Fugitive Dust Webinar Register

Date and Time:
Tue, Mar 24, 2026; 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM  (Pacific)

Organized By: San Francisco Bay Chapter

Location: Virtual

Did you know that the Bay Area is ranked as one of the most polluted places in the nation for air pollution? One of the culprits is fugitive dust: dust and other particles that don’t enter the air through a smokestack or duct, but are instead blown into the air by machinery, traffic, or wind. Sources of fugitive dust pollution include industrial facilities that handle and store bulk materials such as coal; construction projects; roadway; quarries; etc. 

When we breathe in dirty air filled with fugitive dust, its harmful particles create various health problems; including respiratory illnesses, cancer, and other health issues leading to premature death. We’re particularly concerned about especially hazardous forms of fugitive dust such as coal and petcoke dust, because they contain heavy metals that are even more damaging to health. Unfortunately, sources of fugitive dust and the negative health consequences that go along with it are worse in environmental justice communities like West Oakland and Richmond, which are already unfairly overburdened with pollution. 

Thankfully, we have an opportunity in the near future to protect ourselves and our communities from this dangerous form of air pollution. This year the Bay Area Air District (BAAD), a local agency in charge of controlling air pollution in the Bay Area, will update and improve their regulations for fugitive dust, known as the Fugitive Dust Rule. We’ll have the chance to weigh in soon to tell the Air District what we would like to see in the new-and-improved rule, such as adopting strict controls for coal and petcoke dust and other especially hazardous forms of dust,  so our communities can be healthier and cleaner.

A collaboration between Earthjustice, Baykeeper, West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project (WOEIP), and the SF Bay Area Chapter Sierra Club