As the COVID-19 pandemic drags on, some residents of the Bay Area faced a different kind of health emergency on February 9th: an oil spill. Around 600 gallons of an oil-and-water mixture spilled from a Chevron oil refinery in Richmond, California into the San Francisco Bay, the company told local health authorities.
The incident triggered a Level 2 health advisory from the local health department for residents of three surrounding communities, which was lifted later in the evening. Other agencies said that they are continuing the investigation, especially watching for any impacts the spill might have on wildlife.
Richmond is predominantly Black and Latino, groups often exposed to higher levels of pollution, and as a result, face more health problems. Refineries like Chevron’s have historically been sited in communities of color, while other historic injustices such as redlining have locked in still more negative public health impacts today.