The physical harm of living near a drilling site can rival that of secondhand smoke or living next to a freeway.
A new USC study links living by urban oil wells with wheezing and reduced lung function, symptoms disproportionately borne by people of color in Los Angeles.
In some cases, the respiratory harm rivals that of daily exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke or living beside highways spewing auto exhaust, researchers say.
The study, recently published in the journal Environmental Research, focuses on drilling sites in two South L.A. neighborhoods, Jefferson Park and North University Park, yet could have implications elsewhere in the region. Approximately one-third of L.A. County residents live less than 1 mile from an active drilling site — and some live as close as 60 feet.
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