PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT  To address the potential environmental and health implications of oil development in close-­proximity  community exposures of vulnerable populations, we propose to study a community in Los Angeles CA in which  an existing intra-­community oil drilling facility, dormant for several years, is about to resume drilling operations.  Prior site operations have been associated with numerous health and air quality complaints, but the site has  since undergone remediation. Assorted prior health and air quality effects have not been systematically and  objectively documented as could be accomplished in the proposed study design. Six hundred community  residents (~200 children aged 5-­17yrs, ~200 adults aged 18-­45yrs, and ~200 older adults >45yrs) will be  enrolled by community health promotoras to assess both objective and subjective health outcomes in a  prospective repeated-­measures study design. On two occasions (once prior to and once following site drilling  operations), participants will perform maximal-­effort spirometry, complete self-­administered symptom surveys,  and have assorted anthropomorphic data (height, weight, blood pressure) measured to document health  status. Over this same time-­interval, both active and passive air quality samplers will be deployed throughout  the community to measure airborne levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), H2S, and several pollutants  of regulatory concern (ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide). A quality-­of-­life multi-­day diary assessment  will also be collected on a subset of the study participant population. These multiple pathways of data will be  collected using a community-­based participatory research strategy. The project will substantively engage and  include the community partner (Esperanza Community Housing Corporation) into an academic research team  of investigators (led by USC researchers) to assess potential health and environmental impacts on this largely  Latino Los Angeles neighborhood. This project will evaluate the impact of oil drilling operations on community  health by relating health and air quality measurements collected before and after resumption of oil drilling  operations. This time-­sensitive research opportunity will provide credible data to address the impact of oil  drilling operations on the environmental health status of an under-­served community of color in one of the  nation’s largest metropolitan areas.

NARRATIVE Urban oil drilling is increasingly becoming a common occurrence and has the potential release multiple air pollutants, including volatile organic compounds which can be harmful to human health. This project will take advantage of a natural experiment in South Los Angeles (the temporary shutdown of operations with a planned resumption of drilling activities) and provides a unique opportunity to objectively document the impact of urban oil drilling operations on the air quality and health of a community of color already stressed by issues of environmental injustice.