Remembering Lisa Lappin: Teacher, Environmental Advocate, Dog Rescuer, Neighbor
In memory of Lisa Lappin (1960s-December 2023)
The inspiration for tonight's blog on Lisa Lappin and her advocacy for sensible oversight of air toxic regulations for older facilities came from the recent EPA NECI memo on reducing air toxics in overburdened communities. It reminded me of Lisa and her relentless fight, which had become mine as well in our city. (I have since moved).
Recap on my air toxics journey in this previous blog:
Tonight I am writing this tribute to my old neighbor, Lisa Lappin, who passed away in December 2023 after her second battle with lung cancer, with a purpose that extends beyond mere remembrance. It is my sincere hope that someone with the authority at the South Coast Air Quality Management District or within the City of Paramount is able to make a lasting difference to memorialized Lisa at either Lincoln Elementary School where she taught for so many years, or perhaps at one of the local parks in Paramount that she fought so hard to make safer for our children.
Lisa did not have children of her own, but she considered every student who passed through her classroom as part of her extended family. It would be a terrible injustice to let her memory and the vital work she accomplished for our community simply fade away into distant memory. I will do my best to share her story as she told me, and as I have dissected from articles written on her and the battles she and others fought.
The Reluctant Activist
Lisa never set out to become an activist. Her journey began around 2010 with a simple observation - the metallic, pungent odors that often permeated the school grounds. When one of her young students looked up at her with worried eyes and said, "Ms. Lappin, I don't want to die," something in Lisa changed forever. The subsequent loss of an 8-year-old student to cancer only strengthened her resolve.
What followed was a decade of persistent advocacy that many of us witnessed firsthand. Lisa filed complaints with regulators, circulated petitions throughout the neighborhood, coordinated with environmental groups, and spoke out at community meetings. She meticulously documented the health concerns among students and staff, creating a compelling case that could not be ignored.
Her efforts helped bring about the South Coast Air Quality Management District's investigation into Carlton Forge Works and other metal facilities, revealing dangerous levels of hexavalent chromium, cadmium, and nickel in our air. Some areas recorded chromium levels up to 350 times above normal - pollutants directly linked to the cancer rates Lisa had been raising alarms about for years.
By 2017, local media had dubbed her "Paramount's Erin Brockovich," a comparison that made Lisa uncomfortable in her characteristic modesty, despite its accuracy. She wasn't seeking recognition - she was seeking justice for a community that had suffered in silence for too long.
During her last year of life, Lisa began taking art classes as a form of expression and healing. One of her paintings struck me deeply - a powerful piece advocating for more stringent air toxic regulations for pre-existing facilities. When I asked her about this artwork in person, she teared up. It wasn't just an art project; it was her plea for common sense regulation reform, created when words alone no longer felt sufficient. I still can't look at this painting without feeling upset, knowing that several children in our town had died from various cancers. These unique cancers are unsurprising given our town's proximity to two facilities flagged for significant health risks due to air toxics, both with Risk Reduction Plans (Air Liquide and Chevron). Additionally, we have Hyperion, NRG, West Basin, and LAX in town.
Photo Description: Lisa's artwork advocating for stricter air toxic regulations. She passed away from lung cancer (as a non-smoker) 11 months later.
Our conversations increasingly revolved around environmental concerns. Below are several texts between 2021 through 2023. Reading through these texts tonight overall just made me sad, knowing that she was a non-smoker, and she passed away from lung cancer. She either got the lung cancer from her teaching job in Paramount or from living in El Segundo, or a combination of both.
Photo Description: Screenshot of a conversation about women in our town getting unexplained cancers. One of the women was our friend and she got cancer twice.
Photo Description: Screenshot of a conversation about excessive flaring back-to-back and the need to do neighborhood canvasing. I am well versed in emergency flaring, but this was excessive over the span of weeks.
Photo Description: Screenshot of a conversation about young kids in our town getting cancer.
Video Description: Lisa and I meet with our County Supervisor, and this was our message to our community to join us in organizing.
Photo Description: Me telling Lisa and I can’t do this anymore and we are moving.
Photo Description: Lisa telling me she has lung cancer (again). She died a couple months later.
Photo Description: Lisa and I getting burned out on community activism with the lack of community members showing up for public comments. The general feedback from the public was they wanted to attend but were too tired to show up for the evening meetings. I get it…
The Legacy Continues
By 2021, the air quality monitoring in Paramount showed lower, more stable levels of toxic metals - a testament to Lisa's persistence and the community movement she helped build. Yet even these improvements were punctuated by environmental crises that reminded us why Lisa's work remained so vital.
The EPA grant of $319,754 for continued air monitoring represented institutional recognition of the issues Lisa had fought to expose. While Lisa may not be physically present to see all the changes her work set in motion, her legacy lives on in the improved regulations, the ongoing monitoring programs, and most importantly, in the community awareness she helped create.
Lisa Lappin was more than a teacher, activist, neighbor, or friend - she was a testament to how one person's courage and persistence can spark meaningful change against seemingly insurmountable odds. Our community is healthier because of her efforts, and we are better people for having known her.
Rest in peace, Lisa. I am sorry we couldn't do more while you were here.
References
Paramount residents not alone in pollution fight Los Angeles Times 2014
Paramount's Erin Brockovich Petitions to Protect Children From Hex Chrome Cancers Common Dreams 2017
Air pollution hot spot in Paramount spurs calls for action Los Angeles Times 2016
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From Boyle Heights to El Segundo and Paramount we’re all in a petri dish of toxic air land and water. Thank you Corrie for giving voice and humanizing this simple average caring teacher. Laurie who spoke up because she cared because she knew better even though she was dying and you Corrie had to bury your dog, thank God you had the means to move away. I can move away too, but I choose to stay while my kids play in dirt that may be contaminated with lead they sampled some dirt around my house and they had said it was 600 ppm but we live outside of the 1.7 mile radius of the Clean Up zone here from the Excide contamination I just want to say thank you Corrie for being a good author a good writer taking the time to document these things and giving Miss Lappin her grace, attention, and humanity, and a deserved place in historical record.
powerful.