LA Orders Study Of Long-Term Health Effects From Porter Ranch Leak
“Bloody noses are a regular thing in Porter Ranch,” says Matt Pakucko, cofounder of Save Porter Ranch. “Over 5,000 people are still having symptoms.”
Los Angeles Times:
L.A. County Wants Health Impact Study Of Porter Ranch Gas Leak And Exide Battery Plant Pollution
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors directed the health department Tuesday to start planning a study of the possible health impacts associated with a massive natural gas leak and a shuttered battery recycling plant that over decades spewed toxic pollution. The Porter Ranch natural gas leak is considered the largest in U.S. history. Many residents temporarily relocated to escape the methane fumes, which they say gave them symptoms of severe illness, including nosebleeds, vomiting and headaches. (Elmahrek, 9/27)
LA Daily News:
As Bloody Noses Continue In Porter Ranch, LA County Weighs Health Study
Public Health officials have called the massive gas leak an unprecedented event. Natural gas began leaking from one of 115 aged wells at the Aliso Canyon storage field last October, spewing nearly 100,000 metric tons of methane to become the largest event of its kind in the nation. Operated by SoCalGas, the wells and the storage facility sit high up in Aliso Canyon, above residents who live in Porter Ranch. (Abram, 9/27)
In other public health news —
Modesto Bee:
Stanislaus County Health Services, Other Groups Make Flu Shots Available In Modesto, Other Cities
With the summer-like weather holding firm in the Northern San Joaquin Valley, most residents are not giving thought to runny noses and kids wrapped in blankets. Nonetheless, the Stanislaus County Health Services Agency will begin flu shot clinics next week. The agency recently released a schedule for 14 one-day flu clinics in Modesto, Ceres, Turlock, Oakdale, Riverbank and Patterson through early December. The vaccination clinics are generally for low-income residents and people without health insurance. The vaccines available in the United States this year offer protection against four common strains of seasonal influenza. (Carlson, 9/27)
Orange County Register:
Lake Forest School Officials Don't Know What's Causing Major Skin Irritations In Students
Approximately 30 students and 10 staff members at Lake Forest Elementary have developed itchy skin irritations since mid-September, forcing the school to close fields and bringing out the Orange County Mosquito and Vector Control District to investigate the problem, district officials said. Having ruled out mosquitoes last week, vector control set up traps designed for mites and chiggers Monday in hopes of isolating and identifying the source, spokesman Jared Dever said. (Percy, 9/27)