Are the Baldwin Hills oil fields causing asthma and other ill effects for neighbors? The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors wants to find out. It voted to a approve a request by Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas to conduct a health study of area residents.

The $155,000 “health assessment” by Field Research Corporation will look at 1,000 residents in the community and gauge mortality rates, causes of death, cancer rates, asthma and other health issues, according to a statement from Ridley-Thomas.

“This study responds to the Baldwin Hill community's concerns over their health and safety,” Ridley-Thomas stated. “It will be an important step towards understanding and monitoring any health trends in that community.”

The surveys will include 15-minute phone interviews that will address “quality-of-life issues, odors, noise, vibrations, and specific health conditions of residents living in the vicinity of the Baldwin Hills oil field,” according to Ridley-Thomas' statement.

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