Latinos risk health exercising outdoors in south L.A.
Sisters Jocelyn and Jhovana Ruelas usually have loud music or the TV blasting to drown out the noise of the nearby Long Beach port and sirens from the highway.
But the problem isn't what goes into their ears, but what enters their lungs: the neighborhood where they live with their parents and three other siblings has some of the highest pollution levels in Los Angeles and even the United States.
The Wilmington area of south Los Angeles, as well as neighboring Long Beach, have higher rates of asthma than in the rest of the country, according to Dr. Elisa Nicholas, director of the Long Beach Alliance for Children with Asthma (LBACA). And because these areas are largely Hispanic - almost 87 percent of Wilmington residents, for example - Latinos are disproportionately affected by pollution-related health problems.
"Most of our patients are Latinos," said Nicholas.
From their window, the sisters can see smokestacks of the Phillips 66 refinery. "Sometimes there is a foul smell, an annoying smell," says Jocelyn Ruelas. "Many toxic gases," her sister adds.
Air pollutants have become a part of these young women's lives since the family settled in this part of the city. Sometimes, they've had to stay indoors during school to exercise since it wasn't safe to go outside. They've seen friends suffer from asthma. And sometimes they cough or have to go home and change their clothes because of a nosebleed.
They really notice the air when they go jogging. They live near the Wilmington Waterfront, a 29.2 acre park next to the port. Built in 2011, it helped expand green space in the area, but it has a serious drawback: locals play soccer and children run in front of a forest of smokestacks and an endless line of trucks at the port.
"We like to exercise and go to the park, but if I run a lot, later my nose hurts," said Jhovana Ruelas. “What would be ideal is to go to the park to breathe in some fresh air. We go to the park to breathe toxic chemicals… but where else can I go for a run?"
When breathing is a high-risk sport, the question seems obvious: Why not pack your bags and move? "Many of my patients have no choice. They cannot move to another home," said Nicholas.
Nicholas believes the highways in the area one of the biggest contributors to air pollution.
"We know that children who do a lot of exercise near highways have smaller lungs than those who don't live close to polluted areas," she said. Children are especially vulnerable to pollution, since their lungs are still growing, they breathe faster (and therefore inhale more pollutants) and they play outside more than adults.
So should Wilmington residents avoid going outside to exercise? "This is a difficult question," acknowledges the doctor. "In an ideal world, it's better not to exercise near polluted areas or highways, but it's also preferable to go out to play or practice a sport than sit at home watching TV," says Nicholas. That's because obesity also affects Hispanics.
On days or parts of the day with higher levels of pollutants in the area, people shouldn't exercise outside, the doctor advises.
To control asthma attacks, it's crucial to follow medication instructions and avoid triggers found both outside and inside homes. But drugs alone won't solve the problem. "The solution is to clean up highways and cars. We have the technology to create less pollution," said Nicholas.
Indeed, the pollution from trucks, ships, cars, and the refinery in the Wilmington area have a common link: oil. What does the oil industry say about the proximity of toxins to schools, homes and parks in Hispanic neighborhoods?
"Producers are highly regulated by federal, state, local and regional agencies. In addition, the mining of oil and gas has taken place in Los Angeles for over a hundred years and it has contributed to its economic growth," said Sabrina Demayo Lockhart, communication director of the Independent Petroleum Association of California. She denied that only poorer neighborhoods are affected.
According to Demayo Lockhart, the oil and gas industry is responsible for 456,000 jobs in California, and in 2013 paid $21,200 million in local taxes. "The average salary in the industry is $81,000 and more than 27 percent of oil and gas workers are Hispanic," she said.
What about health problems? "Questions about health are better answered by a medical professional," said Demayo Lockhart.