Topline:
In December, the L.A. Department of Public Health brought in a team of UCLA scientists for the next five years to study the Aliso Canyon gas leak and potential negative health outcomes for residents.
Why it matters: It's been nearly eight years since the months-long natural gas leak released more than 109,000 metric tons of methane into the air near Porter Ranch. Researchers are still trying to determine what health impacts the exposure has had on residents.
What researchers need: Current and former residents to participate. A lack of a large enough sample size, the lead research of the UCLA team explained, could lead to inaccuracies in their findings.
Go deeper: Aliso Canyon Can Now Increase Its Gas Storage
It's been nearly eight years since the Aliso Canyon disaster, a months-long natural gas leak that released more than 109,000 metric tons of methane into the air near Porter Ranch.
Researchers are still trying to determine the health impacts of the leak.
In December, the L.A. Department of Public Health brought in a team of UCLA scientists for the next five years to study the gas leak and potential negative health outcomes for residents.
Their most important task on hand: to reach impacted members of the public, which has proven to be more challenging than anticipated.
“Many people in the community feel that the initial response from the Department of Public Health was not sufficient and there's been some level of mistrust of the government agencies that were involved in the response,” said principal investigator and environmental health professor Mike Jerrett at UCLA. “We have to do our best to ensure people that we're operating independently.”
Another obstacle is finding residents who have since moved away.
“Many of the people that were experiencing illness after the event have left the community. So we're doing everything we can to track them down,” he added.
Lacking a large enough sample size, Jerrett explained, could lead to inaccuracies in their findings.
“It might not look as bad as it could have been if we'd included all these people that maybe left the area because they felt ill afterwards,” said Jerrett.
Methane's negative health effects
Exposure to methane has been linked to adverse birth outcomes that could continue into adulthood, potentially leading to cancer and other diseases.
Immediate symptoms from gas exposure, including nose bleeds, headaches, and rashes, have been well documented. But Jerrett said what’s less understood is the health effects of potential long-term exposure, which is why his team needs to reach current residents to measure emissions in their homes.
Impacted by the leak?
Jerrett and his team are about 10 months into a five-year study. They held two public meetings last week with more engagement planned for the future. Get in contact and learn more about the scope of the study here.
