By Brittney Janard

Faber & Krieg. In "Unequal Exposure to Ecological Hazards: Environmental Injustices in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts," Daniel R. Faber and Eric J. Krieg report that low-income communities in Massachusetts with high concentrations of non-white residents are much more likely to include sites that present environmental threats to human health. Unequal Exposure to Ecological Hazards: Environmental Injustices in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Faber & Krieg Analyzed the distribution of ecological hazards across 368 Massachusetts communities. Using census data and environmental data, they studied the distribution of environmentally hazardous sites and the location of industrial facilities in regards to income and racial composition of communities. They found that these sites and facilities were concentrated in communities of color and the working class communities

Method Income Racial composition Low-income: Median household income of less than $30,000 Median-income: Median household income of between $30,000 & $49,999 High-income: Median household income of $50,000 or higher Low-minority: less than 5% people of color Moderate-minority: between 6% and 24.99% people of color High-minority: 25% or more people of color

Hazardous waste sites: Health Increase risk of developing: Birth defects Cardiac abnormalities higher diagnosis of leukemia Kidney-urinary tract infection Learning disabilities Skin disorders Central nervous system damage Higher diagnosis of Hodgkin’s disease Liver & Kidney disease In Addition: Pollutes land Poisons drinking water

Hazardous waste sites in Massachusetts Towns located near Hazardous waste sites: Bedford, Lexington, Ayer, Falmouth, Weymouth, Concord Weymouth: Higher rates of Leukemia which is linked to a a chemical called trichloroethylene found in the towns drinking water

Hazardous waste sites & breast cancer Massachusetts has one of the highest rates of breast cancer in the country. This accounts for 1,000 American deaths each year. Cap Cod has 20% higher rates of breast cancer than anywhere else in the state

Distribution of Hazardous Waste Sites Low-income communities High-minority communities Low-income communities had an average of 14 hazardous waste sites per square mile compared to per square mile in high- income communities High-minority communities had an average of 27.2 hazardous waste sites per square mile compared to low-minority communities that had an average of 2.9 per square mile The average governmental penalties issued for violations of hazardous waste laws are $55,318 in communities of color compared to an average of $335,566 penalties for predominantly white communities.

Air Pollution Poor air quality causes nearly 1300 deaths in Massachusetts each year. Air pollution is linked to heart disease, lung cancer and asthmatic attacks. Poor air quality can cause premature death

Income Racial Composition During this time, households with median income of $40,000 or more represented 50% of all MA communities. Such communities were subjected to 21.3% of all chemical emissions. Low-income communities received 78.8% of all chemical emissions from TURA facilities High-minority communities were exposed to nearly 1 million pounds of chemical emissions by TURA industrial facilities compared to 342,579 total pounds of chemical emissions in low-minority communities

Power Plants Major contributor to global warming The five power plants located I Massachusetts that account for 50% of power plant pollution in New England are: 1. The Canal 2. Brayton Point 3. Salem Harbor 4. Mount Tom 5. Mystic All of these power plants are located in low-income communities

Power Plant Low-income High-minority Communities with an average income of $40,000 represent 50% of the state population, yet they are subjected to 65.6% of all active power plants. Communities of color represent 5.4% of all communities in Massachusetts, yet they are exposed to 18.2% of all active power plats.

References Faber, D. R., & Krieg, E. J. (2002). Unequal Exposure to Ecological Hazards: Environmental Injustices in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Vrijheid, M. (2000). Health Effects of Residence Near Hazardous Waste Landfill Sites: A Review of Epidemiologic Literature. Environ Health Perspect, Kampa, M., & Castanas, E. (2008). Human Health Effects of Air Pollution. Environmental Pollution, (151),