Southern California became the first region in the country to pass a rule that will require dozens of food manufacturers to soon begin replacing their gas-powered ovens with cleaner electric models.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District board approved the new regulations to help this region, which regularly ranks No. 1 in the country for air pollution, hit federally mandated targets for reducing harmful nitrogen oxide emissions. Nitrogen oxide, or NOx, is a major contributor to smog, which can cause or worsen asthma and other breathing problems.
“There’s tons of research coming out saying that the emissions from these appliances is comparable to secondhand smoke in producing respiratory disease,” said Alejandro Barboza, an Anaheim native who’s focusing on sustainability at John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.
Barboza was among a dozen environmental advocates to speak in favor of the regulations during South Coast AQMD’s meeting Friday at its headquarters in Diamond Bar.
“If your job is to be in a kitchen all day or to work around these commercial appliances, you’re going to be exposed to these fumes. …You might not even be aware of the health impacts that you’re suffering, but you’re gonna feel it at home when you start having issues with your lungs,” Barboza said. “So I think we really need to stand up for workers in the food industry.”
A couple board members for the air district – which regulates emissions in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties – expressed concerns over whether costs and logistics to comply with such rules might push businesses out of Southern California.
San Bernardino County Supervisor Curt Hagman said that could worsen emissions if manufacturers move to places with more lax air quality rules and end up trucking products back to our stores. Already Hagman said he’s concerned about how long companies are saying they have to wait to get an OK from Southern…
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