Quantifying the Distribution of Environmental Health Threats and Hazards in Washington State Using a Cumulative Environmental Inequality Index

Esther Min; Millie Piazza; Vanessa E Galaviz; Erik Saganić; Michael Schmeltz; Lauren Freelander; Stephanie A Farquhar; Catherine J Karr; Deric Gruen; Debolina Banerjee; Michael Yost; Edmund Y W Seto

doi:10.1089/env.2021.0021

Quantifying the Distribution of Environmental Health Threats and Hazards in Washington State Using a Cumulative Environmental Inequality Index

Environ Justice. 2021 Aug 1;14(4):298-314. doi: 10.1089/env.2021.0021. Epub 2021 Aug 12.

Affiliation

¹ Dr. Esther Min is Research Consultant at the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA. Dr. Millie Piazza is an Environmental Justice & Title VI Senior Advisor at Washington State Department of Ecology, Olympia, Washington, USA. Dr. Vanessa E. Galaviz is EJ Public Health Scientist at California Environmental Protection Agency Office of the Secretary and California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, Sacramento, California, USA. Erik Saganić is Manager of Technical Analysis at Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, Seattle, Washington, USA. Dr. Michael Schmeltz is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Public Health, California State University, East Bay, Hayward, California, USA. Lauren Freelander is Spatial Epidemiologist & Radon Director at Washington State Department of Health, Olympia, Washington, USA. Dr. Stephanie A. Farquhar is Associate Dean & Clinical Professor at Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences and Department of Health Services, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA. Dr. Catherine J. Karr is a Professor at the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences and Department of Pediatrics, and Director of Northwest Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA. Deric Gruen is Co-Executive Director, Programs and Policy at Front and Centered, Seattle, Washington, USA. Debolina Banerjee is a Climate Justice Policy Analyst at Puget Sound Sage, Seattle, Washington, USA. Dr. Michael Yost is Professor and Chair at the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA. Edmund Y.W. Seto is an Associate Professor at the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.

Abstract

Background: Environmental racism, community stressors, and age-related susceptibility play a significant role in environmental inequality. The goal of this article was to use an inequality index (II) to assess the level of equality in environmental threats and hazards based on race, poverty, and age in Washington State. Methods: Using the Washington Environmental Health Disparities Map, we quantified the level of disproportionate burdens on communities with greater populations of people of color, people in poverty, children younger than 5, and people older than 65 using 3 cumulative environmental indices and 10 individual environmental indicators. Results: Census tracts with a higher proportion of people of color and those with people living below 185% federal poverty levels were found to be disproportionately burdened by environmental threats (II = -0.175 and II = -0.167, respectively, p < 0.001). Individual environmental indicators were found to disproportionately burden communities of color and low-income communities. Children younger than 5 were also disproportionately burdened by cumulative environmental indices (II = -0.076, p < 0.001) and individual indicators. Our analysis did not show disproportionate burden of environmental health threats based on the proportion of people older than 65 (II = 0.124, p < 0.001). Discussion: The disproportionate burden of the cumulative environmental threats on communities of color and low-income communities in this study corroborates similar analyses. These findings can be applied in policy and regulatory actions to correct the distributive environmental disparities. Conclusion: We found much higher burdens among historically marginalized communities and children who are more susceptible to environmental threats and hazards.

Keywords: environmental health disparities; geospatial mapping; inequality index.

Grants and funding

P30 ES007033/ES/NIEHS NIH HHS/United States