Hollywood is Poisoning our Children

No, this really doesn't belong in FHOP

Hollywood as a Polluter

The city of Los Angeles is principally famous for two things: glittering movies and suffocating smog. Now researchers have found that the two are not unconnected. A study by the University of California Los Angeles shows the film and television industry to be the second largest polluter in the Los Angeles area. Only the region's oil refineries pump more pollutants into the air, it says.

"People talk of 'the industry', but we don't think of them as an industry," said Mary Nichols, who heads UCLA's Institute of the Environment. "We think of the creative side, the movie, the people, the actors - we don't think of what it takes to produce the product."

The findings also run counter to the perception of Hollywood as an environmentally conscious enclave. While many stars such as George Clooney espouse environmental concerns, and the fuel hybrid is the vehicle of choice for any self-respecting superstar, the studios are less scrupulous about the impact of their actions on the environment.

"Our overall impression is that, with a few notable and inspiring exceptions," said the study's authors, "environmental considerations are not high on the agenda in the film and television industry, and that more could be done within the industry to foster environmentally friendly approaches."