Opinion: I Like Jack Batchelor

Dear Editor:

I Like Jack Batchelor.

Well, maybe not all that much. No kidding, Jack is an all right guy. As mayor, though, there are some things he could take a closer look at.

Jack told me that Dixon was doing just fine when it came to the health of our city. That is, the air quality was fine and the asthma problems in our area were also well handled. 

I wonder what Jack takes from the regional air quality reports he reads.  Certainly, the experts on this matter know more than Jack or I know.  I had a nice chat with Dimitri Stanich, Public Information Officer for the California Air Resources Board.  He allowed as how he had various fact sheets on air quality, which we could get. 

Info at http://www.arb.ca.gov

This link is specially designed for the public and offers a wealth of information.

The timeliness of this material, of course, was interesting because I had just received the December 08, 2011 Air Resources Board News Release, “Fine particle pollution a threat to the cardiovascular health of Californians”. This two-page release summarizes the results of two studies demonstrating a relationship between long-term exposure to fine particulate matter and heart attacks.  Fine particulate matter or PM 2.5 can contain metals, soot, nitrates, sulfates and very fine dust such as what is found in vehicle exhaust and diesel engines.  In brief, these new studies show a further relationship to the American Cancer Society studies, which estimate 7,300 to 11,000 premature cardiopulmonary deaths annually in California because of long-term exposure to fine particulate matter.

Now, of course, since trains roll through Dixon and train smoke is full of particulate matter, maybe Jack’s idea of a local train station isn’t such a good idea. What do you think?

Stephen V. Sikes
Dixon
24 July 2012