Even relatively minor sites can generate low levels of chronic exposure, said Ian Wren, lead scientist at the watchdog organization San Francisco Baykeeper. Petroleum from leaking underground storage tanks at former gas stations, for instance, can cause short-term effects like nausea and dizziness. In the long term, they can cause liver and kidney damage, and increase cancer risk, according to the EPA.

“It’s that chronic exposure that poses the greatest risk to communities,” Wren said.

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Source: SF Public Press