"People are not at the same exposure risk today as they were," said Visintine, emphasizing that her group's efforts to map "cancer clusters" in the area — an initiative Chappelle-Nadal references — apply to former residents who grew up near contamination in Coldwater Creek and are now in their 30s and 40s. "The cancer cluster (map) is not current residents."

Clarifying that distinction, Visintine says, is crucial so as not to undermine the credibility of those concerned about North County's history with hazardous waste.

Plus, Visintine says decades of ongoing remediation work at Coldwater Creek have mitigated risk for current residents of the area — a fact that she says is often overlooked.

"It's still dangerous," she says. "(But) we don't anticipate that we'll see the same levels of cancers in 10 years that we did from when we were kids."

Like Chappelle-Nadal, Visintine thinks awareness is essential and hopes ongoing health studies will help current or former exposed residents secure downwinder status. But she doesn't think the prospect of buyouts belong in a serious conversation about what steps to take, arguing that they are unnecessary and would harm the area economically if residents leave.