Brownfields, not greenbelts, on L.A. ‘toxic tour’

A view of the Port of Los Angeles during the “toxic tour.” The excursion began in Huntington Park and ended in Wilmington.  (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

The tour passes through the almost exclusively industrial city of Vernon. Scrap recyclers, rendering plants, rail yards and refineries are the staples of this “toxic tour” through low-income neighborhoods southeast of Los Angeles.  (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

The “toxic tour” passes a rail yard in Commerce, near the junction of the 60 and 710 freeways. Los Angeles is not alone in offering these kinds of excursions. Environment-themed reality tours exist across the country, including in the San Joaquin Valley.   (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Plumes of white smoke billow from an oil refinery in Wilmington. At night, flaring bathes the neighborhood in an eerie orange glow.  (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

The sightseers on the “toxic tour” step out of the bus to watch the trains rumbling through the Alameda Corridor, a below-ground trench through which shipping containers from the nation’s largest port complex in San Pedro and Long Beach head for a massive rail yard near the 710 and 60 freeways in Commerce.  (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Roberto Cabrales leads a “toxic tour.” “Under your seats there is a gas mask,” jokes the community organizer, who peppers his narrative with historical references, health statistics and jocular asides.   (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Dalia Palacios, 22, of Los Angeles absorbs information on the “toxic tour.” Increased demand for the tour from universities, school groups and families now has Communities for a Better Environment hosting hundreds of visitors on dozens of bus trips a year. Lately, curious residents have also been climbing aboard.   (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)