West Oakland and the Red Star Yeast Factory

1
West Oakland and the Red Star Yeast Factory

• This is a presentation showing how Red Star Yeast
  chose the path of least resistance when it set
  up shop in West Oakland, and how the people of
  the community fought back against environmental
  racism

Image taken from google
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West Oakland and the Red Star Yeast Factory

• Koutoulas, Penelope
• Urbs/Geog 515 Race, Poverty and the Environment
• Professor Raquel Pinderhughes, Urban Studies
  Environmental Studies Programs, San Francisco
  State University, Spring 2004
• Public has permission to use the material herein,
  but only if the author(s), course, university,
  and professor are credited.

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INTRODUCTION

• This presentation focuses on toxic exposures.
• It is designed to make you aware of the
  consequences of toxic exposures emitted by
  factories.
• It analyzes and describes a case study of the Red
  Star Yeast factory in West Oakland, California,
  paying particular attention to the social,
  environmental and public health impacts of the
  processes associated with toxic exposures.

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INTRODUCTION

• I start by describing the community of West
  Oakland, then explaining the kind of corporation
  Red Star Yeast factory is.
• Then I address the health and environmental
  problems associated with the release of chemicals
  from the Red Star Yeast factory.

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INTRODUCTION

• This is followed by a description of the four
  main chemicals that cause negative health and
  environmental effects released by Red Star Yeast.
• I then present how the community was able to
  mobilize itself against Red Star Yeast and its
  success in shutting down the polluting factory.
• The end of the presentation includes a list of
  all the resources used for and in this
  presentation.

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WEST OAKLAND

• 23,475 residents (2000 US Census)
• African Americans are the most prominent ethnic
  group making up 35.7 of the total population

• Oldest district in Oakland
• After World War II, the economy began to decline
• As of the year 2000, the median household income
  is 41,994 a year

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WEST OAKLAND

• Located in the San Francisco Bay

Image taken from google
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WEST OAKLAND

• The Port of Oakland and the Army base activities
  dominate the area
• West Oakland is a community where freeways and
  truck traffic define its boundaries
• Residential and industrial areas intertwine

Image of West Oakland taken from google
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WEST OAKLAND

• Due to industrial activities, residents of West
  Oakland experience high levels of lead
  contamination and illegal dumping

Image taken from the University of Michigan
website
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WEST OAKLAND

• As a result of nearly 82 of West Oakland
  residents living within 1/8 of a mile of an
  industrial area, in 1998 children were seven
  times more likely to be hospitalized for asthma
  than other children living in California

Image taken from the University of Michigan
website
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TOXIC CHEMICALS

• In 1998, West Oakland registered 34,107 pounds
  of toxic air releases by TRI (toxic release
  inventory) permitted facilities this was nearly
  as much as the rest of Oakland combined
• http//www.pacinst.org/eip/IndicatorsPDF/amountair
  .pdf

Image taken from the University of Michigan
website
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RED STAR YEAST TOXIC CHEMICALS

• The Red Star Yeast facility in West Oakland
  released four major toxic chemicals into the
  communitys air
• It was located at 5th and Mandela Streets in
  Oakland

Image of Red Star Yeast in West Oakland taken
from google
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RED STAR YEAST FACTORY

• Red Star Yeast is owned by Lesaffre, a corporate
  division of Universal Foods Corporation
• Red Star Yeast produces various types of yeast
  active dry, quick-rise, bread machine, cake, and
  gluten-free yeast

Image taken from Red Star Yeast website
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Lesaffre Corporation

• Along with producing yeast, Lesaffre is also
  involved in malt production, bioconversion and
  technology, production of bakery ingredients,
  production of yeast extracts, and the trading of
  yeast extracts, flavor enhancers, dried food
  yeast, and wine yeasts.

• Lesaffre operates in 5 of the 7 continents and in
  over 180 countries

Image taken from the Lesaffre website
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CHEMICALS

• Chemicals released by the Red Star Yeast into the
  community of West Oakland include
• ACETALDEHYDE
• CARBON MONOXIDE
• NITROGEN OXIDES
• SULFUR DIOXIDE

Red Star Yeast image taken from google
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ACETALDEHYDE (CH3CHO)

• It is a colorless volatile gas with a pungent
  suffocating odor
• It is highly flammable
• Being a gas, it can travel through air and in
  water
• It is used in flavorings, foods, beverages,
  perfumes, plastics, dyes, synthetic rubber
  manufacturing, and in the silvering of mirrors

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EXPOSURES OF ACETALDEHYDE (CH3CHO)

• In the production of alcohol fermentation
• In food
• Beverages
• Cigarette smoke

• Vehicle exhaust
• Wastes from various industries
• Open burning and incineration of gas, fuel, oil
  and coal

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INHALATION OF ACETALDEHYDE (CH3CHO)

• Inhalation can prove to be highly toxic
• It is absorbed through the lungs and distributed
  to the blood, liver, kidney, spleen, heart, and
  other muscles
• Long term exposure to this chemical may result in
  liver damage, lung damage and cancer

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ACETALDEHYDE (CH3CHO)

