What is Environmental Injustice?
When we hear the word equity, it is often in reference to health or economics. But what if I told you that there is a concept known as environmental equity. Environmental equity is the ideology that all communities should have access to a clean environment that is free of hazards and pollution. Environmental equity is near and dear to my heart—especially when it comes to advocating for pollution-free environments. Check out this exert below if you're interested in learning more about Environmental Equity:
When you hear the phrase “environmental pollution” what comes to mind? Earth’s resources? Poor Health Effects? Unfortunately, environmental pollution affects each of these factors and more. Environmental pollution has led to the contamination of Earth’s natural resources, including water, soil, and air. Processes such as water treatment, trash burning, and oil mining contribute to the release of hazardous chemicals into our environment that are often referred to as toxicants because they are considered “man-made”. Toxicants are found virtually everywhere, the water, the air, the soil, and even in the human body. A toxicant commonly found in the environment, known as dioxin, has been found in maternal blood and cord blood. Dioxin has been found to cross the placenta-- the which provides nutrients from a mother to a fetus-- and accumulates in amniotic fluid--which surrounds the fetus and contains nutrients. Hence, we must understand the potential health effects associated with exposure to environmental toxicants and pollution.
Exposure to pollution and toxicants negatively impacts human development. When a parent is exposed to pollution or toxicants it increases the risk of preterm birth in their children. These findings were the result of populational studies from incidents of mass exposure such as Operation Ranch Hand and the Seveso explosion. Operation Ranch Hand was a military operation that occurred during the American War in Vietnam War. During this time millions of gallons of Agent Orange, an herbicide contaminated with dioxin, was released into the environment. After this incident, it was found that the offspring of American male veterans were at risk for birth defects, including spina bifida, a condition in which the spinal cord does not develop properly. The Vietnamese population was also studied, and levels of dioxin were found in the breast milk and serum (a component of whole blood) of Vietnamese women who did not directly participate in the war but were directly exposed to Agent Orange due to widespread environmental contamination. Children born to these women were frequently premature and with severe birth defects. The Seveso explosion occurred in Seveso, Italy. In 1976, a chemical plant explosion occurred in Seveso causing the highest level of residential dioxin contamination known to man. Long-term analyses of these populations suggest that this explosion has led to multigenerational health defects and three decades after the explosion, infants still exhibited developmental defects.
Other studies have also confirmed that toxicant/pollution exposure negatively impacts development. Epidemiological studies suggest that women who live near trash burning sites or smoke cigarettes are at risk of delivering prematurely and their children are at risk of low-birth-weight. Hence, it is important to identify populations that are at risk of toxicant/pollution exposure and educate them on potential adverse health effects that may result from such exposure.
Unfortunately, certain communities are disproportionately exposed to environmental pollution. Such communities are often the home of various industries and major roadways, which contribute to environmental pollution. These communities are often populated by minorities or low-income residents. Interestingly, black, and Hispanic women have the highest incidence of premature birth within the United States. A contributing factor to this health disparity may be the predisposition of minorities and socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals to live in communities that suffer from environmental pollution.
Many people who live in polluted communities cannot afford to move, leaving their families to suffer the health burdens of pollutant/toxicant exposure. In 2010, four million cubic yards of coal ash was transferred from Kingston, Tennessee to Uniontown, Alabama—a predominately black, low-income community. The residents soon complained of health consequences including heart and kidney dysfunction. Residents reached out to the local government regarding these health consequences. However, the pleas of Uniontown residents went unanswered and coal ash contamination remains today. Most of Uniontown’s population lives below the poverty line, hindering their ability to escape the community and move to a less polluted area. Hence the residents of Uniontown may suffer from health effects of coal ash exposure which has yet to be completely described by the scientific community.
Other communities have also spoken out about how environmental pollution has potentially led to local health disparities. In 2006, residents of Lake Jewel, a predominantly Black community in Apopka, Florida petitioned the local government to assess potential health risks of The Keene Road Landfill. This Landfill is a city-wide hazardous waste dump, located less than a half-mile from Lake Jewel. The residents brought their concerns to the local government because they predicted that contamination from the landfill was increasing their susceptibility to various health disorders including lupus and heart disease. The local government responded to the community’s petition stating that although the landfill was contaminated by various chemicals (e.g. mercury, arsenic, and acrylonitrile) they did not believe that exposure levels were harmful to public health. However, it is possible that the pollution from the landfill is not the only cause of poor health outcomes in Lake Jewel.
Apopka, Florida is populated with flourishing nurseries that use herbicides and pesticides to ensure optimal plant growth. Unfortunately, herbicides and pesticides contain toxicants, such as dioxin, that can persist in the soil and water for decades. It is possible that the health outcomes reported by the residents of Lake Jewel were influenced by both contamination from the Landfill and the surrounding greenhouse nurseries. Dietary habits may also impact health outcomes for the residents of Lake Jewel and other residents of the city. It was reported that Lake Apopka, the central water reservoir for the city, was contaminated with environmental toxicants. Therefore, using this lake as a water or food source may increase the risk of exposure to environmental toxicants.
Conclusively, many communities inhabited by minorities and the socioeconomically disadvantaged suffer from environmental injustice which is defined by their disproportionate exposure to environmental toxicants. Some health disparities may be linked to environmental toxicant exposure and pollution. Hence, it is important to educate communities on the potential health effects of environmental injustice. It is also important that scientists and government officials discover how to reverse the health effects of toxicant exposure and reduce environmental pollution.
