Working on this new server in php7...
imc indymedia

Los Angeles Indymedia : Activist News

white themeblack themered themetheme help
About Us Contact Us Calendar Publish RSS
Features
latest news
best of news
syndication
commentary


KILLRADIO

VozMob

ABCF LA

A-Infos Radio

Indymedia On Air

Dope-X-Resistance-LA List

LAAMN List




IMC Network:

Original Cities

www.indymedia.org africa: ambazonia canarias estrecho / madiaq kenya nigeria south africa canada: hamilton london, ontario maritimes montreal ontario ottawa quebec thunder bay vancouver victoria windsor winnipeg east asia: burma jakarta japan korea manila qc europe: abruzzo alacant andorra antwerpen armenia athens austria barcelona belarus belgium belgrade bristol brussels bulgaria calabria croatia cyprus emilia-romagna estrecho / madiaq euskal herria galiza germany grenoble hungary ireland istanbul italy la plana liege liguria lille linksunten lombardia london madrid malta marseille nantes napoli netherlands nice northern england norway oost-vlaanderen paris/Île-de-france patras piemonte poland portugal roma romania russia saint-petersburg scotland sverige switzerland thessaloniki torun toscana toulouse ukraine united kingdom valencia latin america: argentina bolivia chiapas chile chile sur cmi brasil colombia ecuador mexico peru puerto rico qollasuyu rosario santiago tijuana uruguay valparaiso venezuela venezuela oceania: adelaide aotearoa brisbane burma darwin jakarta manila melbourne perth qc sydney south asia: india mumbai united states: arizona arkansas asheville atlanta austin baltimore big muddy binghamton boston buffalo charlottesville chicago cleveland colorado columbus dc hawaii houston hudson mohawk kansas city la madison maine miami michigan milwaukee minneapolis/st. paul new hampshire new jersey new mexico new orleans north carolina north texas nyc oklahoma philadelphia pittsburgh portland richmond rochester rogue valley saint louis san diego san francisco san francisco bay area santa barbara santa cruz, ca sarasota seattle tampa bay tennessee urbana-champaign vermont western mass worcester west asia: armenia beirut israel palestine process: fbi/legal updates mailing lists process & imc docs tech volunteer projects: print radio satellite tv video regions: oceania united states topics: biotech

Surviving Cities

www.indymedia.org africa: canada: quebec east asia: japan europe: athens barcelona belgium bristol brussels cyprus germany grenoble ireland istanbul lille linksunten nantes netherlands norway portugal united kingdom latin america: argentina cmi brasil rosario oceania: aotearoa united states: austin big muddy binghamton boston chicago columbus la michigan nyc portland rochester saint louis san diego san francisco bay area santa cruz, ca tennessee urbana-champaign worcester west asia: palestine process: fbi/legal updates process & imc docs projects: radio satellite tv
printable version - js reader version - view hidden posts - tags and related articles

Environmental Justice Groups’ Concern Continue As Carson-Gore School Opens

by CSS & CCAT Monday, Sep. 13, 2010 at 4:05 PM

Parent Exposed to Toxic Vapors from Nearby Oil Operations

California Safe Schools * California Communities Against Toxics

For Immediate Release

Environmental Justice Groups’ Concern Continue As Contaminated Rachel Carson-Al Gore School of Environmental Studies Opens

Los Angeles- In the wake of reported chemical release at the next door oil operation, child advocacy groups continued to express concerns and respond to calls throughout the week-end about the potential exposure to dangerous chemicals for teachers and students at the new Carson-Gore elementary school in Los Angeles.

Constructed atop contaminated groundwater and soil vapors, between an operating oil well and a contaminated gas station with leaking underground storage tanks, with a gas line running in front of the school, and within 600 feet of the Santa Monica Freeway, the school is a poster child of school-siting gone bad.

Child health advocacy groups are concerned about the potential exposure to dangerous chemicals for teachers and students at the new school because:

• Toxic gases were released from the oil well operation next to the school site as recently as last Friday, when a news crew interviewing a parent were overcome with toxic fumes from the operation.

* Inquiries to local safety authorities revealed a history of calls reporting toxic releases from the oil operation.

* Contaminated groundwater under the site provides a source of toxic vapors which can come up under the ground and seep into buildings. Without a full vapor intrusion monitoring plan for the school buildings children and teachers could be exposed to carcinogenic vapors without their knowledge.

• The new school site has requested a deed restriction (restricting the construction of new buildings at the site) because so much contamination is allowed to remain in place while the school operates.

• Unidentified offsite sources of toxic contamination in groundwater are still spreading into the school yard, creating threats to students’ health.

"I was being interviewed on 3rd Avenue, in front of the doors of Plains Exploration (an oil operation across the street from the Carson-Gore school) when I was overcome by fumes that made my eyes and throat burn. We had to move away from the site in order to continue the interview, said Deborah Bell Holt, parent and community leader. “I do not want this to happen to anyone else, especially young children. Later I had a severe headache and sore throat that lasted two days. What was I exposed to, and what safety precautions are in place to avoid these releases is unknown at this time.

I urge all parents, community members, and stakeholders to get monthly or quarterly reports on all the monitoring system data at the school and the dangers or safety issues that may be connected to them.”

Recently, environmental justice leaders in Los Angeles highlighted conditions at the school to Jared Blumenfeld, the US EPA Region 9 Administrator and Lisa Garcia, the special Environmental Justice Assistant to Lisa Jackson, Administrator of the US EPA, during a toxic tour of Los Angeles. The US EPA is poised to use a framework similar to California’s in its new national school siting guidance document to be released this December. Advocates are concerned that since California’s school siting laws, considered to be the most protective in the country, could allow the construction of this elementary school on such a contaminated site, that relying on them for new national guidance is not sound public policy.


For more information on the cleanup plans at the school, visit the online archive of remediation documents at http://www.dtsc.ca.gov and go to Envirostor,then Central School #13.

For additional information:

Robina Suwol
California Safe Schools
818-785-5515

Jane Williams
California Communities Against Toxics
661-510-3412
Report this post as:
Share on: Twitter, Facebook, Google+

add your comments


© 2000-2018 Los Angeles Independent Media Center. Unless otherwise stated by the author, all content is free for non-commercial reuse, reprint, and rebroadcast, on the net and elsewhere. Opinions are those of the contributors and are not necessarily endorsed by the Los Angeles Independent Media Center. Running sf-active v0.9.4 Disclaimer | Privacy