A report by a Washington, D.C., environmental group says that children in California are at greater risk of contracting cancer from inhaling toxic air pollutants than adults.
The study, which was to be released today and focused on five areas of the state, maintains that a 2-week-old baby in the Los Angeles region has already been exposed to more pollution than the federal government deems acceptable over a lifetime.
By age 18, the same child will have inhaled enough contaminants to exceed the acceptable exposure level hundreds of times over, according to the study.
"The concentration of cancer-causing air pollution in California is so great that, just by breathing this air, children will accumulate cancer risks that are pretty astounding," said Andy Igrejas, environmental health program director for the National Environmental Trust, the advocacy group that produced the report.
"This underscores the urgency of efforts to reduce the cancer risks. We have such a long way to go for the air to be healthy," he said.
The study examined pollution concentrations in the Los Angeles region, the Bay Area, the San Joaquin Valley, the Sacramento Valley and San Diego. The findings echo those of other studies, including a report prepared three years ago by U.S. Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Los Angeles).
California is the nation's smoggiest state and researchers have long known that air pollution contains a mix of industrial and automotive chemicals. Solvents, metals and unburned fuel not only contribute to smog and haze, but can cause cancer, reproductive harm and neurological damage.
Yet there is disagreement over just how harmful toxic emissions are and what should be done to reduce risks.
"If you live in an urbanized, industrialized society with a growing economy you're going to be exposed to some level of toxic air pollution," said Jerry Martin, spokesman for the California Air Resources Board.
Toxic Emissions
Each year, 102,000 tons of the most common toxic emissions are released in California. Traces of benzene from gasoline fumes, hexavalent chromium from metal-plating shops and diesel exhaust from trucks and buses are widespread.
In the four-county Los Angeles region, the state air board estimates toxic air contaminants cause 720 cancer cases per million people annually--a risk almost 1,000 times greater than the federal government's acceptable limit.
