Daily News of Los Angeles
By Kerry Cavanaugh
Jul 27, 2005
In the most intensive air-quality tests ever conducted in California, regulators are measuring toxic pollutants in Sun Valley, officials said Tuesday.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District has erected five monitoring stations that will test the air for cancer-causing contaminants, such as diesel and benzene, plus a host of other gases and particles that can make people sick.The testing sites are located at a Whitman Airport; a school district maintenance yard near Penrose Avenue; Francis Polytechnic High School; Stonehurst Elementary School; and Fernangeles Elementary School, where students got a tour of the equipment.
``As principal of your school, the bottom line for me is a safe and healthy learning community for you,'' Fernangeles Principal Karen Jay told the children.
The equipment is located inside and atop a metal shipping container at the corner of the school playground. Machines suck in dust, particles and gases, and samples are collected every three days, which is twice as frequently as normally required.
The frequency of the sampling and the number of monitoring sites make this Sun Valley project the most concentrated testing effort AQMD and state officials have ever undertaken.
``If there are any unusual levels of toxic air contaminants here, I think we have a good chance of finding them,'' AQMD spokesman Sam Atwood said.
The testing began June 3 and is expected to continue for six months. Results are expected next summer.
For Sun Valley community leaders, the in-depth testing marks a victory in their effort to organize and get the attention of environmental regulators who can crack down on polluters.
``We'd like to know what is out there, and what we're breathing,'' said Cynthia Despres, with the East Valley Coalition and One-LA, which is organizing the community.
Along with the AQMD testing, the city's Environmental Affairs Department, at the request of Councilman Tony Cardenas, will go door to door talking to Sun Valley residents about their environmental concerns.