The Trade, Health & Environment Impact Project, also referred to as THE Impact Project, is a community-academic partnership focused on reducing the impacts of international trade on health and community life.  Funded by The California Endowment, THE Impact Project began its formal collaboration in the spring of 2006; however, many of the partners have been working together on goods movement-related issues in Southern California for years. .  Click to for more information

THE Impact Project website will serve as a network for communities and researchers alike to find useful news links, resources, and information about our upcoming "Moving Forward" Conference.

Dark Side of the New Economy
by Wade Graham
OnEarth Magazine Spring 2007

California's San Pedro Bay ports form a vast metropolis of polluting cargo ships, trucks, and locomotives -- a "diesel death zone," say the neighbors, who are fighting back against the leviathan.  Click to read article.
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Controlling Asthma in Los Angeles County: A Call to Action. Download PDF

Paying With Our Health
The Real Cost of Freight Transport in California.  Click to read article.  Download PDF.

LBACA Policy

Outdoor air pollution and the indoor environment have been shown to cause or exacerbate asthma. As described in the LBACA’s Project Director, Elisa Nicholas’ collaborative article in the Society for Public Health Education journal,

Recent studies have shown a link between air pollution and respiratory symptoms, asthma exacerbations, and asthma hospitalizations. The National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP, 1997) Guidelines for Effective Management of Asthma list the control of an individual’s environmental factors and triggers as necessary for effective asthma management. More recently, links have been found between air pollution, deficits in lunch growth and possibly the development of childhood asthma. Biological and chemical indoor exposures have been shown to be associated with or cause childhood asthma.

Coalition Based Approaches for Addressing Environmental Issues in Childhood Asthma Elisa Nicholas, et. al., SOPHE Volume 7 (2) April 2006.

To reach beyond the individual, one-on-one approach to managing asthma in children, LBACA as a coalition has expanded to address both outdoor air pollution and the indoor environment through policy changes locally, regionally and statewide. The culmination of LBACA’s involvement in policy work has brought a strong community voice into the policy making process, resulting in community education and empowerment.

As 1 of 12 coalitions statewide being funded by the California Endowment’s Community Action to Fight Asthma and with support from other foundations, LBACA has become a key player in advocating for health protective policies, and involvement of community throughout the policy making process. Here are the stories of our members, the projects impacting their health, and the solutions we are seeking and supporting to protect children with asthma in Long Beach and its surrounding communities.

Through a collaborative relationship with the Asthma Coalition of Los Angeles County, LBACA and other community groups developed the document: "Controlling Asthma in Los Angeles County: A Call to Action". This document reviews the impact of asthma on county residents, discusses the factors that contribute to this disease, and provides recommendations for improving asthma outcomes countywide. The Coalition developed the document with input from numerous experts in the field, including clinical care professionals, environmental policy advocates, school and childcare experts, and asthma researchers. The purpose of the Call to Action is to raise awareness among public officials, community leaders, and those working to improve asthma-related systems of care, and to serve as a catalyst for people to come together to implement the proposed recommendations.