Temporal trends in sociodemographic composition and land development within U.S. fenceline communities surrounding hazardous industrial facilities: 2001–2019

Southerland, Veronica; Zota, Ami R; Parasram, Vidisha; Alvarez, Camila; Clement, Matthew; Anenberg, Susan

doi:10.1088/1748-9326/ad0136

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 32 publications

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“…Distributive justice refers to the distribution of environmental harms and benefits [ 7 ]. Much EJ scholarship has focused on this kind of injustice, including the disproportionate distribution of environmental hazards such as landfills [ 30 ], hazardous industrial facilities [ 31 ], and poor air quality [ 12 ]. Such uneven distribution of hazards results in disproportionate exposure to toxics and its accompanying health impacts which tend to be experienced by marginalized communities (e.g., [ 12 ]).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Critical Environmental Injustice: A Case Study Approach to Understanding Disproportionate Exposure to Toxic Emissions

Cannon

2024

Toxics

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Environmental justice research has focused on the distribution of environmental inequalities, such as proximity to landfills, across the U.S. and globally. Background: Public health research and environmental health research, specifically, have focused on toxic exposure—encompassing individuals or communities that are disproportionately exposed to contaminants that are harmful or potentially harmful to them. Yet, little research has applied critical environmental justice theory—characterized by the idea that marginalized communities need to be treated as indispensable rather than disposable—to the study of toxic exposure. To fill this gap, the current paper offers a case study approach applying critical environmental justice theory to the study of disproportionate and unequal exposure to toxic contaminants. Methods: This case study is of Kettleman City, a rural, unincorporated community in the heart of California’s Central Valley (USA). This community experiences the co-location of environmental hazards, including residing at the intersection of two major highways and hosting a class I hazardous-waste landfill, which is one of the few licensed to accept PCBs. PCBs are a contaminant that has been linked with several adverse health outcomes, including cancers and low birthweight. Residents may also experience poor air quality from proximity to the highways. Results: This case highlights the uneven distribution of pollution and environmental degradation that may be shouldered by the community, along with their experiences of adverse health and social impacts. This analysis reveals the importance of incorporating a critical environmental justice perspective to unpack experiences of not only disproportionate exposure but also disproportionate procedural and recognitional inequality. Conclusions: This research highlights the untapped potential of environmental justice to catalyze exposure science in challenging the unequal distribution of contaminants.

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