PACIFIC COAST OFFICE BUILDING: A STUDY IN NON-DISCLOSURES
CITY OF SAN DIEGO, MTDB (NOW UNDER SANDAG) 12 YEAR VIOLATION OF FEMA FLOODPLAIN REGULATIONS
WHY BOYCOTT CUSH AUTO GROUP?
CITY OF VILLAGES OR CITY OF PILLAGES?
MISSION CITY PARKWAY BRIDGE
MISSION VALLEY YMCA
RIVER VALLEY PRESERVATION PROJECT
SAN DIEGO EARTH TIMES ARTICLE ON HEALTH IMPACTS/AIR QUALITY IMPACTS TO RESIDENTS CLOSE TO HIGHLY TRAVELLED ROADS
HANALEI HOTEL EXPANSION INTO FLOODPLAIN
STARDUST GOLF COURSE DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT EXPIRES: READER STORY
UNION-TRIBUNE ARTICLE OPPOSING QUARRY FALLS (SCROLL DOWN)
QUARRY FALLS EIR TRAFFIC DELAYS, GREENHOUSE GAS QUANTITIES INFORMATION NOT DISTRIBUTED TO PUBLIC! In what appears to be a COVER UP, the Draft EIR distributed to the public in November 2007 did not include the lengths of traffic delays (SEE BELOW FOR TRAFFIC CHARTS WITH SOME OF THE DELAYS LISTED)!* These were reported only on a 2nd CD titled DEIR Appendices Parts 1 +2. With very few exceptions, only the first CD was distributed to the public! One exception: the Mission Valley Planning Group reported received both CDs. This group includes the landowners (Grants) and landowner/developer Tom Sudberry. This group has a long history of approving nearly every project that comes before it and is known as a developer's club. However, even they did not approve Quarry Falls when it was recently heard in December, 2007. Rather, they recommended re-circulation of the EIR with more focused review of a much lower intensity option.
*TRAFFIC DELAYS REPORTED IN EIR APPENDICES: UP TO 2.5 HOURS AS RESULT OF THE PROJECT!
At a December 13, 2007 meeting of the Serra Mesa Planning Group, Randy Berkman brought these traffic charts to public attention. The developer's traffic consultant tried to explain that delays "in the field" do not correspond to these long delays. One example: a 28 minute delay predicted by the City-required "modeling" (like on the Charts above), showed only an 11 minute delay at the actual location. Even if true, that is hardly reassuring. 11 minutes is about 40% of the 28 minutes predicted by the traffic computer modeling. So even if the delay is only 40% of 2.5 hours (1 hour), as NASA says: Houston (or in this case Quarry Falls): WE HAVE A PROBLEM!
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Living near a highway affects
lung development in children,
according to a USC study
Major traffic exposure could result in lifetime deficits in lung function
Los Angeles, Jan. 25, 2007 -
Children who live near a major highway are not only more likely to develop asthma or other respiratory diseases, but their lung development may also be stunted.
According to a study that will appear in the February 17, 2007 issue of The Lancet and now available online, researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC) found that children who lived within 500 meters of a freeway, or approximately a third of a mile, since age 10 had substantial deficits in lung function by the age of 18 years, compared to children living at least 1500 meters, or approximately one mile, away.
“Someone suffering a pollution-related deficit in lung function as a child will probably have less than healthy lungs all of his or her life,” says lead author W. James Gauderman, associate professor of preventive medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. “And poor lung function in later adult life is known to be a major risk factor for respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.”
The study draws upon data from the Children’s Health Study(CHS), a longitudinal study of respiratory health among children in 12 southern California communities. More than 3,600 children around the age of 10 years were evaluated over a period of eight years, through high-school graduation. Lung function tests were taken during annual school visits, and the study team determined how far each child lived from freeways and other major roads.
“Otherwise-healthy children who were non-asthmatic and non-smokers also experienced a significant decrease in lung function from traffic pollution,” continues Gauderman. “This suggests that all children, not just susceptible subgroups, are potentially affected by traffic exposure”.
Lung function was assessed by measuring how much air a person can exhale after taking a deep breath, and how quickly that air can be exhaled. Children’s lung function develops rapidly during adolescence until they reach their late teens or early 20s. A deficit in lung development during childhood is likely to translate into reduced function for the remainder of life.
