The Search for Environmental Justice: The Story of North Birmingham

Abstract

Environmental justice is a rising social movement throughout the world. Research is beginning to define the movement and address the disparities that exist among communities exposed to pollution. North Birmingham, a community made up of six neighborhoods in Jefferson County, Alabama, in the United States, is a story of environmental injustice. Heavy industry, including the 35th Avenue Superfund Site, has caused significant environmental pollution over time, leaving residents concerned that their health and well-being are at risk from continued exposure. For years, pollution has impacted the community, and residents have fought and challenged industry and government. The United States (U.S.) Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), and the Jefferson County Department of Health (JCDH) in Alabama have historically played a role in working with the community regarding their health concerns. In this manuscript, we describe a city entrenched in environmental injustice. We provide the history of the community, the responsible parties named for the contamination, the government’s involvement, and the community’s response to this injustice. Through this manuscript, we offer insight into a global concern that challenges local communities on a daily basis.

Climate justice: priorities for equitable recovery from the pandemic

“…The precedent for considering racial justice in conjunction with environmental objectives was catalyzed by the US environmental justice movement; a study in 1987 by the USA-based Commission for Racial Justice demonstrated that Black and Indigenous people were more likely to live near hazardous waste facilities in the USA. This finding became a landmark in scholarly inquiry into the connections between racial discrimination and environmental injustice, alternatively termed 'environmental racism' (Allen et al, 2019;Declet-Barreto & Carter, 2020;Kramar et al, 2018;Stretesky & Hogan, 1998). The funding of the US Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Environmental Justice has been viewed by some as akin to financing environmental justice for Black and Indigenous people (Northey, 2020;Society of Environmental Journalists, 2017).…”

Heavy metal pollution impacts soil bacterial community structure and antimicrobial resistance at the Birmingham 35th Avenue Superfund Site

“…HMs in soil environments are documented human health risks (Zhao et al 2012), a fact all too familiar to people in the community of North Birmingham. For decades, environmental injustice in the form of industrial pollution from coke furnaces and steel plants has plagued residents living in this Central Alabama area, over 90% of whom are African-American and 40% of whom live under the federal poverty line (Allen et al, 2019). These facilities emit particulate matter containing HMs like Cd, As, and Mn into the air and soil.…”

“…These facilities emit particulate matter containing HMs like Cd, As, and Mn into the air and soil. In recognition of the potential health impacts caused by this large-scale pollution, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) designated North Birmingham as the 35th Avenue Superfund Site in 2012 (henceforth referred to by its zip code, 35207), committing the U.S. federal government to fund pollution cleanup (Allen et al, 2019). However, continued pollution and local politics have stalled EPA’s progress, and 35207 residents have yet to see substantial progress towards confronting and overcoming the legacy of environmental mismanagement.…”

Is Community Relevance Enough? Civic and Science Identity Impact of Microbiology CUREs Focused on Community Environmental Justice

“…Here, we present our results from implementing three different but simultaneous CUREs related to the same environmental justice issue in North Birmingham, Alabama. Since the late 19th century, large-scale industrial activity and political corruption have created a legacy of heavy metal and toxic organic pollution in Birmingham's 35207 zip code (Allen et al, 2019). In 2012, the evidence of contamination was so significant and widespread that it was declared the 35th Avenue Superfund Site by the Environmental Protection Agency (this site will henceforth be referred to by its zip code, 35207).…”

“…In 2012, the evidence of contamination was so significant and widespread that it was declared the 35th Avenue Superfund Site by the Environmental Protection Agency (this site will henceforth be referred to by its zip code, 35207). The residents of 35207 are predominantly African-American, of low socioeconomic status, and suffer from elevated risk of respiratory disease relative to similar populations due to their chronic exposure to toxic heavy metals in their living environment (Allen et al, 2019). As a consequence, understanding how the legacy of pollution influences both the human and environmental health of this area is an issue of social and environmental justice that is directly relevant to members of the greater Birmingham community including all of the students in our study.…”