Crews hired by the Contra Costa County health department began testing soil this week in neighborhoods near a Martinez refinery to determine if a flaring event last Thanksgiving is threatening the health of the community.
The test comes less than two months after health officials warned residents not to eat any fruits and vegetables they have grown because of potentially toxic ash from that flare.
The incident occurred about 9:30 p.m. on Nov. 24, 2022 and into the early hours of the following day. The health department following the flaring event said the spent catalyst was a dust-like substance that contained "elevated levels of aluminum, barium, chromium, nickel, vanadium and zinc."
A team of people from a newly hired environmental consulting company have started collecting samples from around the area and are trying to figure out if any of the "spent catalyst" powder could be a long-term health concern for residents.
"As we wait for the results of the soil sampling and this risk assessment, we are saying out of an abundance of caution, please do not eat, but go ahead and still plant your gardens," said Nicole Heath, Contra Costa County's hazardous materials programs director.
Some residents and businesses said they are on hold through prime planting season.
"Everyone is just waiting to hear whether it's safe or not to consume what they already have, and still planting the best that they can," said Wendy Gomez, who runs the Knots and Found plant shop in Martinez. "But ultimately trying not to eat anything if it could be hazardous."
Other residents have voiced frustration with the refinery not effectively communicating what happened and its response.
"I mean, come on. November there's December, January, February, March, April. We're now in May," Martinez resident Gayle Goldblatt said. "How hard is it to test what exactly is in the soil?"
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Lab results from the soil sample collection should be available later this month or in June.
