Worries about chemicals, such as benzene and the tests for them, in Carson10 Oct
Molly Peterson | KPCC
Some people in Carson say they’re alarmed about chemicals left behind after Shell Oil shut down an oil reservoir in their neighborhood. KPCC’s Molly Peterson says the same people are skeptical about chemical testing on their property.
It’s been more than a year since the Regional Water Quality Control Board started to investigate chemical pollution near where a concrete-lined reservoir once held millions of gallons of crude oil. That’s too long for some people who live in Carson’s Carousel neighborhood. Hundreds of them filled a ballroom in the city’s community center. They want more answers.
Water board senior environmental planner Stephen Cain tried to explain to a sometimes hostile crowd that his agency has moved fast to establish what chemical residues might pose a threat to health. “We are a state agency… [with] a very clear simple mission,” he said. “That’s to protect human health and the environment.”
A water board scientist told the audience that samples taken on city streets found elevated levels of methane gas in the soil. Methane can explode or cause fires. Investigators also found benzene, a chemical that can cause cancer with long-term exposure. Both are associated with petroleum production.
Those results unsettled Carson residents like Barbara Post who have lived over the site for three or four decades. “Everything was buried and then covered up. That stuff has to come out of the ground,” she said, pointing a finger at Cain. She lobbied water officials to take action fast. “You guys better do something before somebody else dies and gets sick in that tract.” Post’s remarks met huge applause.