LOS ANGELES— Thousands of idle oil and gas wells in California are concerningly close to 3,787 schools, hospitals, parks and eldercare centers, according to a new Center for Biological Diversity analysis of state data. Both idle and active oil and gas wells pose public health and safety concerns.

“This analysis highlights that idle wells could threaten the safety and health of thousands of kids, as well as sick and elderly Californians and those who care for them,” said Emily Diaz-Loar, a staff scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity’s Climate Law Institute. “People should feel safe in their community spaces, not worried about explosions caused by methane leaks or their air and water being contaminated by unplugged wells.”

WATCH: Staff scientist Emily Diaz-Loar explains California’s idle oil wells problem.

Idle wells no longer produce oil or gas, but they can still leak climate-polluting gases like methane, which is explosive at high concentrations. Idle wells are also known to leak toxic chemicals such as benzene into the air and water, leading to serious health, safety and environmental risks.

The Center’s analysis of public records from the California Geologic Energy Management Division and the departments of Education, Social Services, and Public Health found that at least 4,449 idle wells are within 3,200 feet of at least one school, childcare center, healthcare facility, eldercare center, park or playground.

California has prohibited new drilling within 3,200 feet of these sensitive sites based on studies of the health harms of pollutants coming from oil and gas activity. Idle wells can also release harmful pollutants, yet thousands of idle wells remain unplugged within these health protection zones.

At-risk sensitive sites within 3,200 feet of one or more idle wells include 616 K-12 schools, 724 childcare centers, 903 healthcare facilities, 504 eldercare centers and 1,040 parks and playgrounds.

The Immaculate Heart of Mary Preschool in Los Angeles is surrounded by 328 idle wells. There are 88 idle wells near McKittrick Elementary School in Kern County. In Santa Maria, at least 123 idle wells are scattered in and around Los Flores Ranch Park.

“As a young person who lives near active and idle wells surrounding my neighborhood, I hope for real action to protect families from the health dangers of inactive wells next to our homes,” said Samantha Rangel, a Youth for Environmental Justice Member at Communities for a Better Environment. “Our communities are always left behind, and in the case of frontline residents we are left to inherit continued attacks while we eat, pray and live next to idle wells.”

The Center’s analysis also found that nearly one-third of the idle wells in Los Angeles County have been unplugged for more than 100 years. The longer wells sit idle, the more risk there is of chemical leakage into the air, soil and water. At least 62% of Los Angeles County idle wells sit above groundwater sources. In Monterey County, 97% of idle wells are above groundwater sources, which supply about 95% of the county’s water.

“The alarming data presented by this research demands action,” said Jeff Freitas, president of CFT, a Union of Educators and Classified Professionals. “We’ve long known that idle wells present serious health risks to those nearby, but this report dramatically highlights the severity of the problem for TK-12 students and workers throughout California. With hundreds of thousands of students and workers facing a raised risk of asthma, cancer and even catastrophic explosions as a result of proximity to these wells, we must immediately move to cap these wells and clean the air in schools. We applaud the Center for Biological Diversity’s work in this area and stand ready to partner with them and anyone else ready to attack this widespread hazard.”

Despite the potential hazards presented by idle wells, oil and gas companies have provided financial assurance for less than 1% of the money needed to clean up their old wells.

California lawmakers and regulators have made progress in requiring oil and gas companies to clean up idle wells. But there are still more than 30,000 idle oil and gas wells in the state.

The Center is urging lawmakers and state officials to speed up the pace on idle well plugging, prioritize well plugging near sensitive sites and residences, and make polluters pay for the work. Methane monitoring of idle wells should also be ramped up in health protection zones.

“These wells are ticking time bombs. There are a number of documented explosions and gas leaks linked to unplugged idle wells, and the next one is only a matter of time,” said Diaz-Loar. “California must do more to tackle the oil industry’s failure to clean up after itself.”

The Center’s analysis highlights the pervasive risks from idle wells in five counties:

• Kern County, home to most of the state’s oil and gas drilling, has 126 schools, healthcare facilities, playgrounds and eldercare centers within 3,200 feet of at least one idle well, putting over 16,000 school children at risk.
• L.A. County has at least 2,455 schools, healthcare facilities, playgrounds and eldercare centers near an idle well, putting more than 230,000 schoolchildren at risk.
• Ventura County has 119 schools, healthcare facilities, playgrounds and eldercare centers near one or more idle wells. Nearly 12% of idle wells have been unplugged for over a century.
• Santa Barbara County has at least 24 schools, healthcare facilities, playgrounds and eldercare centers within 3,200 feet of at least one idle well.
• Monterey County has at least 474 unplugged idle wells — a shocking 97% of these wells are located on top of groundwater sources, which provide drinking water to residents and irrigation water for farmers.

You can visit the Center Biological Diversity’s interactive map to see if your school, healthcare center, or local park is near an idle well.