“This study shows there are health effects from childhood exposure to traffic exhaust that can last a lifetime,” said David A. Schwartz, M.D., the Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). “The NIEHS is committed to supporting research to understand the relationship between environmental exposures and diseases, and to identify ways to reduce harmful exposures to all populations, especially children so they can realize their full potential for healthy and productive lives.”
Previous studies have demonstrated links between lung function growth and regional air quality. These findings in this study add to that result, demonstrating that both regional air pollution and local exposure to traffic pollution affect lung development.
'This study provides further proof that regional air quality regulations may need to be adjusted based on local factors, including traffic volume,' says Gauderman. 'This is important because in areas where the population continues to grow, more and more children are living or attending school near busy roadways. This may be harmful in the long run.' Gauderman adds that community leaders, school districts, and developers should consider these results when developing new schools or homes.
Study sites included the cities of Alpine, Anaheim, Glendora, Lake Arrowhead, Lake Elsinore, Long Beach, Mira Loma, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Dimas, Santa Barbara, Santa Maria and Upland.
Funding for this study came from the California Air Resources Board, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, and the Hastings Foundation.
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W. James Gauderman, Hita Vora, Rob McConnell, Kiros Berhane, Frank Gilliland, Duncan Thomas, Fred Lurmann, Edward Avol, Nino Kunzli, Michael Jerrett and John Peters, “Effect of exposure to traffic on lung development from 10 to 18 years of age: a cohort study,” The Lancet, Volume 368, February 2007.
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Health Sciences News, Contact: Jennifer Chan, Tel: 323-442-2830
USC Health Sciences Public Relations
1975 Zonal Ave, KAM 400
Los Angeles, CA 90033
Tel: 323-442-2830, Fax: 323-442-2832
http://www.usc.edu/hsc/info/pr/
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For more information, please contact the Community Outreach and Education Program of SCEHSC.
Outreach Contacts: ,
Andrea Hricko, Tel: 323-442-3077, e-mail: ahricko@usc.edu
Carla Truax, Tel: 323-442-2745, e-mail: ctruax@usc.edu,
Alena Groopman, Tel: 323-442-1359, groopman@usc.edu
To view other press releases from today, January 26, please go to:
LA Times article: Freeways' tainted air harms children's lungs, experts say
Sacramento Bee article: Living near busy roads tied to kids' lung risk
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Link for this article:
http://hydra.usc.edu/scehsc/Newsletter/newsletter1-specialisue-jan.asp#aaa
SEE ALSO: LINK TO SAN DIEGO EARTH TIMES ARTICLE DOCUMENTING SUCH AIR QUALITY IMPACTS TO RESIDENTS NEAR HIGHLY TRAVELED ROADS
CEQA Guideline 15065 states: that a Mandatory Finding of Significance is required when "The environmental effects of a project will cause substantial adverse effects on human beings either directly or indirectly." The aforementioned studies show that such a finding of significant air quality effects will occur due to Quarry Falls siting of residents within 500 meters of I-805.
GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSION CHART SHOWING OVER 17,600 TONS OF GREEN HOUSE GASES WOULD OCCUR--AND THAT IS ONLY FOR CONSTRUCTION. THIS CHART WAS ALSO OMITTED FROM THE DEIR/1st CD. IT IS FOUND ONLY ON THE 2nd CD NOT GENERALLY DISTRIBUTED TO PUBLIC! YOU THINK THAT IS BAD? ACCORDING TO THE AIR QUALITY TECHNICAL REPORT (AGAIN, ONLY ON THE 2ND CD NOT DISTRIBUTED TO GENERAL PUBLIC), 79,871 METRIC TONS/YEAR OF GREENHOUSE GASES WOULD BE GENERATED BY PROJECT (TABLE 24; P. 68 OF APPENDIX C). THIS IS EQUIVALENT TO 88,000+ TONS/YEAR OR OVER 241 TONS/DAY OF GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS. YET THROUGH REMARKABLE VERBAL GYMNASTICS, THIS IS NOT CONSIDERED "SIGNIFICANT"! (..."project consistent with CA Assembly Bill 32..."
