How Bad is Santa Monica Pollution? Your Zip Code Matters

How at risk are Santa Monica residents from pollution compared to other cities in the state? According to the state officials, the city is in a little better shape on balance than the average California town.

Based on new state figures released this week, three (90402, 90403 and 90405) of Santa Monica's five major zip codes are in the lower half of California zip codes in their potential for health risks stemming from pollution of all sorts while two (90401 and 90404) are in the upper half, meaning their risk is higher.

See a map of the data for every town in the state here

The figures come from a new state report issued by the California Environmental Protection Agency and the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) that compiles health risks based on 11 types of pollution and factors in seven categories of population and demographic factors, including poverty and education levels.

The purpose of the report is to identify communities that are eligible for grants from the state's Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, according to Sam Delson, an OEHHA spokesman. The law governing that fund mandates certain percentages be spent on disadvantaged communities, making it necessary to include economic factors in the state report.

The state has a map of those communities that are eligible on the report website. Only communities in the lowest 10 percent qualify, which leaves out Santa Monica.

The map above shows scores from each of the analyzed categories as well as overall rankings for every zip code in California with a Patch publication. Simply click on any town to see the full report card for each zip code.

You can see a similar map showing every zip code in the state here, and see more details of the report on the state's website.

In general, Santa Monica fares worse than average in traffic density and better in air quality measures, while showing good population rankings, particularly in education and poverty levels. Of the five zip codes, 90404 had the poorest numbers, especially in traffic density and population measures.

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