Residents' experiences during a hydrogen sulfide crisis in Carson, California.

BACKGROUND: In early October 2021, thousands of residents in Carson, California began complaining of malodors and headaches. Hydrogen sulfide (H2S), a noxious odorous gas, was measured at concentrations up to 7000 parts per billion (ppb) and remained above California's acute air quality standard of 30 ppb for a month. Intermittent elevations of H2S continued for 3 months. After 2 months of malodor in this environmental justice community, a government agency attributed the H2S to environmental pollution from a warehouse fire. Research has yielded conflicting results on the health effects of H2S exposure at levels that were experienced during this event. This research fills a critical need for understanding how people perceive and experience emergent environmental health events and will help shape future responses. METHODS: Through a community-academic partnership, we conducted 6 focus groups with 33 participants who resided in the Carson area during the crisis. We sought to understand how this incident affected residents through facilitated discussion on topics including information acquisition, impressions of the emergency response, health symptoms, and ongoing impacts. RESULTS: The majority of participants were women (n = 25), identified as Latina/o (n = 19), and rent their homes (n = 21). Participants described difficulty obtaining coherent information about the emergency, which resulted in feelings of abandonment. Most participants felt that local government and healthcare providers downplayed and/or disregarded their concerns despite ongoing odors and health symptoms. Participants described experiencing stress from the odors' unknown health effects and continued fear of future odor incidents. Residents sought to take control of the crisis through information sharing, community networking, and activism. Participants experienced longer term effects from this event, including increased awareness of pollution and reduced trust in local agencies. DISCUSSION: This study demonstrates the necessity of clear, comprehensive, and prompt responses by relevant decisionmakers to chemical emergencies to appropriately address residents' fears, curb the spread of misinformation, and minimize adverse health effects. Participant responses also point to the benefit of supporting horizontal community networks for improved information sharing. By engaging directly with community members, researchers and disaster responders can better understand the various and complex impacts of chemical disasters and can improve response.

Social and Environmental Stressors of Urban Oil and Gas Facilities in Los Angeles County, California, 2020.

Objectives. To examine patterns of cumulative environmental injustice with respect to operations of urban oil and gas development in Los Angeles County, California. Methods. Using CalEnviroScreen (CES) 4.0, oil and gas data permit records, and US census data, we examined the association between CES score (grouped into equal quintiles, with the lowest representing low cumulative burden) and oil and gas development (presence or absence of an oil and gas production well) within 1 kilometer of a census block centroid. Results. Among census blocks in the highest quintile of CES score, we observed 94% increased odds of being within 1 kilometer of a well compared with census blocks in the lowest quintile of CES score (odds ratio = 1.94; 95% confidence interval = 1.83, 2.10). In our multivariable model, the proportion of Black residents and higher quintiles of CES score were also associated with increased odds of a nearby oil and gas well. Conclusions. These findings suggest that oil and gas facilities are operating in neighborhoods already cumulatively burdened and with higher proportions of Black residents. (Am J Public Health. 2023;113(11):1182-1190. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2023.307360).

Perceptions and experiences of environmental health and risks among Latina mothers in urban Los Angeles, California, USA.

BACKGROUND: Environmental exposures during pregnancy and early childhood can have acute and chronic adverse health impacts. As minoritized populations are more likely to reside in areas with greater pollution, it is important to understand their views and lived experiences to inform action. The purpose of this community-driven qualitative research study was to understand how urban Latina mothers in Los Angeles County, California perceived environmental health and risks. METHODS: We conducted semi-structured individual interviews with Latina pregnant women and mothers of young children, recruited through existing collaborations with community organizations. Interviews conducted in either English or Spanish and were coded inductively according to a modified grounded theory approach. RESULTS: Thirty-six Latina mothers completed interviews between August-October 2016. Participants lived primarily in low-income communities of South-Central Los Angeles and East Los Angeles. We identified three major themes based on the participants' responses during interviews: Defining the Environment, Environment & Health Risks, and Social & Political Responsibility. Women defined their environment in terms of both "nature" and "hazards." They consistently identified foul odors, dirtiness, noise, trash, bugs, smoke, and other visible blights as indicators of household and neighborhood environmental hazards. They expressed fear and uncertainty about how their environment could affect their health and that of their children, as well as specific concerns about respiratory health, asthma, allergies, cancer, and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Mothers often changed individual behaviors around diet and cleaning during pregnancy but were frustrated by power imbalances that left them unable to change their home or neighborhood environments, despite their desire to do so. DISCUSSION: Our study is among the first to describe how urban Latina mothers perceive and experience environmental health risks during pregnancy and early childhood. Our research suggests additional attention is needed by public health professionals and researchers to address the environmental health risks that matter most to urban Latina mothers. They also highlight the tension that many urban Latina mothers feel between wanting to protect their families' health and well-being and feeling powerless to change their environment. Broad policy changes, rather than additional individual recommendations, are needed to address the concerns of this vulnerable population.

