THE PROBLEM
“The Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex remains the largest single air pollution source in Southern California, with diesel-fueled cargo ships and trucks among the top contributors.”
– Tony Barboza, L.A. Times
THE POLLUTION
The Port of Los Angeles is the busiest port in the United States, and together with the Port of Long Beach they make up the biggest source of air pollution in the area. Nearby are an abundance of refineries and oil wells, which spew toxic chemicals and harmful greenhouse gases.
From ships burning dirty fuel, to trucks, trains, and equipment burning diesel, the air quality is significantly affected. The San Pedro harbor receives 30-40 ships every day, emitting 2-3 tons of air pollution. Wilmington has thousands of trucks passing through neighborhood streets daily. These pollutants have numerous ill health impacts including asthma, nose and throat irritation, headaches, nausea, skin allergies, bloody noses, burning eyes, respiratory illness, heart attack, stroke, birth defects, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and premature death. All of these symptoms are most common in the close vicinity to port equipment, transportation, and refineries.
THE COMMUNITIES
On account of this extremely concentrated pollution, the neighborhoods nearby, specifically Wilmington, San Pedro, West Long Beach, and Carson are called The Diesel Death Zone. A fitting name considering The California Air Resources Board says that approximately 120 deaths per year are associated with diesel particulate matter emissions from activities at the Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
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Many homes in Wilmington are less than 500 feet from port activities and oil drilling. These homes are also packed in between highways, where the majority of drayage trucks travel. Diesel exhaust from these kinds of trucks contains almost four dozen toxic air contaminants, which are linked to serious health issues even with low levels of exposure. However, because of the port’s deregulation of the trucking business, many ‘mom and pop’ drivers can’t afford the updated green technology now being required.
THE PANDEMIC
COVID-19 targets those with underlying lung, asthma, and heart conditions and disproportionately affects people of color – the very communities most susceptible to the spew of toxic chemicals and pollution from refineries and the cargo goods movement. American Indian/Alaska Natives are hospitalized 5.3X higher as compared to White people. Asians are hospitalized 1.3X higher, African Americans are hospitalized 4.7X higher, and Hispanic/Latinos are hospitalized 4.6X higher than White people. As the twin ports and various oil refineries continue to expand and push back against environmental air quality regulations, citing the pandemic as their reason, this story needs to be known now more than ever.