Outreach

The 2023 Toxic Crusaders program spanned five days from October 24^th – October 28^th serving two high schools located in inner-city Los Angeles, Huntington Park Institute of Applied Medicine, and Orthopedic Hospital Medical Magnet High School. Two chemistry classes from each high school attended, with one class for the on-site curriculum each day. Toxic Crusaders was proud to host an open invite to the community on the fifth day on Saturday October 28^th. Fliers were distributed throughout school districts in the greater Los Angeles region drawing the attention of close to 50 students who joined DTSC for the event. A total of 230 students underwent the 2023 program.

Safer Consumer Products (SCP), a program within DTSC, assisted in the development of Toxic Crusaders 2023. The scope of the 2023 program focused on exposure to commonly contaminated products, namely per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in carpets and rugs as well as toluene in nail products. The popularity of these products connected DTSC’s work to the daily life of most of the students. Three stations comprised the on-site visit with all students cycling through each. Stations 2 and 3 emphasized the quality control procedures needed for each experiment. A summary of the workshop stations is listed in the table below:

The 2022-2023 Toxic Crusaders program pivoted from targeting elementary and middle school students to serve students from Huntington Park Institute of Applied Medicine, a local high school located in inner-city Los Angeles. The program was expanded with virtual workshops and two sets of on-site events. The first event was held in November 2022 with the objective to prepare students with background information, quality control requirements, and sampling procedures to ready them for the second visit which focused on laboratory techniques. The scope of the year’s program focused on hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), the latter belong to the class of PFASs. These toxic chemicals are frequently found together at chrome plating facilities as the PFOS is used to suppress Cr(VI) aerosols, the element which becomes the shiny chrome finish we associate with modern industrial and commercial appliances. Los Angeles is a highly polluted region of California with several chrome plating facilities marked for hazardous waste assessment and remediation. Some of these contaminated sites infringe on residential housing in the area, including where some students may live. This scenario was selected to highlight the relevance of DTSC’s work to the students’ communities and the general public:

DTSC received an anonymous complaint of suspicious activities occurring in an abandoned facility. The suspicious activities emitted an unpleasant smell that traveled to nearby residential neighborhoods. The address of the facility was given as 250 S. Noway St., Pasadena, CA 91105. A Google map search of the address shows pictures indicating that it is indeed an abandoned building. In response to the complaint, DTSC Emergency Response Team obtained a warrant to perform assessment of the building on February 22 and 23, 2023. Due to the unknown nature of this complaint, the Emergency Response Team geared up in Level B personal protective equipment. Their objectives in the assessment were:

• Isolate and contain the building to prevent further activities from occurring.
• Identify potential hazards in the building.
• Make observations of what was found at the building but not tamper with potential evidence or interfere with the site characterization.
• Provide a report with findings and recommendations to the DTSC Investigation Unit for characterization and cleanup of the site.

A summary of the report from the Emergency Response Team provided the following highlights:

• The building is a large warehouse with an open space floor plan. It appeared to be used to manufacture children’s jewelry and other ornamental objects.
• At one end of the building portable tables were set up. Children’s jewelry and other silver plumbing fixture objects were found on the tables.
• The other side of the building had an empty acid bath of dimensions 3 ft. by 4 ft. with no exhaust system over the bath; empty containers labeled with “Fumetrol 140® Mist Suppressant” were found scattered around the acid bath; 3 open drums of liquid were also found near the acid bath.
• In the middle of the building were machines used to cut, grind, and shave metal and other materials.
• Dust was observed in the air, on the floor, and on tabletop surfaces.
• Minimum of Level C personal protective equipment must be worn when entering the premises.

DTSC Investigation Unit created the Toxic Crusader Task Force to investigate and characterize the site. Based on the information in the report, the Task Force Team will plan their investigation accordingly.

A summary of the November 2022 workstations is as follows:

A summary of the February 2023 workstations is outlined below:

The 2019 Toxic Crusaders program served students from the Alhambra Unified School district with children of ages ranging from 6-13 with a full day of on-site immersion at ECL. DTSC’s Industrial Hygiene program joined ECL with volunteers who guided students through hazardous waste sampling protocol. The 2019 program focused on heavy metals in jewelry and paint, as well as the analysis of used motor oil. Relevant laws that protect the citizens of California were provided to the students who used them to assess whether samples qualified as contaminated. Students were invited to roleplay a dumpster diving case scenario with the following roles: sample collector, quality assurance officer, safety officer, photographer, and chemist. The program reflected real world scenarios that the employees of DTSC manage daily:

“As an environmentally conscious student, you walked down the street to meet up with your friends at KT’s Jewelry Store and noticed an employee of FR’s Automobile Oil Change Shop was throwing everything into a trash dumpster. As you walked past FR’s Shop, you noticed paint was peeling off the wall of the shop and you wondered whether the employee should be throwing everything into the trash dumpster. You continued to walk to KT’s Jewelry Store to meet your friends. In the store, you saw all sorts of colorful children’s jewelry. One of your friends wanted to purchase a necklace for her younger sister’s birthday. She wanted a necklace that was sturdy enough to withstand her sister’s biting and throwing. When you heard that your friend’s sister put objects into her mouth, you wondered if the jewelry was safe.

Because of your inquiring mind, you wanted to investigate whether your observations and hypotheses were valid. To help with your investigation, you, the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA), and the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) put together a Toxic Crusader Task Force to investigate.

The first Toxic Crusaders program was developed in 2018 through a partnership between the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) and the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC). The program targeted a middle school audience, and so a case scenario was written to connect the work of DTSC with the daily lives of student citizens. Students were provided the following case scenario:

A group of students were playing basketball on the school playground. The basketball rolled into the weeds. When the students went to retrieve the ball, they discovered some smelly drums with dead animals by the drums. A student called the School Principal to the scene. The School Principal was referred by the Fire Department to call the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA), the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) to investigate.”

Students were assigned to the Toxic Crusader Task Force with the following roles: sample collector, quality assurance officer, safety officer, photographer, and chemist. Together, they were tasked to collect evidence samples, to analyze the samples in the laboratory for contaminants, and to determine whether the site is contaminated or not. Industrial Hygiene volunteers guided the students through sample collection protocol, and volunteers from various DTSC programs assisted the preparation and analysis at ECL Pasadena.