Metal Exposures in Residents Living Near an Urban Oil Drilling Site in Los Angeles, California.

Urban environmental justice communities are potentially exposed to multiple toxic metals, through contaminated air, soil, water, and food. However, information on metals and their sources is lacking. This study uses non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) in a community-based participatory research study to identify potential sources and to understand how these metals cluster in a population near an urban oil drilling site. We recruited 203 Latinx, Black, and Asian residents who lived within 1 km of an oil drilling site in south Los Angeles and collected toenail clippings to assess exposure to arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and antimony (Sb). Using NMF, we identified three clusters based on concentrations in the participants' toenails. As, Cd, Pb, and Sb grouped together, indicative of an industrial source. A second grouping was composed of Ni and Mn, which may be related to oil drilling. We also identified a third source factor predominantly driven by Hg and As, which may arise from dietary sources. Utilizing NMF, a dimension reduction method, we identified a source factor high in Ni and Mn in residents living in a neighborhood near an active oil drilling site.

Respiratory health, pulmonary function and local engagement in urban communities near oil development.

BACKGROUND: Modern oil development frequently occurs in close proximity to human populations. Los Angeles, California is home to the largest urban oil field in the country with thousands of active oil and gas wells in very close proximity to homes, schools and parks, yet few studies have investigated potential health impacts. The neighborhoods along the Las Cienagas oil fields are situated in South LA, densely populated by predominantly low-income Black and Latinx families, many of whom are primarily Spanish-speakers. METHODS: A cross-sectional community-based study was conducted between January 2017 and August 2019 among residents living <1000 m from two oil wells (one active, one idle) in the Las Cienagas oil field. We collected self-reported acute health symptoms and measured FEV1 (forced expiratory volume in the first second of exhalation) and FVC (forced vital capacity). We related lung function measures to distance and direction from an oil and gas development site using generalized linear models adjusted for covariates. RESULTS: A total of 961 residents from two neighborhoods participated, the majority of whom identify as Latinx. Participants near active oil development reported significantly higher prevalence of wheezing, eye and nose irritation, sore throat and dizziness in the past 2 weeks. Among 747 valid spirometry tests, we observe that living near (less than 200 m) of oil operations was associated with, on average, -112 mL lower FEV1 (95% CI: -213, -10) and -128 mL lower FVC (95% CI: -252, -5) compared to residents living more than 200 m from the sites after adjustments for covariates, including age, sex, height, proximity to freeway, asthma status and smoking status. When accounting for predominant wind direction and proximity, we observe that residents living downwind and less than 200 m from oil operations have, on average, -414 mL lower FEV1 (95% CI: -636, -191) and -400 mL lower FVC (95% CI: -652, -147) compared to residents living upwind and more than 200 m from the wells. CONCLUSIONS: Living nearby and downwind of urban oil and gas development sites is associated with lower lung function among residents, which may contribute to environmental health disparities.

Environmental Justice Dimensions of Oil and Gas Flaring in South Texas: Disproportionate Exposure among Hispanic communities.

Unconventional extraction techniques including hydraulic fracturing or "fracking" have led to a boom in oil and gas production in the Eagle Ford shale play, Texas, one of the most productive regions in the United States. Nearly 400000 people live within 5 km of an unconventional oil or gas well in this largely rural area. Flaring is associated primarily with unconventional oil wells and is an increasingly common practice in the Eagle Ford to dispose of excess gas through combustion. Flares can operate continuously for months and release hazardous air pollutants such as particulate matter and volatile organic compounds in addition to causing light and noise pollution and noxious odors. We estimated ethnic disparities in exposure to flaring using satellite observations from the Visible Infrared Imaging Spectroradiometer between March 2012-December 2016. Census blocks with majority Hispanic (>60%) populations were exposed to twice as many nightly flare events within 5 km as those with <20% Hispanics. We found that Hispanics were exposed to more flares despite being less likely than non-Hispanic White residents to live near unconventional oil and gas wells. Our findings suggest Hispanics are disproportionately exposed to flares in the Eagle Ford shale, a pattern known as environmental injustice, which could contribute to disparities in air pollution and other nuisance exposures.

