A special hearing is scheduled today on the high rates of asthma and cancer in San Francisco's Bayview area. State health department officials say one in ten people around Bayview Hunter's Point has asthma. That's twice the rate commonly found in large cities around the country.
Many residents say the area's heavy industry and toxic waste is to blame.
Last year, a fire at the naval shipyard smoldered for more than a month, prompting concerns about toxic waste in the area. Residents learned the shipyard's landfill contained petroleum products, solvents, and paint chips.