Oak Park MAC addresses health concerns

The Oak Park Municipal Advisory Council said it would to send a letter to the Triunfo Sanitation District outlining the community's concerns about the upcoming construction of the new Oak Park water tank in the hills above Oak Canyon Park.

Construction on the 2.1 million gallon tank, which also is located near Oak Hills Elementary School, is expected to begin later this year.

Some residents worry about the possibility of people coming down with Valley Fever, a respiratory disease contracted by inhaling airborne fungal spores which are common from construction dust or other soil disturbances such as earthquake and fire.

Barbara Spratkes Wilkins of the Ventura County Health Department said the earth must be kept wet around the construction site to help prevent dust and spores from becoming airborne, and that on windy days children should remain indoors while the building is going on. Spores can travel as far as four miles, SpratkesWilkins said.

"Anytime you use heavy equipment you're going to throw up these spores, especially if there is heavy wind," Spratkes-Wilkins said. "Any kind of high density construction can create risk."

There have been as many as 87 cases of Valley Fever a year in Ventura County, SpratkesWilkins said. Most susceptible to Valley Fever are Asians, Hispanics, African Americans and pregnant women in their third trimester, she said. Sixty percent of people afflicted with Valley Fever have no symptoms; 40 percent do, Spratkes-Wilkins said.

"It seems to me that taking reasonable steps to mitigate makes a lot of sense," MAC member Todd said Haines. "As a parent I want to make sure (the builders) are doing it right."

On a separate matter, the MAC said it would contact the sanitation district regarding the recent addition of fluoride to Oak Park drinking water. Several residents have appealed to the council for help in addressing their concerns about fluoride.

Nicole Johnson and Caroline Aslanian said that they had repeatedly queried Triunfo about the fluoride matter, but had received no response. Among their requests is that Triunfo make sure the product used to fluoridate the drinking water meets the legally required standards for safety and effectiveness.

The women expressed dismay over the lack of information being provided to the public about the perceived dangers of too much fluoride.

Acorn Bits

As part of its annual leadership rotation, the Oak Park Municipal Advisory Council named Jay Kapitz as new chairman, replacing Todd Haines. Mike Paule was named vice chair. Both men will serve in the positions for 2008.

Haines has announced that he will not run for reelection in November. He has served on the Oak Park MAC since 1995.

"Having Jay take over now makes for a good transition," Haines said. "I encourage everyone who's interested to run."

The council commended Haines for his many years of service.