The results of this analysis were shocking. In 2009, the writers Suzanne Bohan and Sandy Kleffman, assisted by Iton’s colleague Matt Beyers, chronicled the results in a series for the East Bay Times called “Shortened Lives.” In the 94597 ZIP code in Contra Costa County (Walnut Creek), life expectancy was 87.4 years. In the 94603 ZIP code in nearby Alameda County (Oakland neighborhood Sobrante Park), it plummeted to 71.2 years. Iton’s team had uncovered a 16-year gap in life expectancy in two areas that were 22 miles apart.
