Researchers affiliated with San Jose State University discovered higher concentrations of the metals nickel, cobalt, and manganese in Elkhorn Slough, a location near a battery storage plant that recently went up in flames.
Dr. Ivano Aiello, a marine geology professor and the department chair at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, said the “findings and the research that follows are crucial not only to the impacted community but to the national and international community because of the need to store more power and thus build more and larger battery storage facilities.”
“This is a new and fastgrowing technology, and we must understand the ecological impacts in the event that accidents like this happen again,” he stated.
The battery storage plant, owned by Vistra Energy, caught on fire earlier this month. It houses thousands of lithium batteries that store electricity generated from renewable energy sources.
The County of Monterey’s health department responded to the heavy metals. “We are grateful for and recognize the importance of the environmental sampling and testing conducted by Dr. Ivano Aiello’s team and commend their diligence in reporting their results,” a statement read. “Public health and environmental safety remain our top priorities, and we are committed to providing transparent, science-based updates to the community as we assess the findings in collaboration with our state and federal partners.”
“The County of Monterey Environmental Health is currently analyzing soil and water samples and working closely with experts from the California Department of Public Health, the California Environmental Protection Agency, and state epidemiologists. Together, we will evaluate the research, assess any potential health concerns, and determine the appropriate steps moving forward. We hope to provide preliminary results sometime later this week.”
Following the fire, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducted air monitoring in the vicinity of Vistra Energy, finding no concentrations of particulate matter that exceeded the moderate air quality level.
Residents of Moss Landing have reported health issues.
“I started having a really bad cough, and kind of a wheezy feeling and a really, really bad headache. That was most of it,” Barbara Espe told local news outlet KSBW 8. “And then it persisted through the night. And the next day I felt worse because my eyes were really, really red and a little bit more intense wheezing.”
Others have reported sore throats and metallic tastes.
