BIOL2 Gilbert Puga

The necessity of environmental justice cannot be understated. The concept was born out
of the growing concerns of primarily people of color, who became increasingly aware of how
disproportionately their communities were affected by pollutants, potentially dangerous landfill
locations, failing infrastructure, and more (https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice). It is the
interest of those affected to ensure that state agencies and companies adhere to the Federal non-
discrimination laws and mandates of legislation like the National Environmental Policy Act, and
oversight with the Environmental Protection Agency, which were created to ensure a healthy
environment for all Americans so that these egregious mistakes such as the Flint water crisis
don’t persist without the public’s knowledge. It may be necessary for the people to take it into
their own hands when even the EPA fails to live up to its own standards.

The Flint water crisis was a crime against humanity and a historic injustice that persisted
for well beyond 18 months, whose effects will last a lifetime for some thousands of children
poisoned by the water, among the few dozen who lost their lives. The elevated BLL (blood lead
levels) for non-Hispanic Black children were abnormally high compared to non-Hispanic White
children which correlates with failing infrastructure and housing according to NHANES
(Campbell et al. 2016). Despite alarms that were raised, specifically how Black communities
were affected by the ongoing crisis, former governor Rick Snyder and his task force continually
underreported the severity of the situation and that the water was mostly safe (Campbell et al.
2016). It wasn’t just local negligence however, for even the EPA reportedly had skewed
instructions for lead levels in water testing that was biased towards underestimating the true lead
content (Campbell et al. 2016). Black communities were especially vulnerable to this negligence
as they had scarcity problems already in terms of lack of alternative water sources, poor
nutrition, and older housing (Hanna-Attisha et al., 2016).

There comes a point where it does fall into the hands of the citizens to blow a lid off the
environmental injustices occurring in their own local communities. Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha
was one of those that spoke out with her own independent research on the lead problem that was
denounced by the authorities, but ultimately turned the tide in getting the public attention such a
crisis deserved, thus becoming a hero in her own right (Hanna-Attisha et al., 2016). Another
example was the Warren County landfill event in the 1970s. There was a decision made to use
Warren County, Alabama, an area that is predominantly Black and Native American, to dispose
of PCB-contaminated soil in the area, and the local chapter of the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People, filed an injunction in federal court to prevent this site from
being created in their community (Florio & Fauntroy, 1982).

This stresses the importance of involvement of the public in these decisions, as well as
the need for independent evaluations as a check-and-balance to ensure larger agencies are not
intentionally misleading the public. Even more to the point is to become locally involved in
one’s own community. In the county of Fresno in the state of California, some notable issues
have occurred in recent years. A study by Padula et al. (2016), found significant environmental
pollutant exposure had increased the amount of preterm birth dangers and the associated risks
were stronger for the socioeconomically disadvantaged, which is primarily minority
communities. The pollution burden was notably higher for those with lower income and lower
education, and programs that provide nutritional information and healthcare referrals are thus
necessary for low-income areas to attempt to offset the risks of preterm birth for women that are
more susceptible to environmental stressors and pollutants (Padula et al, 2016). Another
example in the local area of Fresno County was that traffic related air pollution or polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), posed a considerable risk for developing asthma in children, and
may contribute to as much as 20% of total mortality (Lee et al., 2018).

Fresno County Council of Government’s Environmental Justice Report, states its

commitment to mitigating disproportionate adverse environmental effects on minority and low-
income populations (Fresno Council, 2018). The Regional Transportation Plan and Sustainable
Communities Strategy maintain that it is paramount to hold agencies local and otherwise to the
statutes of Environmental Justice Executive Order 12898 and Title VI to ensure
nondiscrimination so that environmental burdens are not disproportionately shared (Fresno
Council, 2018).
 References

Campbell, C., Greenberg, R., & Mankikar, D., (2016). A case study of environmental injustice:

the failure in Flint. Int J Environmental Research and Public Health. 13(10). 951.

EPA. (n.d.). Retrieved March 15, 2021, from https://www.epa.gov/

Florio, J. J., Fauntroy, W. E., (1983). Siting of hazardous waste landfills and their correlation

with racial and economic status of surrounding communities. United States General

Accounting Office.

Fresno County Council of Governments. (2018). Environmental justice report. Chapter 7. 1-18

Lee, E. Y., Lin, J., Noth, E.M., Hammond, S. K., Nadeau, K. C., Eisen, E. A., & Balmes, J. R.,

(2017). Traffic-related air pollution and telomere length in children and adolescents
living in Fresno, CA: a pilot study. Journal of Occupational Environmental Medicine.
59(5). 446-452.

Padula, A. M., Huang, H., Baer, R. J., August, L. M., Jankowska, M. M., Jellife-Pawlowski, L.

L., Sirota, M., & Woodruff, T. J. (2018). Environmental pollution and social factors as

contributors to preterm birth in Fresno County. Environmental Health. 17. 70.