Contra Costa Health wants to hear from the public regarding a November 2022 hazardous material release from Martinez Refining Company or MRC.
The local health agency is hosting a public meeting Monday to hear comments from the community on a recently completed toxicology report studying how MRC's Thanksgiving release of 20 to 24 tons of spent catalyst affected soil in the surrounding community.
Contra Costa Health said in June that a toxicologist determined the release, which started Thanksgiving night and continued until the next day, didn't increase public health risks from exposure of hazardous materials in nearby soil.
The assessment was done by the contractor TRC, which concluded metals detected in 14 soil samples did not appear in similar ratios or quantities to spent-catalyst dust samples collected shortly after the release Nov. 24-25, 2022.
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Metals detected in the soil samples were within an expected range of levels typically found in the state. Contra Costa Health said the primary health risk from the release occurred during the initial hours and days after the refinery accident when people may have breathed in dust particles.
The release began around 9:30 p.m. Nov. 24, 2022, showering the surrounding community in a dust-like substance.
Initial testing showed the dust contained elevated levels of aluminum, barium, chromium, nickel, vanadium and zinc, all of which can cause respiratory problems.
The law required MRC to alert the community via the county emergency system and to immediately notify the county health department, neither of which happened. County health officials learned about the release via media reports a day and a half later.
The Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office is investigating MRC for failing to notify authorities. The Board of Supervisors put together an oversight committee, including residents from affected areas, to investigate the cause and whether the release increased risk of community health problems.
The report can be seen at cchealth.org.
Even though the report has been made public, it still has to be officially accepted by the Board of Supervisors and the board said that would not happen without public comment.
The meeting begins at 6 p.m. Monday, at 1025 Escobar St., Room 110, in Martinez. People can also access the meeting on Zoom.
Written comments about the report can also be submitted through Oct. 12 to Contra Costa Health's Hazardous Materials Programs by emailing them at hazmat.arpteam@cchealth.org or mailing them to Michael Dossey, Contra Costa Health Hazardous Materials Programs, 4585 Pacheco Blvd., Suite 100, Martinez CA. 94553.
For more information, read Contra Costa Health's public notice letter.
