CR3 News Magazine 2021 VOL 2: FEBRUARY - BLACK & WOMEN HISTORY MONTH | Page 16

RADON

Introduction

Historically, there are many reasons for environmental injustice: some economic, some aesthetic; some are simply due to a lack of community resources available. Today in the United States, low-income households and people of color are disproportionately affected by indoor and outdoor air pollution. Three times as many blacks compared with whites die from asthma; among children, this rate increases to 5:1. In some inner-city communities, one third of all black children have been diagnosed with asthma.[1]

More than just facts, this is an environmental justice (EJ) issue, as we see lower-income and racially diverse neighborhoods subjected to poorer air quality compared with other neighborhoods. When a community experiences more negative environmental consequences than another -- as polluting entities, including industrial sites, power generation facilities, and waste transfer stations are disproportionately placed in their community -- who is responsible?

E

Environmental Justice & Air Pollution:

Particulate Matter

J

"We've learned that quiet isn't always peace "

... Amanda Gorman, "The Hill We Climb"

The Right to a Safe and

Healthy Environment

Authors: Arthur L Frank, MD, PhD