Staff writer
Can't find the data you need? Consider collecting it yourself, as reporter Sandy Mazza did through low-cost air monitors placed at homes around LA's ports.
Do you live near an oil or gas production facility in Southern California? Look up your neighborhood here.
The ports of LA and Long Beach together emit 100 tons of smog daily, according to air quality officials. Even more toxic chemicals are spewed by traffic, refineries and rail yards.
Florencio Flores said he worries that the oil company doesn’t prioritize the community’s health because its equipment looks old and his complaints never seem to be taken seriously.
Nick Serrano, a San Pedro High School senior, learned that his family’s Sunday afternoon barbecues create toxic pollution spikes outside his home based on data from a PurpleAir monitor installed there by Southern California News Group.
New tech tools could offer faster, more accurate air quality readings for people living in highly polluted areas such as “Cancer Alley” near the twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
