Image: Leanne Maxwell/SFist

Image: Mexican Alebrijes & Nahuales sculptures now on display at Yerba Buena Gardens; Leanne Maxwell/SFist

The Martinez Refining Company in Contra Costa spewed more potentially toxic coke dust on Saturday evening, the second release in two weeks, the county said.

“Coke dust” is a byproduct of petroleum refining, and it can pose health risks to the heart and lungs if inhaled, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Contra Costa County said they received news of the release around 6 p.m. Saturday, and dispatched hazardous materials teams to assess the situation and potential impacts on nearby neighborhoods, as KPIX reported. The company reportedly said that the release was contained on-site and it didn't expect any off-site impacts.

But residents are still concerned about the last release, on July 11, which dropped chemicals on cars and other surfaces near the refinery. Authorities weren't notified about that release until nearly two hours later, according to the Mercury News.

A lab test of that dust found that it didn't contain high levels of toxic metals, according to KPIX. The Contra Costa Health agency’s report showed that the coke dust was chemically similar to charcoal. The local health agency and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District said they were investigating the incident to determine whether this release violated the law.

Indeed, the Martinez Refining Company has faced major blowback from an incident last year, when it released about 20-24 tons of spent catalyst starting Thanksgiving night and continuing until the next day without notifying health officials. That release contained elevated levels of aluminum, barium, chromium, nickel, vanadium, and zinc, all of which can cause respiratory problems. The FBI announced in May that it was investigating.

A toxicology report published in June said the November release didn’t pose public health risks from exposure of hazardous materials in nearby soil, but it didn’t measure the impact on those who breathed in the dust at the time. Plus, gardeners had already been warned not to eat any produce that they grew nearby.

PREVIOUSLY: Health Officials Urge Contra Costa DA To Investigate Martinez Refinery’s Unreported Hazardous Chemical Release

Feature image of Martinez Refinery via Contra Costa County.

Beware of eating shellfish caught by friends and relatives and friends of relatives this holiday weekend.

California health officials issued a warning Wednesday about all sport-fished bivalves — including mussels, clams, and scallops — found in waters off the coasts of San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, and Monterey counties. The shellfish have recently been found to contain dangerous levels of a toxin known to cause paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP), and one the can not be destroyed by cooking. And this is not a poisoning that anyone wants.

Per the California Department of Public Health:

PSP toxins affect the central nervous system, producing a tingling around the mouth and fingertips within a few minutes to a few hours after eating toxic shellfish. These symptoms are typically followed by loss of balance, lack of muscular coordination, slurred speech and difficulty swallowing. In severe poisonings, complete muscular paralysis and death from asphyxiation can occur.

The warning doesn't apply to commercially harvested bivalves, or to shellfish from approved states outside of California.

As the department says, "Shellfish sold by certified harvesters and dealers are subject to frequent mandatory testing to monitor for toxins."

This PSP toxin is different from domoic acid, which has been found in local Dungeness crabs in recent years due to toxic algae blooms in the Northern Pacific. Such blooms have delayed and/or ruined the Dungeness crab season more than once.

You can check the department's Marine Biotoxin Monitoring page for more updates.

And finally, in crisis communications news: After Monday's fire at the Chrevron refinery in Richmond, Calif. sent a plume of black, toxic smoke into the air blanketing much of Richmond, North Richmond, and San Pablo, the company said they not only plan on conducting full clean-up and investigation, but also "to compensate our neighbors for medical and property expenses incurred as a result of the incident."

In a letter sent out to community members by Chevron spokeswoman Melissa Ritchie:

Dear Members of the Community: We apologize for the fire and smoke caused by yesterday’s incident. Nothing is more important than safe operations and yesterday we did not meet that expectation. The fire is now under control. We are currently working on clean-up and investigation. We will continue to work with government agencies to determine the cause of the incident and see to it that it never happens again. We will work hard to repair the refinery so that we can provide consumers with the fuel products they need. We recognize the importance of sharing information as it becomes available and plan to do so at tonight’s town hall at 6 p.m. at the Richmond Memorial Auditorium and in ongoing community updates. A claims process has been set up through Crawford and Company and we intend to compensate our neighbors for medical and property expenses incurred as a result of the incident. We will also see to it that communities will be reimbursed for the costs they face for emergency personnel who responded to last night’s incident. If you wish to file a claim please call 866-260-7881. We will respond to these claims as promptly as possible.

At the same time, we are continuing to work with community leaders and City officials to make things right. We value their input and, as a long-standing member of the Richmond community for more than a hundred years, we are committed to the success of this City.

We thank the firefighters and first-responders - including those from other companies and cities. Their courage and professionalism made the best of a difficult situation.

If you have any additional questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to call 510-242-2000.

Previously: Toxic Chevron Refinery Fire in Richmond Prompts Shelter-in-Place

A Hazmat team has closed San Jose Valley Medical Center's emergency room after an unknown chemical exposure. At least 37 employees, 47 patients were given Silkwood scrubdowns. The toxic mess, it seems, came from a nearby house. According to the Mercury News, "they don't know what kind of toxic substance was released around 8:05 a.m. inside a house on the 3000 block of Yucca Avenue. A barrage of hazardous materials crews are on scene trying to sort out the mess, police and fire dispatchers said." Also, the Merc is reporting that an 18-year-old man died this morning, possibly due to the spill. We'll update as soon as we know more.