# Health symptoms and risk perception of urban environmental justice communities after a hydrogen sulfide disaster

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · 2022 · $261,674

## Abstract

TITLE: Health symptoms and risk perception of urban environmental justice communities after major
hydrogen sulfide disaster
ABSTRACT
In October 2021, residents of Carson and nearby neighborhoods in the South Bay area of Los Angeles County,
California began reporting strong malodor, headaches, nausea, and respiratory distress. A sudden and
persistent spike in the concentrations of hydrogen sulfide (H2S), a toxic odorant gas, was identified as the source,
affecting the quality of life and health of thousands of residents in the South Bay. At its peak, H2S levels reached
upwards of 7000 parts per billion—230 times the California’s one-hour ambient air quality standard of 30 parts
per billion—but H2S concentrations remained elevated for 6 weeks. While there is a body of literature surrounding
the acute impacts of hydrogen sulfide exposures, health effects in the aftermath of a malodorous disaster in an
urban environmental justice community like this are not well characterized. In this project, we aim to 1) Advance
community education and research capacity through engaged participatory research; 2) Characterize hydrogen
sulfide exposures in Carson and neighboring cities over space and time using a dense network of stationary
monitors; 3) Examine the association between H2S exposure with (a) health symptoms, sleep quality, mental
health, and odor experience using validated survey instruments; and (b) with measured cardiopulmonary
outcomes across a longitudinal cohort of South Bay residents; and 4) Understand experiences during and post-
disaster and their association with quality of life, precarity, stressors, and vulnerabilities—and how disaster
shapes risk perception, coping strategies, and access to health protective resources through semi-structured
interviews. Outcomes from this time-sensitive work will fill a critical gap in understanding the effects of malodor
and H2S exposure events on community health symptoms and well-being in vulnerable populations through
participatory research. Results from this study may also be used to improve understanding and communication
of impacts of malodors and hydrogen sulfide releases in other communities.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10560426
- **Project number:** 1R21ES034720-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Jill E Johnston
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $261,674
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-09-10 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10560426

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10560426, Health symptoms and risk perception of urban environmental justice communities after a hydrogen sulfide disaster (1R21ES034720-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10560426. Licensed CC0.

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