Lead and Arsenic in Shed Deciduous Teeth of Children Living Near a Lead-Acid Battery Smelter.

Lead (Pb) is a potent neurotoxicant with no safe level of exposure. Elevated levels of Pb and arsenic (As) are found in the air and soil near facilities that recycle lead-acid batteries in the United States. In urban Los Angeles County, California, a facility processed ∼11 million batteries per year and operated for decades without proper environmental review. Measuring Pb and As in shed deciduous teeth is a promising technique to assess prenatal and early life exposure. In this pilot study coined the "Truth Fairy" Project, 50 shed deciduous teeth from 43 children living their entire lives within 2 miles of the smelter were analyzed to understand retrospective exposure to toxic metals using a community-driven research approach. Concentrations of Pb and As in teeth were assessed using laser-ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Soil Pb concentrations were determined using spatial kriging of surface soil measurements. The mean prenatal calcium normalized Pb levels in teeth samples (reported as a ratio 208Pb:43Ca) was 4.104 × 10-4 (SD 4.123 × 10-4), and the mean postnatal 208Pb:43Ca level was 4.109 × 10-4 (SD 3.369 × 10-4). Adjusted for maternal education and batch, we observe positive significant relationship between prenatal teeth Pb per 100 ppm increase in soil Pb (ß = 3.48, 95% CI 1.11, 5.86). The Truth Fairy study suggests prenatal and early life exposure to toxic metals is associated with legacy soil contamination in an urban community near a smelter.

Characterizing Flaring from Unconventional Oil and Gas Operations in South Texas Using Satellite Observations.

Over the past decade, increases in high-volume hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas extraction in the United States have raised concerns with residents living near wells. Flaring, or the combustion of petroleum products into the open atmosphere, is a common practice associated with oil and gas exploration and production, and has been under-examined as a potential source of exposure. We leveraged data from the Visible Infrared Imaging Spectroradiometer (VIIRS) Nightfire satellite product to characterize the extent of flaring in the Eagle Ford Shale region of south Texas, one of the most productive in the nation. Spatiotemporal hierarchical clustering identified flaring sources, and a regression-based approach combining VIIRS information with reported estimates of vented and flared gas from the Railroad Commission of Texas enabled estimation of flared gas volume at each flare. We identified 43887 distinct oil and gas flares in the study region from 2012 to 2016, with a peak in activity in 2014 and an estimated 4.5 billion cubic meters of total gas volume flared over the study period. A comparison with well permit data indicated the majority of flares were associated with oil-producing (82%) and horizontally drilled (92%) wells. Of the 49 counties in the region, 5 accounted for 71% of the total flaring. Our results suggest flaring may be a significant environmental exposure in parts of this region.

Low-Cost Air Quality Monitoring Tools: From Research to Practice (A Workshop Summary).

In May 2017, a two-day workshop was held in Los Angeles (California, U.S.A.) to gather practitioners who work with low-cost sensors used to make air quality measurements. The community of practice included individuals from academia, industry, non-profit groups, community-based organizations, and regulatory agencies. The group gathered to share knowledge developed from a variety of pilot projects in hopes of advancing the collective knowledge about how best to use low-cost air quality sensors. Panel discussion topics included: (1) best practices for deployment and calibration of low-cost sensor systems, (2) data standardization efforts and database design, (3) advances in sensor calibration, data management, and data analysis and visualization, and (4) lessons learned from research/community partnerships to encourage purposeful use of sensors and create change/action. Panel discussions summarized knowledge advances and project successes while also highlighting the questions, unresolved issues, and technological limitations that still remain within the low-cost air quality sensor arena.

