Is the Aliso Canyon Gas Facility Killing People?

A lot of residents never even knew they lived near the second-largest gas facility in the country. After it suffered a blowout, they began seeing it everywhere.

Sorry about the delay. I’ve been working on my first radio story about the Aliso Canyon gas blowout. It’s a much slower process than print, but a rewarding one. You can check it out on KCRW.

I interviewed many people from the surrounding community whose lives took an unexpected trajectory because of the leak. A lot of their time is now consumed by environmentalism and promoting cancer funds in the name of dead relatives. One affected family I had to cut out because of space reasons were the Niizawas, whose son Evan died of a tumor a few months after the blowout. Parents Tracy and Guy believe the son’s cancer was accelerated by the blowout. And they contend the cumulative effects of living for years next to the gas storage facility led to his cancer in the first place.

But as my story mentions, connecting the dots is tricky. There is a battle over the very science and testing standards for gas toxins. Five years out, a lot of questions still have to be answered.

Thanks for listening, and if you dig this, forward it along.

J