This story was first published by KPBS<\/a>. It\u2019s part of our In Whose Backyard\u00a0<\/strong>series which looks at where homes are being built and how that impacts the surrounding communities.\u00a0Read more stories in the series here.<\/a><\/p>\n But there are also several freeways that carve paths through those areas, creating a lot of noise and a ton of pollution.<\/p>\n More than 96,000 housing permits were issued in the county between 2018 and 2024, according to the data. Almost 19,000 of them were for homes within 1,000 feet of an interstate or state highway.<\/p>\n \u201cThe noise is always there. I think we\u2019ve just found a way of getting used to it,\u201d said Jolene Miller. She lives next to the interchange of I-8 and I-15 in Mission Valley.<\/p>\n Even when she\u2019s in her house, Miller said she can always hear the constant hum of the freeways. And it\u2019s not just the noise.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can wipe your little table down on the patio every day, and it\u2019s going to come out black every day,\u201d Miller said. \u201cSo that (pollution that\u2019s) coming through our windows, is coming into our lungs.\u201d<\/p>\n Research from UC Davis<\/a>\u00a0shows the impact pollution from vehicle traffic has on air quality in nearby homes. The report found exposure to roadway pollution increases the risk of multiple health conditions, including cardiovascular, respiratory and reproductive conditions for people who live within 500 to 600 feet of a freeway.<\/p>\n More than 7,000 permits were issued just within 500 feet of San Diego\u2019s highways from 2018 to 2024.<\/p>\n Research from UC San Diego also links air pollution to\u00a0infant mortality<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0risk of dementia<\/a>.<\/p>\n And\u00a0UCLA research<\/a>\u00a0found that freeway pollution can travel as much as a mile away from the source.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s surprising how \u2026 if you were 500 feet from a freeway downwind, how much indoor pollution this causes,\u201d said Chris Roberts from the environmental advocacy group San Diego 350. \u201cAnd it\u2019s linked to bad health outcomes, respiratory disease and cardiovascular disease and overall mortality.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"YouTube](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/1755722600_694_hqdefault.jpg\")
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