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 The Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation's
second-largest public school system, announced the plan after
students described headaches, bloody noses, nausea and breathing
irritations.
Eleven-year-old Cameron Michaels said he suffered daily health
problems from the gas leak. "You can't focus, you can't concentrate,
you can't learn at all," he said.
Hundreds of residents have reported similar symptoms to the Los
Angeles County Public Health Department, said Dr. Cyrus Rangan,
director of the toxics epidemiology program for the agency. County
health officials said in a report the symptoms are likely temporary.
"I hope they're absolutely right, but I can't take that chance,"
said School Board member Scott Schmerelson, who led the student
relocation effort. "I’d rather err on the side of safety."
 Schmerelson's district includes the Porter Ranch community on the
outskirts of Los Angeles near where the leak was first discovered in
October in a cracked pipe at an underground storage field.
Methane, the main component of natural gas, is not considered toxic.
Common sources of methane emissions include wetlands and livestock
operations.
The leak has accounted for about a quarter of the state's total
emissions of methane, which is seeping out of the ground at the site
in amounts never before seen in California. Methane is the
second-most common human-generated greenhouse gas in the United
States.
County health officials say the symptoms residents are describing
are caused by the odorant added to natural gas.
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Last week, Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency to address
the leak. Southern California Gas Co, which owns the site, said
drilling a relief well and repairing the broken pipe could take
until late March.
On Monday, teachers invited parents to tour their children's new
schools, about an 8-mile (13-km) drive from their former schools,
ahead of the scheduled resumption of classes on Tuesday. Many of the
relocated school children come from families already displaced by
the leak and living in temporary housing at gas company expense.
"We are highly motivated to end the impact as quickly as possible,"
said Melissa Bailey, a gas company spokeswoman. The company, a
division of Sempra Energy , has reported it faces 25 legal
complaints over the leak.
(Editing by Sara Catania; Editing by James Dalgleish)
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