WHEREAS, Careful waste segregation has been proven to dramatically reduce the medical waste requiring incineration and cost-effective technologies, which are alternatives to incineration, exist for almost all of the waste that requires special handling; and,

WHEREAS, Dioxin is a threat to public and the environment, zero exposure is the only strategy that truly protects public health , local dioxin contamination has a disproportionate impact on low-income and minority communities; and dioxin exposure affects all resident of San Francisco and the Bay area; now, therefore, be it:

RESOLVED, That the City and County of San Francisco intends by this resolution to encourage the elimination of dioxin pollution; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, That the City and County of San Francisco designates dioxin pollution as a high priority for immediate action to restore water, air and total environment quality and protect public health; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, That the City and County of San Francisco directs the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission to exercise its full power and jurisdiction to phase out dioxin at its sources; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, That the City and County of San Francisco will work with other local governments to convene a regional task force to identify the sources of regional dioxin pollution , including sources from all municipal practices; this task force would also develop dioxin pollution prevention strategies along with any associated cost implications, and make any further recommendations to implement the intent of this resolution; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, That the City and County of San Francisco intends to implement dioxin pollution prevention practices as recommended by the regional task force in all waste management and recycling programs by City and County departments, and encourage such pollution prevention practices in all hospitals and businesses that operate in the City and County of San Francisco; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, That the City and County of San Francisco assess its current purchasing practices and encourage that less-toxic, non-chlorinated products and processes, such as chlorine-free paper and PVC-free plastics are supported and used by the City and County of San Francisco to the extent possible as recommended by the regional task force; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Department of Public Health educate people who live and work in San Francisco , and others as appropriate about the health and environmental effects of dioxin; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, That the City and County of San Francisco urges San Francisco health care institutions to reduce PVC use and eventually become PVC-free where appropriate alternative products composed of non-chlorinated materials are available and where any substitution for a PVC product must provide a less toxic alternative with concern for the full public health implications of the replacement, including infectious considerations; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City and County of San Francisco is committed to eliminate no workers jobs and therefore will pursue dioxin elimination practices that do not cause workers to become unemployed; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, That the City and County of San Francisco urges the Mayors Office of Community Development to assist small business in obtaining any needed financial and technical assistance for the elimination of dioxin, provided that the company will remain in San Francisco and will eliminate no workers' jobs; and be it ,

FURTHER RESOLVED, That the City and County of San Francisco send a letter to all San Francisco-based health care institutions encouraging them to reduce, and where possible eliminate, the use of products and procedures that are found to be sources of dioxin by the regional task force; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, That the City and County of San Francisco send a letter to the City of Oakland to support the elimination of dioxin pollution and to notify the City of Oakland that the City and County of San Francisco has designated dioxin pollution as a high priority for immediate action to restore water, air and total environment quality to the region and protect public health; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, That the City and County of San Francisco send a letter to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) to protect the quality of air from degradation and to urge the BAAQMD to eliminate dioxin pollution into the air; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, That the City and County of San Francisco send a letter to encourage the Regional Water Quality Board to exercise its full power and jurisdiction as intended by the Porter-Cologne Water Quality Act and the federal Clean Water Act, to protect the quality of water from degradation and to implement a plan to phase out dioxin discharges at its sources; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, That the City and County of San Francisco send a letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to support its proposal to require community right-to-know reporting of dioxin releases, and the Environmental Protection Agency's proposals to make dioxin pollution of the San Francisco Bay a high priority under the U.S. Clean Water Act and the U.S. Clean Air Act and to urge the EPA to require reporting of dioxin emitters at any and all levels.