Environmental Health Coalition

Environmental Health Coalition is one of the oldest and most effective grassroots organizations in the United States, using social change strategies to achieve environmental justice.

Mission Statement: EHC is dedicated to achieving environmental and social justice. We believe that justice is accomplished by empowered communities acting together to make social change. We organize and advocate to protect public health and the environment threatened by toxic pollution. EHC supports broad efforts that create a just society which foster a healthy and sustainable quality of life.

Problem Statement: As one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United States, San Diego's toxics problems are myriad, often compounded by its location on the U.S./Mexico border. Critical evidence of the San Diego/Tijuana region's pollution crisis includes:

Over 150 million pounds of toxic waste are generated each year by San Diego industries and over 3 million pounds of toxic pollutants are discharged annually into the air.

Communities of color such as Barrio Logan in San Diego, are most at risk. Studies indicate that toxic air emissions from just one facility creates a cancer risk 600 times above the accepted level for this community.

Contaminated sites have been discovered at 22 separate sites on North Island Coronado, a Naval installation.

San Diego bay is one of the most polluted harbors in the United States. A study released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration listed San Diego Bay as the second most toxic of 18 bays studied , second to Newark Bay, New Jersey. 56% of the Bay sediments are acutely toxic to marine organisms, while 74% of the area exhibited chronic toxicity. The most toxic sites were found along the shipbuilding and Navy facilities adjacent to Barrio Logan.

Tijuana has approximately 800 maquiladora industries, more than any other city along the U.S./Mexico border. The majority of these manufacturing industries are highly polluting such as furniture, plastics, metal, and electronics production.

Environmental Health Coalition: No on Proposition 23