"Parts Per Million...The Poisoning of Beverly Hills High Schoool"

[Sequoia]

by Joy Horowitz

Awesome read. I had no idea that the oil wells had been disgusied throughout the area when I lived there. There was one not disguised bodering Century City that looked scary and out of place among the new buildings. This is a shocking and well written book.



Beverly Hills High School is the crown jewel of a storied community that has long symbolized wealth and privilege. No one, including the author (class of 1971), thought twice about the oil pumps behind the school’s athletic fields; the derricks were just a part of the landscape, bringing in a sizable amount of royalty money to the community. But in 2003, after a group of young graduates developed cancer and the loudmouthed and sensationalistic Erin Brockovich caused a stir claiming the drilling was the cause, Beverly Hills was dragged into a landmark tort case that has split the town in two and will cause a media stir when it goes to trial later this year.

In Parts per Million, Joy Horowitz tells the story behind the headlines, interviewing cancer specialists, lawyers, epidemiologists, city officials, residents, and Brockovich herself. She crafts a riveting picture of PTA moms fighting for the truth, parents in denial, cancer-ridden youth, a school board terrified of having failed in its obligation to keep kids safe, and the complex game of toxic tort litigation that stands to strike a huge financial blow to the powerful oil companies and the iconic community. A Civil Action meets An Inconvenient Truth, Parts per Million couches medical and scientific inquiry in a compelling legal drama. Horowitz examines our tangled relationship with oil, money, and the environment, and bravely questions how many more will have to die before government regulators put economics aside and heed the warnings of science.

[cullen2382]

1. wow

I'd never heard of this. Will have to get the book. Thanks for telling us.

[acmavm]

2. Maybe, just maybe, since it is a high school in Beverly Hills, and

it is rich kids who are sick, MAYBE big oil will take a hit on this one.

You know damn good and well if it was an NYC inner city school, or a urban Detroit high school, no one would give a damn.

[glitch]

3. Or Cancer Alley.

http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=14016

[Sequoia]

4. Not only that the residents get royality payments

because the oil flows under their homes. I'd like to know where these disguised wells are. I probably drove by many thinking they were just buildings or something. What's really galling is the Tower of Hope dressed up in hand-painted tiles by children with cancer. The oil company thought it was a good marketing ploy but to me it's someone's idea of a sick joke.

[fed-up]

5. I just read about it yesterday when I sent Erin my meth lab story...

http://www.brockovich.com/news.htm

This coming year is scheduled for two important trials of cases that I uncovered as I did Hinkley. One of these trials is another case against Pacific Gas & Electric for another hexavalent chromium groundwater case. Same cover-up in a new location.

The second trial is about the case at Beverly Hills High School. Unbeknownst to almost everyone there is an on-shore oil platform with 18 operational well heads built underneath the girls athletic field at the school. Right next door is also a large power plant. During my investigation of this case we all became concerned that we found over 400 former students with cancer. I will continue to update my news site regarding these cases.

For current cases and information please go to http://www.brockovichblog.com/.

[Sequoia]

6. Pretty amazing.