Wastewater Disposal Wells, Fracking, and Environmental Injustice in Southern Texas.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate race and poverty in areas where oil and gas wastewater disposal wells, which are used to permanently inject wastewater from hydraulic fracturing (fracking) operations, are permitted. METHODS: With location data of oil and gas disposal wells permitted between 2007 and 2014 in the Eagle Ford area, a region of intensive fracking in southern Texas, we analyzed the racial composition of residents living less than 5 kilometers from a disposal well and those farther away, adjusting for rurality and poverty, using a Poisson regression. RESULTS: The proportion of people of color living less than 5 kilometers from a disposal well was 1.3 times higher than was the proportion of non-Hispanic Whites. Adjusting for rurality, disposal wells were 2.04 times (95% confidence interval = 2.02, 2.06) as common in areas with 80% people of color or more than in majority White areas. Disposal wells are also disproportionately sited in high-poverty areas. CONCLUSIONS: Wastewater disposal wells in southern Texas are disproportionately permitted in areas with higher proportions of people of color and residents living in poverty, a pattern known as "environmental injustice."

Fish Consumption Patterns and Mercury Advisory Knowledge Among Fishers in the Haw River Basin.

BACKGROUND: Fish consumption has numerous health benefits, with fish providing a source of protein as well as omega-3 fatty acids. However, some fish also contain contaminants that can impair human health. In North Carolina, the Department of Health and Human Services has issued fish consumption advisories due to methylmercury contamination in fish. Little is known about local fishers' consumption patterns and advisory adherence in North Carolina. METHODS: We surveyed a consecutive sample of 50 fishers (74.6% positive response rate) who reported eating fish caught from the Haw River Basin or Jordan Lake. They provided information on demographic characteristics, species caught, and the frequency of local fish consumption. Additionally, fishers provided information on their knowledge of fish consumption advisories and the impact of those advisories on their fishing and fish consumption patterns. RESULTS: The majority of participants were male (n = 44) and reported living in central North Carolina. Catfish, crappie, sunfish, and large-mouth bass were consumed more frequently than other species of fish. Of the fishers surveyed, 8 reported eating more than 1 fish meal high in mercury per week, which exceeds the North Carolina advisory recommendation. Most participants (n = 32) had no knowledge of local fish advisories, and only 4 fishers reported that advisories impacted their fishing practices. LIMITATIONS: We sampled 50 fishers at 11 locations. There is no enumeration of the dynamic population of fishers and no way to assess the representativeness of this sample. CONCLUSIONS: Additional outreach is needed to make local fishers aware of fish consumption advisories and the potential health impacts of eating high-mercury fish, which may also contain other persistent and bioaccumulative toxins.

Overdose Epidemic, Prescription Monitoring Programs, and Public Health: A Review of State Laws.

Prescription monitoring programs (PMPs), state-level databases that collect patient-specific prescription information at the time medications are dispensed, have been suggested as tools to address the overdose epidemic. We reviewed all laws in the United States (n = 25) that articulated the purposes PMPs are intended to serve. Attributes related to reducing abuse, misuse, and diversion of prescription medications appeared most commonly. Only 5 purpose statements mentioned the promotion of public health as goals of the PMP, and only 3 listed improving health care. None listed overdose prevention as a goal of the PMP.

Acute Gastrointestinal Illness Risks in North Carolina Community Water Systems: A Methodological Comparison.

The magnitude and spatial variability of acute gastrointestinal illness (AGI) cases attributable to microbial contamination of U.S. community drinking water systems are not well characterized. We compared three approaches (drinking water attributable risk, quantitative microbial risk assessment, and population intervention model) to estimate the annual number of emergency department visits for AGI attributable to microorganisms in North Carolina community water systems. All three methods used 2007-2013 water monitoring and emergency department data obtained from state agencies. The drinking water attributable risk method, which was the basis for previous U.S. Environmental Protection Agency national risk assessments, estimated that 7.9% of annual emergency department visits for AGI are attributable to microbial contamination of community water systems. However, the other methods' estimates were more than 2 orders of magnitude lower, each attributing 0.047% of annual emergency department visits for AGI to community water system contamination. The differences in results between the drinking water attributable risk method, which has been the main basis for previous national risk estimates, and the other two approaches highlight the need to improve methods for estimating endemic waterborne disease risks, in order to prioritize investments to improve community drinking water systems.

Updating exposure models of indoor air pollution due to vapor intrusion: Bayesian calibration of the Johnson-Ettinger model.

