A mysterious white sand fell on Martinez. Now residents fear their soil is unsafe. 

The morning after Thanksgiving, families in Martinez woke up to a layer of fine white sand blanketing their cars and porches. At her house on a hill near downtown, Jenna Cassel could see smoke rising from the hulking refinery that frames the city’s eastern edge.

“I went outside and I saw ashes all over our vehicles. The air quality was kind of weird,” Cassel said. “Everyone was like, ‘OK, what’s going on?’”

Shortly after, the Martinez Refining Co. posted a statement on Facebook saying that it would investigate calls they had received about the layer of grit. A day later, the company posted again, this time to reassure residents that the sand was a “non-toxic”, “non-hazardous”, and “naturally occurring” spent catalyst dust used in the refining process. It offered free car washes.

Dozens of Martinez residents drove to the Autopia car wash on Alhambra Avenue and stood in the mist as attendants power-washed the strange substance from their vehicles. After that, many people didn’t give the sand much more thought.

Despite the company’s assurance on Thanksgiving that there were “no health risks associated with this material,” the county health department alerted residents within the week that the sand contained heavy metals including aluminum, barium and chromium. Exposure to heavy metals has been linked with nausea, vomiting, respiratory issues, immune system dysfunction, cancer and even death.

Soil tests are still needed to determine the extent of the impact, but on Tuesday, the Contra Costa County Health Department told residents living near the refinery that they should not eat food grown in their gardens.

The county District Attorney’s Office is now reviewing a county Health Department request for potential prosecution of the refinery, and residents of Martinez have spent the week replanting raised beds and wondering whether their 100-year-old lemon trees are poisoned.

“Our immediate concern is just for people’s health and safety,” said Dr. Ori Tzvieli, the county’s health officer and public health director.

For the nearly 40,000 people who live there, the appeal of Martinez – its proximity to the bay, historic downtown and views of snow-capped Mount Diablo – is complicated by its industrial legacy. Originally brimming with orchards, the refinery first opened in 1913 and has been operating ever since. Its towering 850-acre complex, which employs more than 600 full-time workers, can be seen from around the city. The refinery was acquired by PBF Energy from Shell in 2019 and now operates under the name the Martinez Refining Co.

As far back as 1973, there has been tension between city residents and the refinery over health and safety conditions. The plant refines gasoline, diesel and jet fuel — producing spent catalyst dust in the process. It’s been known to flare at times, and you can often smell it downwind.

Just two weeks after the dust blew into nearby neighborhoods, there was an enormous flaring event. Craig Lazzeretti, who has lived in Martinez for decades, formerly worked for the East Bay Times and now publishes a newsletter about the city, said the flames were so large that he and his neighbors feared they’d have to evacuate.

“It looked like a full-blown fire,” Lazzeretti said. “When you see these things that aren’t normal happening repeatedly, and you’re a neighbor, it puts you on edge about how much you can trust that facility.”

Many locals have a macabre sense of humor about co-existing with a sprawling industrial plant. As one longtime resident put it: “If you close your eyes, it sounds like the ocean. At night, it looks like Disneyland.”

But for some, the county Health Department’s warning has pushed occasional back-of-mind concerns into genuine anxiety — and even anger.

“We get that we live near a refinery, but that doesn’t mean that we signed up to get toxic stuff dumped on us,” said Rebecca Barrett, a Martinez resident who also lives in the area hit by catalyst dust. A gardener, she isn’t happy about having to dump all her winter vegetables, or rethink if she can plant for the spring. She blames the company for failing to communicate the danger posed by the dust.

Company officials said they did not initially know that the catalyst dust had been released into nearby neighborhoods. But even after they did know, they did not report the incident to the Contra Costa County Health Department. According to Tzvieli, the department only found out about the dust days later through social media.

At that point, the Health Department sent inspectors out to gather samples. Before long, they learned it contained heavy metals and began notifying residents that the dust was toxic. They also attended public meetings held by the city to talk about the risks.

On Dec. 14, the Health Department recommended the DA conduct an independent investigation of the refinery.

According to Tzvieli, the warning this week that advised gardeners not to eat their vegetables was a response to questions from the community about spring planting. Pending further testing, the Health Department determined it was safest for people to hold off on consuming food that may have been contaminated by the dust. Further tests are currently being conducted, with more coming in late spring.

According to the county Health Department, breathing the dust could, at a minimum, lead to short-term respiratory issues, if the soil is found to be toxic.

In a statement, the refinery acknowledged the county’s advisory and said it was “cooperating with all agencies and agency investigations regarding the November 24, 2022, spent catalyst release,” the company wrote in an email. “While this incident is still under investigation, we have no further comment at this time.”

In the coming months, the Bay Area is expected to experience its lushest spring in years. Wildflowers will cover the hillsides, and gardeners will be working the soil in their yards. But in Martinez, many will be making do with planters and wondering if trust with their industrial neighbor can be restored.

“I’m not advocating for them to close down the refinery, but they need to be responsible partners within the community,” Barrett said. “When something goes wrong, let us know.”