Pollution in Richmond, California.

Pollution is the introduction of several chemical substances or energy to a natural environment witch exceeds the standard levels regulated by Countries. It can damage the ecosystem and living organisms. Some of the effects caused by pollution are respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, throat inflammation, chest pain, congestion and even death. (Anonymous, 2011)

Chevron refinery in Richmond, California, opened its door on 1902. The plant has over 1,300 employees, cover 2,900 acres (12 km2), operate 30 plants and can move 340,000 barrels of raw material a day.

The company has had many problems regarding the safety of their stakeholders since they opened their doors. Environmental issue is one of the biggest concerns the company has.

In the early 1980s, the Chevron USA petroleum refinery in Richmond, California, was creating serious toxicity threats in San Francisco Bay. The largest of six major bay-side refineries, Chevron discharged 35 percent of the chromium and more than half the nickel from all major point sources into the northern reach of the bay in 1986. In laboratory tests, Chevron’s full-strength effluent killed at least 12 species of aquatic life exposed to it. (Karras, 1989)

Because of this problem the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board demanded that the company search ways to reduce or eliminate the pollution its refinery was creating. After discussing the situation the CBE and Chevron came with to propositions for reducing the discharges of pollutants, this were: treatment and pollution prevention.

Studies reveal that some harmful pollutants from the Chevron refinery in Richmond, California, have been found inside the homes of the people nearby.
Scientists conducting the study, "Linking Breast Cancer Advocacy and Environmental Justice," analyzed air samples from 40 homes in Richmond's Atchison and Liberty villages and 10 in Bolinas. The samples were tested for the presence of 155 chemicals known to cause cancer in laboratory animals, respiratory diseases and endocrine system disorders, said Rachel Morello-Frosch, an associate professor at UC Berkeley's Department of Environmental Science and Policy Management and the School of Public Health. (Bay, 2008)

Almost half of these samples were found to be over the safe quality standards of California although standards only apply to outdoors levels, the inside level don’t apply. Some of the pollution found by the analysis was from traffic toxics caused by highways but the majority was from the oil refining. Many of this toxics are known to cause cancer and other harmful diseases to the population.

Also the study of consumer products such as insecticides and house hold cleaners showed that these products also exceed the standard quality levels and can cause several diseases.

The refinery has invested many millions of dollars in pollution controls since its beginnings, even before the safety regulations of the country were enacted. Chevron Richmond refinery was already controlling its pollutant discharges on a conventional treatment system build in the 1960s and 1970s. The first stage of this system uses primary treatment to remove pollutants from water, largely by skimming the oil and hydrocarbons.