The migration of chlorinated volatile organic compounds from groundwater to indoor air--known as vapor intrusion--is an important exposure pathway at sites with contaminated groundwater. High-quality screening methods to prioritize homes for monitoring and remediation are needed, because measuring indoor air quality in privately owned buildings is often logistically and financially infeasible. We demonstrate an approach for improving the accuracy of the Johnson-Ettinger model (JEM), which the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends as a screening tool in assessing vapor intrusion risks. We use Bayesian statistical techniques to update key Johnson-Ettinger input parameters, and we compare the performance of the prior and updated models in predicting indoor air concentrations measured in 20 homes. Overall, the updated model reduces the root mean squared error in the predicted concentration by 66%, in comparison to the prior model. Further, in 18 of the 20 homes, the mean measured concentration is within the 90% confidence interval of the concentration predicted by the updated model. The resulting calibrated model accounts for model uncertainty and variability and decreases the false negatives rate; hence, it may offer an improved screening approach, compared to the current EPA deterministic approach.

Respiratory and nervous system effects of a hydrogen sulfide crisis in Carson, California.

BACKGROUND: In October 2021, many residents in Carson, California experienced malodors, headaches, and respiratory symptoms. Hydrogen sulfide (H2S), a toxic odorous gas, was measured in Carson at concentrations up to 7000 parts per billion (ppb) and remained above California's acute air quality standard of 30 ppb for about a month. Research on how low- and medium-level H2S exposure affects the respiratory and nervous systems has yielded conflicting results, and few studies have examined the effects of subacute H2S exposure. METHODS: We calculated daily rates of emergency department (ED) visits with various respiratory and nervous systems diagnosis codes in Carson area ZIP codes (≤6 km from event's epicenter) and in Los Angeles County ZIP codes >15 km from event's epicenter (control area). Using controlled interrupted time series, we compared ED visit rates during the month of the H2S crisis in Carson to the predicted rates had the incident not occurred, based on 2018-2021 ED trends, and controlling for ED visit rate changes in the control area. RESULTS: We observed a 24 % increase in ED visit rate for all respiratory system diseases (rate ratio = 1.24, 95 % CI: 1.16, 1.32), a 38 % increase for asthma (RR = 1.38, 95 % CI: 1.26, 1.50), a 26 % increase for acute upper respiratory infections (RR = 1.26, 95 % CI: 1.13, 1.38), a 21 % increase for dizziness (RR = 1.21, 95 % CI: 1.04, 1.38), and a 25 % increase for migraines and headaches (RR = 1.25, 95 % CI: 1.13, 1.36) in the Carson area during the first month of the H2S event compared to the expected rates. CONCLUSIONS: This H2S crisis was associated with increased ED visit rates for multiple respiratory and nervous system outcomes. Reducing H2S exposure and improving to response during H2S episodes may improve public health.

Exposure to agricultural pesticides and wheezing among 5-12-year-old children in the Imperial Valley, CA, USA.

Background: Exposure to pesticides has been linked to adverse respiratory health outcomes in children. Methods: We leveraged the Children's Assessing Imperial Valley Respiratory Health and the Environment cohort located in the rural community of Imperial Valley near the US-Mexico border. We calculated the kilograms of total pesticides applied within 400 m of children's residential addresses for the years 2016-2020. Estimated pesticide usage near homes was categorized into three groups (none vs. low vs. high [split at the median]). All health variables (i.e., asthma status and wheezing) were derived from a parent-reported questionnaire on respiratory health. We used generalized linear models, controlling for child sex, the language of survey, health insurance, respondents' highest education, and exposure to environmental secondhand smoking, to calculate prevalence differences between none versus low and high exposure to agricultural pesticides. Results: Approximately 62% of the 708 children (aged 5-12 years) lived within 400 m of at least one pesticide application within 12 months prior to survey administration. Exposure to pesticides within 400 m of children's residences was associated with 12-month prior wheeze. Those in the "high" exposure group had a prevalence of wheezing that was 10 (95% confidence interval: 2%, 17%) percentage points higher than among children not exposed to pesticide applications. Associations for high exposure to specific categories of pesticide applications, sulfur only, all pesticides except sulfur, chlorpyrifos, and glyphosate, also were observed with a higher prevalence of wheezing than among children not exposed to pesticide applications. Conclusions: We observed associations between living near pesticide applications and more wheeze symptoms among children.

Screening houses for vapor intrusion risks: a multiple regression analysis approach.

