Aliso Canyon Residents Demand Movement On Health Study That May Be Too Late
It's been a year since a natural gas leak started causing nosebleeds for those around Porter Ranch. But a major health study has never gotten off the ground, and some worry the sides have missed their opportunity for accurate results.
Los Angeles Daily News:
Aliso Canyon 1 Year Later: Health Study Stuck In Limbo Amid Cancer Fears
One year after a massive natural gas leak above Porter Ranch sickened thousands of people, forcing them to temporarily leave their homes in the northwestern San Fernando Valley, no deep health study has been started to answer their lingering questions: What will the chemicals they were exposed to do to them? What are the long-term health effects of the 100,000 metric tons of methane that spewed from one of 115 aged, natural gas wells in Aliso Canyon, just above their homes. Officials with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and researchers say Southern California Gas Co., which owns and operates the natural gas facility, won’t release a list of chemicals used to store the gas or that are in the mud mixture used in attempts to plug the leak. Officials with SoCalGas, however, say they have complied with all requests. (Abram, 10/24)
In other news —
KPCC:
Exide, State Fight Over Lead Contamination Data
Exide Technologies is suing the California Department of Public Health to obtain more data about the sources of lead contamination around its former battery recycling plant in Vernon. The state is pushing back, arguing that releasing the information would threaten the privacy rights of lead-poisoned children. Exide says it's seeking the data so it can more accurately evaluate lead contamination in the community and its potential sources. Critics suggest the suit is an attempt by Exide to dodge financial responsibility for the lead cleanup around its facility. (Plevin, 10/24)