California Air Resources Board

Principal Investigator/Author(s): Anthony Orlando

Contractor: Cal Poly Pomona Foundation, Inc

Sub-contractor(s): Jimena Diaz Leiva, Jill Johnston, Colin Maclay

Contract Number: 22RD012

Project Status: Active

Relevant CARB Programs: Research Planning, Health & Exposure

Topic Areas: Environmental Justice, Toxic Air Contaminants, Health Effects of Air Pollution

Research Summary:

The city of Paramount is a 4.8 square mile city in Southern California. It is home to 56,000 residents, many of which are low-income families and 80 percent of which are Latinx. Many of its residents live near a disproportionate number of metals-related companies, 16 of which were grandfathered into the city without conditional use permits.  There is a lack of clarity regarding their potential hexavalent chromium emissions and other air toxic metals emissions.  

This project will work to develop a list that provides community members with a comprehensive inventory of the metals-related facilities in their community to help identify and address future areas of concern. It also seeks to enhance the community's understanding of environmental issues, policies, and the decision-making processes. This will be accomplished in part by consolidating and reviewing public meetings information and conducting community engagement activities such as community workshops, a film series, surveys, and a pilot series for a community environmental television channel. The findings will result in a community-driven research roadmap informed by community, State, and Local Air District priorities and co-created by Paramount residents, academic researchers, and government. 

 The objectives of this project are to: 

• Identify research gaps in exposures to toxic metals and potential health impacts;
• Develop opportunities for collaboration between community experts and scientists to collect and ground truth new data that could inform the regulatory process;
• Identify more efficient methods of communicating scientific data to community partners; and
• Better identify strategies to integrate community members' experiences and concerns in research priorities. 

Keywords: metals-related facilities; air toxics metals emissions; community partners; environmental justice; community-driven research roadmap; science communication; science education; toxic air contaminants; health effects of air pollution