California produces millions of tons of hazardous waste every year – toxic detritus that can leach into groundwater or blow into the air. It’s waste that can explode, spark fires, eat through metal containers, destroy ecosystems and sicken people. It’s dangerous material that we have come to rely on and ignore – the flammable liquids used to cleanse metal parts before painting, the lead and acid in old car batteries, even the shampoos that can kill fish.
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The Murphy Site, which taps the La Cienegas Oil Field, is located in Jefferson Park, a neighborhood composed mostly of Black and Latino residents. Those living near the site display "significantly higher prevalence of wheezing, eye and nose irritation and dizziness" as well as reduced lung capacity. The site is not owned by an energy company, though, but by the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles.