In Robin Meadow's article "Living in California’s San Joaquin Valley May Harm Your Health", she bring to light issues of water and air quality in the valley. It may not seem likely, but over 1 million people in the valley are being exposed to bad air quality due to asbestos and other chemicals used in the fields. This is causing the increase of health risks in people who are exposed to these areas. Those health risks are mostly respiratory problems, such as asthma, that get worse as the exposure increases.
The water quality in the valley is also being affected by this. Chemicals used in the fields can penetrate the ground-water supplies of surrounding towns. Nitrates and asbestos can make the water unsafe to drink, but not many are able to afford to purify the water basins to provide safer drinking water. Those chemicals have bigger heath risks in children, so people are worried about the long-term effects this can have on them.
This issue in the San Joaquin Valley is barely coming to the attention of the state of California, so precautions or solutions are still on the way, meaning people need to manage how to keep their water clean on their own until assistance is offered.
The water quality in the valley is also being affected by this. Chemicals used in the fields can penetrate the ground-water supplies of surrounding towns. Nitrates and asbestos can make the water unsafe to drink, but not many are able to afford to purify the water basins to provide safer drinking water. Those chemicals have bigger heath risks in children, so people are worried about the long-term effects this can have on them.
This issue in the San Joaquin Valley is barely coming to the attention of the state of California, so precautions or solutions are still on the way, meaning people need to manage how to keep their water clean on their own until assistance is offered.