The Environmental Protection Agency says airborne chemicals in California contribute to a cancer risk that's much higher than the national average. The EPA report is based on emissions of some 177 different carcinogens. KPBS Reporter Kenny Goldberg has the story.
The EPA report says California's air is the second most toxic in the nation, behind New York's.
There are significant variations throughout the state.
Bonnie Holms-Gen is with the American Lung Association. She says the EPA estimates San Diego County's air pollution-linked cancer risk at 59 per million people.
Holms-Gen: It's not as high as Los Angeles, which came out at 93 in a million. And those numbers are even disputed by some who say they should be much higher, if you include diesel exhaust, for example, which is another potent carcinogen.
Either way, Holms-Gen says the report is another reminder that the fuels we use emit large quantities of cancer-causing agents. Kenny Goldberg, KPBS News.