• According to Green Action Network, Red Star Yeast
  released 27,400 pounds of acetaldehyde into West
  Oaklands air each year
• This chemical is CARCINOGENIC in high exposures,
  meaning that it can cause cancer

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CARBON MONOXIDE (CO)

• Another chemical released into the community of
  West Oakland by the Red Star Yeast factory was
  CARBON MONOXIDE
• According to www.carbonmonoxidekills.com, this
  chemical is the most toxic substance youll come
  into contact with in your daily life

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CARBON MONOXIDE (CO)

• It is colorless
• It takes on gas or liquid forms
• It is practically odorless
• It is a POISONOUS gas

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CARBON MONOXIDE (CO)

• This chemical is produced by the incomplete
  burning of solid, liquid, and gaseous fuels such
  as
• Coal
• Wood
• Kerosene
• Oil

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CARBON MONOXIDE (CO)

• Breathing low levels of carbon monoxide can cause
  fatigue and chest pain
• Other symptoms include dizziness, fatigue,
  headache, nausea, and vomiting
• This chemical contributes to air pollution, which
  reduces air quality
• High levels of exposure to carbon monoxide may
  result in DEATH

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NITROGEN OXIDES (NOx)

• Other chemicals Red Star Yeast released into the
  community of West Oakland were nitrogen oxides
• Nitrogen oxides are air pollutants
• These chemicals are also toxic to humans

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NITROGEN OXIDES (NOx)

• Nitrogen oxides are gases composed of nitrogen
  and oxygen, including nitric oxide and nitrogen
  dioxide
• They are nonflammable and colorless gases
• Some of these gases have a sweet smell or a
  strong, harsh odor
• They are released into the air from the exhaust
  of vehicles and from the burning of coal, oil and
  natural gas

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NITROGEN OXIDES (NOx)

• Nitrogen oxides lead to the generation of ozone
  reacting with sunlight it produces smog
• These chemicals also cause ACID RAIN

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NITROGEN OXIDES (NOx)

• Acid rain affects life on ground and in water

Image taken from the Canada Health website
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NITROGEN OXIDES (NOx)

• Nitrogen oxides cause direct damage to plants and
  animals
• In plants, nitrogen oxides cause bleaching of
  plant tissue, loss of leaves and even reduce a
  plants growth rate
• These chemicals can even reduce the growth rate
  in animals

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NITROGEN OXIDES (NOx)

• Low levels of exposure irritate the eyes, nose,
  throat, and lungs
• Other effects are shortness of breath,
  tiredness, and nausea

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NITROGEN OXIDES (NOx)

• Breathing high levels of nitrogen oxides can
  cause rapid burning, spasms, swelling of the
  tissues in the throat and upper respiratory
  tract, reduced oxygenation of body tissues, a
  build-up of fluid in the lungs and even
• DEATH

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SULFUR DIOXIDE (SO2)

• Yet another toxic chemical released by Red Star
  Yeast into the community of West Oakland was
  sulfur dioxide
• It is a non-flammable gas with a strong
  suffocating odor
• Sulfur dioxide is harmful to humans and to the
  environment

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SULFUR DIOXIDE (SO2)

• Sulfur Dioxide is a pollutant
• According to the EPA, this gas is formed when
  fuel containing sulfur, mainly coal and oil, is
  burned
• Peak concentrations of sulfur dioxide occur near
  industrial sources, such as manufacturing
  facilities which burn fossil fuels

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SULFUR DIOXIDE (SO2)

• This chemical is a food preservative and can be
  used as an additive
• It is used in the manufacture of paper, the
  bleaching of textile fibers, and it is also a
  disinfectant in breweries and food factories

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SULFUR DIOXIDE (SO2)

• This chemical is also a contributor to ACID RAIN

Image taken from the Science Master website
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SULFUR DIOXIDE (SO2)

• According to the EPA, peak levels of sulfur
  dioxide in the air negatively affects the lungs,
  contributing to asthma, bronchitis, and other
  respiratory infections

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RED STAR YEASTS RANKING

• Red Star Yeast was one of the largest sources of
  toxic air pollution in Oakland
• It ranked 8th of all Bay Area facilities for
  cancer health risks
• It ranked 2nd in Oakland for air pollution health
  risks
• info taken from greenaction.org

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AIR QUALITY AND POLLUTION

• For decades Red Star Yeast polluted the air,
  until finally, by the demands of the community,
  the district of West Oakland would not grant Red
  Star Yeast the permit they needed to continue
  operating
• Tests indicated that Red Star Yeast needed to
  comply with air quality regulations, which it
  indicated it would not do

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COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

• On June 18th, 2003, West Oakland residents
  protested outside of the Red Star Yeast factory
• The protestors demanded that the factory stop
  emitting toxic pollution and foul odors into
  their community
• They wanted Red Star Yeast OUT of their
  neighborhood

Image taken from google
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VICTORY

• Through community efforts, Red Star Yeast
  announced on 1 April, 2003, that they would close
  their facility in West Oakland
• The facility would be shut down by the 15th of
  April of 2003
• Red Star Yeast announced in a press release they
  would be closing due to market conditions and
  challenging California environmental conditions

