he Oakland, Calif., office of the Environmental Working Group (EWG) is nationally known for obtaining and analyzing raw data and releasing significant and influential reports about environmental health hazards facing California communities. In December 2001, TCWF gave a two-year, $100,000 grant to EWG's California office.

EWG has since focused on two major issues: the health costs of particulate matter (airborne dust and soot) to California, and the dangers of arsenic-treated wood found in playgrounds and outdoor furniture throughout the state. TCWF Program Director Fatima Angeles said the information itself is invaluable, but how EWG publicizes its findings makes it a catalyst for change.

"EWG has strong relationships with the news media in large California markets and is successful at getting its messages heard," Angeles said. "This helps smaller environmental health organizations build their bases and advance their causes because public awareness has been raised."

In a report by EWG, titled "Particle Civics," health care costs and missed workdays attributable to respiratory illnesses are calculated, and the cost of particulate pollution in California is estimated to be close to $1 billion a year. One of the biggest culprits, as stated in the report, is agriculture, an industry exempt from many air pollution regulations.

When "Particle Civics" was released, the statistics were broken down by county, which gave news outlets local angles and resulted in several published stories across the state. EWG also involved grassroots environmental groups in publicizing its findings; specifically, groups representing people of color - who are often hardest hit by environmental health problems. For example, EWG timed the release of its "Particle Civics" report in the Central Valley to coincide with the opening of the Latino Issues Forum's (LIF's) Fresno office. LIF used the report to highlight the connections between air pollution and asthma in rural areas.

"Environmentalists historically lack support in the Central Valley," said Bill Walker, EWG's vice president for the West Coast. "Now [EWG and LIF] are working together in ways that transcend traditional political lines, and we're very excited about that."

In a second report titled "Poisoned Playgrounds," EWG alerted the public that arsenic, which is used as a preservative and pesticide on almost all outdoor wood structures, is a proven cause of organ and skin cancer. The report was released nationwide, and EWG's California office added state-specific research and pushed for strong media coverage locally. EWG tested playground equipment at two parks in the Oakland area and found arsenic levels that could significantly increase a child's lifetime risk of cancer. In January 2002, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency forced the wood treatment industry to make plans to phase arsenic out of wood.

"EWG fills a niche because it is able to access diverse and obscure data sources and analyze the information in ways that make sense," TCWF's Angeles said.

Sets of data are collected continually by various government agencies, EWG's Walker said, but it takes persistence and patience to obtain and analyze the information.

"EWG's goal is to unearth data and prepare and present fact-based analyses in ways that allow people to take action to protect themselves," Walker said.

For more information visit www.ewg.org.