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STAFF REPORT
LOS ANGELES – Today, Chair of the Board of Supervisors Janice Hahn and Supervisor Hilda L. Solis along with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) and community partners announced a door-to-door community outreach event on Saturday, September 21, to inform residents living near the Quemetco, Inc., a battery recycling facility in the City of Industry, about environmental contamination and ways to protect themselves. Public Health will also host a free Community Resource Fair and offer free blood lead testing.
“I encourage residents who live, work and play near the Quemetco facility to open their door to the Public Health community workers to ask questions and get connected to resources,” said Chair of the Board of Supervisors Janice Hahn, who represents the Hacienda Heights area. “The County of Los Angeles is committed to ensuring the health and safety of all residents in the county, and we continue to monitor and work on the issues related to the exposure to possible environmental hazards.”
“For me, this is personal: my father worked at Quemetco as a Teamster,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis. “His struggle led me to public service, where I have dedicated my life to environmental justice issues. I know our residents are concerned and have questions, and that’s why it’s critical that they attend this Saturday’s community resource fair and speak with our County outreach workers who are going door-to-door. It’s important that our families be armed with the information, services, and resources they need to stay healthy and enjoy a high quality of life.”
“State regulators say that Quemetco may have released harmful levels of chemicals such as arsenic and lead into surrounding communities,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. “We want to ensure that everyone living in these communities understands the potential health impacts and what they can do to protect themselves, their family, their pets, and the environment.”
The event is part of continuing outreach efforts by the County of Los Angeles to support residents in the communities near Quemetco. Public Health staff will be wearing royal blue shirts to clearly identify themselves as participants of the outreach effort. The door-to-door outreach will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
The Community Resource Fair is open to the public and will take place from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Hacienda Heights Community Center, 1234 Valencia Avenue, Hacienda Heights.
For more information about the event and Quemetco, please visit http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/eh/quemetco.
