LA County not doing enough for residents near oil wells, study says

SIGNAL HILL, Calif. -- In places like Wilmington and Signal Hill, active oil derricks are pumping close to homes, shopping and playgrounds.

A new study from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health says Los Angeles County is not doing enough for residents living near oil wells from getting sick. And L.A. County has a lot of oil wells: 5,300.

Of those, 3,400 of them actively producing oil and gas.

A study by the advocacy group Liberty Hill found the majority of the wells are in areas of low-income or people of color. People living near oil wells have complained for years about health problems for years, from difficulties to breathe to nose bleeds and headaches.

The L.A. County Department of Health study doesn't make a direct link between oil wells and people's health.

Officials say that's because L.A.'s notoriously poor air quality makes it difficult to pin point.

Still, officials say "we shouldn't wait for people to get sick before we act."