Video: Report finds elevated cancer risk in polluted places

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SEATTLE - Some south Seattle residents want to know why a government report on cancer-causing air pollution never came forward until recently.

The study found exposures to pollution in Southwest Seattle were far above acceptable rates.

Streets in the Georgetown neighborhood are clogged with a mix of big trucks, bicyclists, warehouses and shops. So when the study surfaced, some residents weren't exactly shocked.

"No, I mean Georgetown is pretty much industrial," said John Bennett, property owner. "I mean it's neighborhoods and businesses, but there's a lot of industry down here."

The study began in the late 90s but was never published. Air quality officials say it may have lost steam because so many subsequent investigations found similar results.

"While these are alarm bells, these are issues we are working hard and have programs to address, it's not a cause for someone to move out of the neighborhood," said Dennis McLerran, of the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency.

Another study conducted in the 90s found brutal health statistics in the airport neighborhoods.

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Some Georgetown residents weren't suprised by the study's findings, since the area is so industrial.

One quoted by transportation officials found asthma levels near Boeing Field were 57 percent higher than other areas. Infant mortality rates were 50 percent higher and overall mortality rates were 48 percent higher.

Much of that can be attributed to lower income and education levels in some of those areas. And experts say similar studies in similar areas find similar results.

"We're not a lot different than other major urban areas of the country," McLerran said.