Community Health Overlay¶
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Health Burden in Port-Adjacent Communities¶
Despite dramatic emissions reductions under CARB regulation, the communities surrounding the San Pedro Bay port complex continue to face elevated pollution burdens from cumulative industrial exposure. Wilmington, Carson, San Pedro, and West Long Beach are among the most environmentally burdened neighborhoods in California — impacted by 2 major ports, 5 oil refineries, 9 rail yards, and 4 major freeways within a 48-square-mile area.
This analysis maps health outcomes at census tract resolution using CDC PLACES data for Los Angeles County (2,300+ census tracts) — the largest health dataset of any port in this assessment.
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Data Sources¶
| Source | Publisher | Data Provided | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| CDC PLACES | CDC | Census-tract-level health estimates: asthma, COPD, heart disease, cancer prevalence | cdc.gov/places |
| EJScreen | EPA | Environmental justice screening indicators by census tract | ejscreen.epa.gov |
| AB 617 Community Monitoring | SCAQMD / CalEPA | Hyperlocal air quality data for Wilmington, Carson, West Long Beach | aqmd.gov |
| American Community Survey | U.S. Census Bureau | Demographics, income, poverty, housing by census tract | census.gov |
| LA County Dept of Public Health | LA County | County-level health priorities, chronic disease surveillance | publichealth.lacounty.gov |
| EPA Toxics Release Inventory | EPA | Facility-level chemical releases — 700+ facilities in LA County | epa.gov/toxics-release-inventory-tri-program |
Full Assessment Available
The complete analysis for this section — including census-tract-level health quantification, monetized health damages, environmental justice scoring, and scenario modeling — is available through our research services.
See the full methodology in action: Our Duluth-Superior assessment and New York/New Jersey assessment demonstrate the complete analytical depth available for every port on this site.
Contact us to discuss a site-specific assessment for this port community: research@porthealthwatch.org