[CPEO-BIF] "Toxic gases are LA’s next great environmental concern."

[Lenny Siegel <LSiegel@cpeo.org>]

“Much greater problem than we know.” Toxic gases are LA’s next great environmental concern.
As understanding of toxic vapor intrusion grows, so does the problem.

by Dan Ross
Los Angeles Public Press (CA)
December 9, 2024

All around Los Angeles County, the dirt and shallow groundwater sloshing beneath the surface is saturated with toxic chemicals. At hundreds of different sites, these pollutants can transform into gasses that rise up through the floors of homes and businesses, threatening the health of those living and working indoors. 

This includes sites like Avenue 34 in Lincoln Heights. 

Trichloroethylene (TCE) and tetracholoroethylene (PCE) are the names given to some of the most common of these toxic chemicals, alongside benzene, naphthalene, and others from gas and oil spills. TCE and PCE are powerful solvents used for all sorts of industrial and home uses, like dry cleaning, paint removal, and degreasing industrial machinery. 

The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today the total ban of TCE from all uses (most within the year), and the gradual phase-out of PCE from most consumer and commercial uses due to their toxicity to humans. 

The soil and shallow groundwater under Avenue 34 in Lincoln Heights are drenched with both chemicals.  



…

For the entire article, see
https://lapublicpress.org/2024/12/much-greater-problem-than-we-know-toxic-gases-are-las-next-great-environmental-concern/

—

Lenny Siegel
Executive Director
Center for Public Environmental Oversight
A project of the Pacific Studies Center
LSiegel@cpeo.org
P.O. Box 998, Mountain View, CA 94042
Voice/Fax: 650-961-8918
http://www.cpeo.org
Author: DISTURBING THE WAR: The Inside Story of the Movement to Get Stanford University out of Southeast Asia - 1965–1975 (See http://a3mreunion.org)

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