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COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

• West Oakland community members and activist
  groups such as the Chester Street Block Club
  Association, Citizens for West Oakland
  Revitalization, Greenaction for Health and
  Environmental Justice, Pacific Institute,
  Environmental Science Institute, and the Youth
  Empowerment Center all contributed to the closing
  down of the Red Star Yeast facility in West
  Oakland

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ENVIRONMENTAL INJUSTICE

• The Bay Area Air Quality and Management District
  had allowed factories such as Red Star to break
  polluting laws in communities populated mainly by
  low-income people of color
• Red Star Yeast chose the West Oakland community
  based on the idea of the path of least
  resistance
• This idea is the basis for environmental racism
  and injustices

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COMMUNITY EFFORT

• Through repeated community demonstrations and
  public outcry, the Bay Area Air Quality and
  Management District finally decide to not issue a
  new permit to the Red Star Yeast facility
• Red Star Yeast, understanding it could no longer
  operate under such racist and prejudiced ways in
  the West Oakland community, decided to shut down

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EMPOWERMENT

• The story of the West Oakland community against a
  corporate giant such as Red Star Yeast/Lesaffre
  shows that communities have the power to end
  environmental injustice in their neighborhoods

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RESOURCES

• Hardcopy resources (general)
• Beim, Howard J. Rapid Guide to Hazardous Air
  Pollutants. John Wiley Sons, 1997.
• Kokoszka, Leopold C.. Environmental Management
  Handbook Toxic Chemical Materials and Waste.
  Marcel Dekker, 1988.
• Spicer, Chester W. Hazardous Air Pollutant
  Handbook Measurements, Properties, and Fate in
  Ambient Air. Lewis Publishers, Inc., 2002.
• Pradyot. Handbook of Environmental Analysis
  Chemical Pollutants in Air, Water, Soil, and
  Solid Wastes. Lewis Publishers, Inc., 1997.
• Gottlieb, Robert. Environmentalism Unbound
  Exploring New Pathways for Change(Urban and
  Industrial Environments). MIT Press, 2002.
• Online Resources
• Community
• http//eastbay.bizjournals.com/eastbay/stories/200
  3/04/07/daily34.html
• http//www.neip.org/westoakland/woprocess.htm
• http//www.greenaction.org/
• http//www.lumiere.net/pipermail/sustainable-city/
  2003q2/000062.html
• http//www.mindfully.org/Air/Red-Star-West-Oakland
  20feb02.htm
• http//www.pacinst.org/west_oakland/
• http//slingshot.tao.ca/displaybi.php?0078008
• http//www.redstaryeast.com/
• http//www.umich.edu/
• www.lesaffre.com

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RESOURCES

• Chemical resources
• Acetaldehyde
• http//www.lungusa.org/im/air.html
• http//www.chemicalland21.com/arokorhi/petrochemic
  al/Acetaldehyde.htm
• http//www.inchem.org/documents/hsg/hsg/hsg90_e.ht
  m
• http//www.headlice.org/lindane/chemicals/acetalde
  hyde.htm
• http//www.npi.gov.au/database/substance-info/prof
  iles/1.html
• http//www.smoke-free.ca/Health/Healtheffectssmoke
  .htm
• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acetaldehyde
• Carbon Monoxide
• http//www.lungusa.org/air/carbon_factsheet99.html
  
• http//www.carbonmonoxidekills.com/
• http//www.phymac.med.wayne.edu/FacultyProfile/pen
  ney/COHQ/co1.htm
• http//www.cdc.gov/nceh/airpollution/carbonmonoxid
  e/default.htm
• http//www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/466.html
• http//www.epa.gov/iaq/co.html
• Nitrogen Oxides
• http//www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts175.html
• http//www.caa.co.uk/dap/environment/default.asp?p
  age52

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RESOURCES

• Sulfur Dioxides
• http//www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/phs116.html
• http//www.calif-legal.com/Articles/oct_article.ht
  ml
• http//www.cleanairtrust.org/sulfurdioxide.html
• http//www.indoorpollution.com/nitrogen_dioxide_su
  lfur_dioxide.htm
• http//www.npi.gov.au/database/substance-info/prof
  iles/77.html
• http//www.epa.qld.gov.au/environmental_management
  /air/air_quality_monitoring/air_pollutants/sulfur_
  dioxide/
• http//sci-toys.com/ingredients/sulfur_dioxide.htm
  l
• http//toxtown.nlm.nih.gov/text_version/chemical/s
  ulfur.html
• http//www.epa.gov/air/aqtrnd95/so2.html
• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfur_dioxide
• Image sources
• http//www.cleanenergynow.org/graphics/asthma.jpg
• http//www.epa.gov/airmarkets/acidrain/origins.gif
  
• http//www.epa.gov/airmarkets/acidrain/origins.gif
  
• http//ess.geology.ufl.edu/ess/Notes/AcidRain/noxp
  ie.gif
• http//www.exatest.com/prot7.jpg
• http//www.geography.learnontheinternet.co.uk/imag
  es/acidrn.jpg
• http//www.gothamgazette.com/graphics/asthma.jpg