The public was told at the Air Quality Hearing that the health of Ukiah's residents may have been harmed by toxic pollutants released by Masonite in the years 1989 and 1991. Six years after the fact, Masonite was required by the Mendocino Air Quality Management District (MAQMD) under the California Air Toxic Hot Spots Act (AB2588) to admit that International Paper's Masonite plant in Ukiah exposed citizens of Ukiah to significant toxic emissions in those years, up to 7.5 and 10.5 times beyond what are considered safe levels, creating significant health risks to some citizens.
Contrary to what we residents of Ukiah were told in the early 1990s by Masonite, our health was at risk.
This hearing was held July 24th at the Elks Lodge on Hastings Road. How ironic that all who came to this Air Quality meeting had to pass through a cigarette smoke-filled bar to get to the meeting hall!
The meeting was part of a public notification process required by the State of California. It featured a panel of Masonite officials and their hired experts plus David Faulkner, the Mendocino County Air Quality District Officer, and Dr. James Collins from the State Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (Cal EPA office). The Masonite officials were David Tucker, Masonite's manager of environmental health and safety, and Carolyn Stein, the plant manager who replaced Bob Andzulis (who moved to Pennsylvania).
Masonite-hired experts were Dr. Ron E. Gots, a pharmacology toxicologist and Dr. Dean Wohlbach, an environmental regulator and organic chemist from San Jose. For the most part, Masonite panel members side-stepped the real issue that the Health Risk Assessments indicated toxic air emission violations by the Masonite plant in 1989 and 1991 and tried to blame the citizens' respiratory health problems on wood smoke and vehicle emissions.
It was pointed out by one member in the audience that the air modeling data in the HRAs was faulty, such as utilizing cloud cover data from Oakland, and not acknowledging or stating that Ukiah has a serious inversion problem. The HRA went on to say "these data do not conform to EPA guidelines." However, the State Air Resources Board granted the MAQMD authority to approve the use of this data. Dr. Wohlbach said they used the best information they had, that Oakland was the nearest station with cloud cover data!
The audience was in disbelief at being told by more than one person on the panel that Masonite production and emissions were constant 24 hours a day everyday of the year. Many members of the "public" present at the meeting stated that they have seen the emissions increase in the night and decrease during the day.
Dr. James Collins of the State Office of Health Risk Assessment may be the first government official to state that the emissions from Masonite may have affected some people in Ukiah.
Mendocino County's Public Health Officer, Dr. Marvin Trotter spoke of the increased respiratory health problems in those years documented and reported by his predecessor, Dr. Miriam Shipp.
Some 50 citizens attended the hearing and many spoke concerning their trauma as a result of health problems caused by Masonite's toxic emissions, including Mary Bowen, whose husband Bruce died at age 47 of respiratory failure after riding his bicycle near Masonite the night of January 18, 1991. Loni Bauer stated she had an acute asthma attack that same day. Also, David Faulkner stated that there was a large number of complaints that same day. At that time, before the temporary pollution control device was on line, the exposure levels were around 300 times above safe levels.
Esther Faber told her story of how she was forced to move her counseling practice and her family out of Ukiah in order to escape her health problems caused by Masonite's toxic air emissions. Her symptoms included having a runny nose and sore throat all the time in Ukiah, coughing spasms, and nosebleeds for the first time in her life. When she left Ukiah, these symptoms would virtually vanish, but would come back in full force upon returning to Ukiah. She stated that she is glad she no longer lives in Ukiah.
Antonio Andrade pointed out that the HRAs didn't even include PM 10s (minute pollution particles we breathe and collect in our lungs and do not get expelled). He stated that Masonite emits a minimum of 230 tons of PM 10s per year. These minute particles are not even tested or regulated.
I was forced to move out of Ukiah after severe coughing, nosebleeds, a series of asthma attacks (I never had asthma before this period and none since I've moved out), and even discovering the presence of lesions in my larynx despite the fact that I've never smoked or chewed any form of tobacco in my life. I asked if it was safe for me to move back to Ukiah and my question was left unanswered.
David Faulkner said we couldn't get the HRA information from the Air District sooner because the district was understaffed!
There was some consolation in finding out what we already know: that Masonite emissions really did cause many of us serious health problems; the HRAs confirmed that fact. But this is the first time it has been admitted publically...however, it's 6 years too late for many of us.
It was good to hear this information revealed by these HRAs after being told by local physicians that I was the cause of my own health problems, that my asthma attacks were caused by unresolved stress in my life, or that my cough was a habit cough or that the lesions in my voice box were caused by my secretly smoking cigars.
It certainly is too bad we didn't have this HRA information when we needed it!
Copyright Mendocino Environmental Center 1997
Permission granted to excerpt or use this article if source is cited