San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
COMPANY MUST IMPROVE SAFETY
County: Asphalt firm emissions put area residents at risk
An East County asphalt manufacturer must improve its safety features after emissions reached potentially dangerous levels, putting several homes at risk, county regulators have announced.
Both workers and residents near 12451 Vigilante Road in Lakeside may have been exposed several years ago to two chemicals that can hurt the immune system, among other health risks, according to officials at the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District.
The facility is run by California Commercial Asphalt Enterprises LLC, which is owned by Martin Marietta, a publicly traded company based in North Carolina.
The business has until the end of May to submit a risk reduction plan to address the problem.
Company leaders did not immediately return requests for comment, but representatives joined regulators Tuesday evening for a public meeting on Zoom.
County officials said the emissions were from 2015, but not flagged until later.
The asphalt company sent letters to three homes and one business on March 11 of this year to say residents were “potentially exposed to elevated health risks,” according to Mahiany Luther, deputy director of the air pollution control district.
The delay was partially because regulators have changed how they track potential risks, Luther wrote in an email.
“The District understands the importance of notifying communities on a timely manner and its new leadership team has implemented significant changes to address the delays,” she said.
The vast majority — 96 percent — of the problematic emissions were made up of the chemical nickel. The rest was benzene, which can also affect the reproductive system, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Both chemicals came from the facility’s dryer, which dries sand before it’s mixed with oil to make asphalt, officials said.
The potential problems were detected through California’s Air Toxic “Hot Spots” Program, and regulators use a “hazard index” to evaluate what’s in the air.
When emissions receive a score of less than one, regulators believe exposure is “not likely to result in adverse health effects for anyone,” including kids or the elderly, according to the district’s annual report.
Potential problems begin when that score gets to 1.0 or higher. Workers at the facility experienced a rating of 1.08, while residents faced a score of 1.10, officials said.
The company does already use two types of filters to clean the air, according to Mohsen Nazemi, the district’s chief engineer.
About 18 people were part of Tuesday’s half-hour meeting, many of whom were with the district or the company.
After Asphalt Enterprises files its risk reduction report, the public will have 30 days to weigh in before the plan is finalized and regulators enforce any changes.
The county checks a company’s emissions about every four years. Regulators are also looking at asphalt emissions from 2019, and officials said they would soon know if residents were again put at risk.