A state of emergency has been declared in Northern California following a fire at the world’s largest lithium battery storage plant. Monterey County Supervisor Glenn Church called this a “Three Mile Island event” for the battery storage industry. According to reporting by Jordan Chariton and Status Coup, residents as far as 50-100 miles away are experiencing symptoms including headaches, nausea, nosebleeds, lung burning, rashes, and metallic taste.

The fire occurred at Vistra Energy’s Moss Landing Power Plant near Salinas Valley, known as the “Salad Bowl of America” and sometimes called the “Salad Bowl of the World.”

The valley produces most of the nation’s lettuce and many other fruits and vegetables. These are some estimates regarding the regional output for the U.S.

-70% of the lettuce in the U.S.

-57% of the celery

-48% of the broccoli

-38% of the spinach

-28% of the strawberries, including Driscoll’s

Chariton reported that a health official said there has been no soil testing because “we don’t necessarily know what we are looking for.” The HighWire reported that independent evaluator Scott Smith tested garlic in East Palestine, OH, and showed 500 times the level of dioxins compared to garlic harvested before the controlled burn. Health agencies said it was generally considered safe to eat produce from the area, while residents from the town have avoided consuming locally-grown produce.

The battery plant is about 18 miles from Monterrey, 24 miles from Santa Cruz, and 95 miles from San Francisco. The fire began on January 16, and all evacuation orders were lifted the next day. Residents have been advised to stay indoors, keep their windows closed, and turn off ventilation systems.

The EPA has been monitoring air quality for particulate matter and hydrogen fluoride, the “pollutants of concern.” The EPA stated on January 20, “Results for hydrogen fluoride and particulate matter showed no risk to public health throughout the incident, and smoke from the facility has greatly diminished.”

With information from the EPA, Monterey County has the Emergency Operations Center level set at level 3. This level is described as “normal operations.” The description states, “Activities that are normal for the EOC when no incident or specific risk or hazard has been identified. Routine watch and warning activities if the EOC normally houses this function.”

The county emergency page states, “Air monitoring results indicate that no levels of Hydrogen Fluoride (HF) exceeded OEHHA’s acute Reference Exposure Level (REL) of 300 parts per billion (ppb) in the community, at Vistra’s fence line, or at the site of the fire. The acute REL is the highest concentration of a chemical that a person can safely be exposed to for one hour without an increased risk of serious, non-cancer health impacts, including for children and sensitive individuals. No PM 2.5 levels exceeded the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) of 35 micrograms per cubic meter.”

The REL only sets a guideline for maximum exposure over one hour. Chariton and Status Coup interviewed residents experiencing symptoms without leaving their homes. Toxic compounds can go through cracks around windows and doors to enter houses. They can come in through the ventilation system. Residents are advised to shut off ventilation systems, but it is the middle of winter, with temperatures dipping to 40 degrees at night in Monterrey.

While the air monitoring tests show a safe REL, it doesn’t consider that local residents are likely to have days of exposure to elevated levels of toxic compounds released by this lithium battery fire. Governor Gavin Newsom has been active with the Los Angeles fires and has not commented on the lithium battery fire in Northern California.

Chariton reported that several sources have observed environmental officials conducting air quality tests by rolling down their windows and holding a “handheld device for less than a minute.” Chariton also points out the documented conflict of interest associated with the Vistra-hired contractors conducting some air quality tests.

The contractor is CTEH, which the NY Times reported about in 2010 during the BP oil spill clean-up efforts. A former Exxon chemical engineer described CTEH conducting environmental tests as “the fox guarding the chicken coop.”

The HighWire has reported several environmental disasters that have exposed residents in the United States to toxic chemicals. An interview with independent evaluator Scott Smith revealed that the EPA was not transparent about its data collection in East Palestine. Smith said the EPA is acting as a public relations arm for Norfolk Southern.

Researchers burned lithium batteries in Piqua, OH from 2018-2023, and caused several side effects for the residents in the community, including respiratory problems, headaches, and nausea. The HighWire reported in November that toxic chemical accidents occur every 1.2 days in the U.S.

Another toxic chemical fire occurred in Conyers, GA, in September when a pool supply manufacturing plant called BioLab went up in flames. East Palestine, Conyers, and Monterrey have a similar conflict of interest when the company responsible for the toxic chemical exposure hires contractors to conduct air quality and environmental testing.

Steven Middendorp

Steven Middendorp is an investigative journalist, musician, and teacher. He has been a freelance writer and journalist for over 20 years. More recently, he has focused on issues dealing with corruption and negligence in the judicial system. He is a homesteading hobby farmer who encourages people to grow their own food, eat locally, and care for the land that provides sustenance to the community.

Other Headlines

Coronavirus

Trump Withdraws U.S. From World Health Organization Over COVID-19 Mismanagement

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office to remove the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO). The U.S. sent $1.284 billion to the WHO in 2022-2023, which is 15% of the total funds received by the organization that year. Germany is the second biggest contributor with $856Continue reading Trump Withdraws U.S. From World Health Organization Over COVID-19 Mismanagement

More news about Coronavirus

Health & Nutrition

Weight Loss Injections Linked to Blindness; Black Market Sales of Non-FDA Approved Drugs Surge

A newly published study examined the association between weight loss injections and blindness, as a survey finds that one out of eight American adults have taken these drugs at some point. The study analyzed just nine individuals who developed severe vision problems while taking semaglutide injections, such as Ozempic and Wegovy, or tirzepatide injections, suchContinue reading Weight Loss Injections Linked to Blindness; Black Market Sales of Non-FDA Approved Drugs Surge

More news about Health & Nutrition

Vaccines

CDC Fails to Provide Evidence That DNA Integration is “Biologically Impossible” with mRNA Vaccines

The CDC could not provide any evidence or proof to support its statement that “COVID-19 vaccines do not change or interact with your DNA in any way.” This claim is made on the CDC page “Bust Myths and Learn The Facts About COVID-19 Vaccines.” The Informed Consent Action Network (ICAN) issued FOIA requests to obtainContinue reading CDC Fails to Provide Evidence That DNA Integration is “Biologically Impossible” with mRNA Vaccines

More news about Vaccines

Science & Tech

White Coat Waste Project Uncovers $10 Million in Taxpayer-Funded Transgender Animal Experiments

The White Coat Waste Project (WCWP) revealed that $10 million has been spent on taxpayer-funded studies that use mice and monkeys for transgender experiments, including surgeries and hormone treatments. Senator Rand Paul released his annual Festivus report of wasteful government spending days before Christmas and included $33.2 million in transgender monkey research. The HighWire reportedContinue reading White Coat Waste Project Uncovers $10 Million in Taxpayer-Funded Transgender Animal Experiments

More news about Science & Tech

Environment

East Palestine Residents Say Their Voices Are Silenced, Their Health Ignored

An NGO with ties to the Biden administration hand-selected the East Palestine moms who could speak at the Senate hearing, meet with President Biden, and speak with media outlets about the 2023 chemical disaster, according to independent testing expert and Government Accountability Project whistleblower client Scott Smith and residents in the village. Moms Clean AirContinue reading East Palestine Residents Say Their Voices Are Silenced, Their Health Ignored

More news about Environment

Policy

State AGs Launch Investigation Into Fauci Despite Biden’s Preemptive Pardon

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson and a coalition of at least 16 other attorneys general are launching an investigation into potential criminal actions by Dr. Anthony Fauci. The AGs have contacted House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune to request relevant information from their investigations. This investigation comes just weeks afterContinue reading State AGs Launch Investigation Into Fauci Despite Biden’s Preemptive Pardon

More news about Policy