GUADALUPE, Calif. The Community Environmental Council was awarded a $300,000.00 competitive grant to monitor the air quality and pesticides in Guadalupe neighborhoods.
According to the CEC the grant was given by the California Air Resources Board (CARB), to implement Assembly Bill (617), which requires the state of California to support on-theground efforts to reduce pollution and address its underlying cause.
Mireya pia from the Little House by Park said that air quality is a major concern, especially since a lot pesticides are sprayed in fields.
Advocates claim that concerns about Guadalupe’s air quality have been present for many years.
Little House by the Park, a family service center, said that most people who live in the city work as farmers and are therefore affected by pesticides and chemicals.
Health impacts are real for many people. We all see cataracts. Pia stated that she sees a lot of asthma. This only makes the already existing health inequalities within this group worse.
Advocates claim that some farm workers are diagnosed with terminal illnesses such as cancer.
Pia said that this grant will allow people to see what’s in their air.
The Community Environmental Council (CEC) received a $300,000 grant to monitor and provide information on the air quality, pesticides and wildfire smoke.
Alhan DiazCorrea from CEC said that sensors are available that can detect diesel exposure and nitrogen oxides. We hope to be able to do some soil sampling in order to test for pesticides.
The grant will also be used for community education. Also, data will be made available in English and Spanish. Community advocates claim that some residents of the City Guadalupe speak only the indigenous language.
Diaz Correa said that they are looking to collaborate with the Air Pollution and Control District to incorporate other languages. This includes farm workers.
The CEC states that monitors will soon be constructed during the summer.
While the locations are still being determined by the council, the first one will be located at a school.
Diaz Correa stated that we will have a monitor for the school year. You will also be able talk about family members and community members.