From Predicament to Possibility
Nzinga Irene Pace
Clay, Oil on canvas
9 ft. x 6 ft.

Diesel exhaust is the number one toxic air pollutant in California.  The Port of Oakland is the fourth busiest in the US.  Diesel truck exhaust directly affects the air quality in West Oakland.

The black smoke causes cancer, reproductive harm, asthma, heart disease and premature death.

Average diesel emissions per square mile in West Oakland are more than 90 times greater than average emissions for the rest of the state.

West Oakland residents breathe air with diesel particulate levels that are five times greater than what residents breathe in other parts of Oakland.

An examination of death certificates dating back to the 1060’s revealed that residents of West Oakland live ten years less than people living in the Oakland hills. They also have five times the risk of getting cancer than residents in other parts of Oakland.

Asthma is epidemic in this neighborhood. Children here are seven times more likely to be hospitalized for asthma than the average child in California.

By the year 2010 the number of truck trips to the Oakland Port will double from 11,000 to 22,000.



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All images on this website are copyrighted. For further information please contact the artist at: andreesthompson@gmail.com