Recent letters have touted the jobs the Tesoro-Savage oil terminal will provide. Maybe they are unaware of the health hazards workers are exposed to at an oil terminal. According to The Columbian, this oil terminal will release 40 toxic pollutants — 32 of which Tesoro-Savage claims, if you can take their word for it, will be below their small quantity emission rates.
That means eight toxic pollutants, including nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide, which irritate the lungs and make it hard to breathe, may exceed emission rate standards. The other six may cause cancer: arsenic, cadmium hexavalent chromium, benzene, diesel engine particulate, and dimethylbenz(a)anthracene.
Not only will these toxins harm the workers, they will pollute the air of nearby communities, threatening the health of residents. Vancouver can do better. We do not need unhealthy Tesoro-Savage jobs. We need to promote clean, environmentally friendly industries that provide a healthy atmosphere for their workers.