The migration of chlorinated volatile organic compounds from groundwater to indoor air-known as vapor intrusion-can be an important exposure pathway at hazardous waste sites. Because sampling indoor air at every potentially affected home is often logistically infeasible, screening tools are needed to help identify at-risk homes. Currently, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) uses a simple screening approach that employs a generic vapor "attenuation factor," the ratio of the indoor air pollutant concentration to the pollutant concentration in the soil gas directly above the groundwater table. At every potentially affected home above contaminated groundwater, the EPA assumes the vapor attenuation factor is less than 1/1000--that is, that the indoor air concentration will not exceed 1/1000 times the soil-gas concentration immediately above groundwater. This paper reports on a screening-level model that improves on the EPA approach by considering environmental, contaminant, and household characteristics. The model is based on an analysis of the EPA's vapor intrusion database, which contains almost 2,400 indoor air and corresponding subsurface concentration samples collected in 15 states. We use the site data to develop a multilevel regression model for predicting the vapor attenuation factor. We find that the attenuation factor varies significantly with soil type, depth to groundwater, season, household foundation type, and contaminant molecular weight. The resulting model decreases the rate of false negatives compared to EPA's screening approach.

Cardiovascular health and proximity to urban oil drilling in Los Angeles, California.

BACKGROUND: Although ~18 million people live within a mile from active oil and gas development (OGD) sites in the United States, epidemiological research on how OGD affects the health of nearby urban residents is sparse. Thousands of OGD sites are spread across Los Angeles (LA) County, California, home to the largest urban oil production in the country. Air pollution and noise from OGD may contribute to cardiovascular morbidity. OBJECTIVE: We examined the association between proximity to OGD and blood pressure in a diverse cohort of residents in LA. METHODS: We recruited residents in South LA who lived <1 km from an OGD site. We collected three blood pressure measurements for each participant and used the second and third measurements to calculate averages for systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) separately. We conducted multivariable linear regression to examine the relationship between distance to OGD sites and continuous SBP and DBP, adjusting for BMI, smoking status, distance to freeway, sex, age, and use of antihypertension medications, with a random effect for household. We examined effect measure modification by BMI category and smoking category. RESULTS: Among the 623 adult participants, we found that for every 100 meter increase in distance from the OGD site, DBP was reduced by an average of 0.73 mmHg (95% CI: -1.26, -0.21) in this population. We observed stronger effects of proximity to OGD site on DBP among never smokers and among participants with a healthy BMI. The associations observed between proximity to OGD site and SBP were weaker but followed the same patterns as those for DBP. IMPACT: Our study suggests that living near urban oil drilling sites is significantly associated with greater diastolic blood pressure in urban Los Angeles communities. This research improves understanding of impacts from living nearby drilling operations on the health and welfare of this community, which is critical to inform public health relevant strategies.

Residents' experiences during a hydrogen sulfide crisis in Carson, California.

Background: In early October 2021, thousands of residents in Carson, California began complaining of malodors and headaches. The odor was identified as hydrogen sulfide (H2S), a noxious odorous gas. H2S was measured at concentrations up to 7000 parts per billion (ppb) and remained above California's acute air quality standard of 30 ppb for a month, with intermittent elevations continuing for 3 months. After 2 months of malodor in this environmental justice community, the H2S was attributed to a warehouse fire. Research has yielded conflicting results on the health effects of H2S exposure at levels that were experienced during this event. There remains a gap in understanding how people perceive and experience odor emergencies such as this H2S event. Methods: Through a community-academic partnership, we conducted 6 focus groups in Carson with 33 participants who resided in the Carson area during the crisis. We sought to understand how this incident affected residents through facilitated discussion on topics including information acquisition, impressions of the emergency response, physical and mental health symptoms, and ongoing impacts. Results: The majority of participants were women (n = 25), identified as Latina/o (n = 19), and rent their homes (n = 21). Participants described difficulty obtaining coherent information about the emergency, which resulted in feelings of abandonment. Most participants felt that local government and health care providers downplayed and/or disregarded their concerns despite ongoing odors and health symptoms. Participants described experiencing stress from the odors' unknown health effects and continued fear of future odor incidents. Residents sought to take control of the crisis through information sharing, community networking, and activism. Participants experienced longer term effects from this event, including increased awareness of pollution and reduced trust in local agencies. Discussion: This study demonstrates the necessity of clear, comprehensive, and prompt responses by relevant decisionmakers to chemical emergencies to appropriately address residents' fears, curb the spread of misinformation, and minimize adverse health effects. Participant responses also point to the benefit of supporting horizontal community networks for improved information sharing. By engaging directly with community members, researchers and disaster responders can better understand the various and complex impacts of chemical disasters and can improve response.