Intersectional inequalities in industrial air toxics exposure in the United States

Alvarez CH, Calasanti A, Evans CR, Ard K. Intersectional inequalities in industrial air toxics exposure in the United States. Health & Place. 2022.

Abstract

Environmental justice and health research demonstrate unequal exposure to environmental hazards at the neighborhood-level. We use an innovative method—eco-intersectional multilevel (EIM) modeling—to assess intersectional inequalities in industrial air toxics exposure across US census tracts in 2014. Results reveal stark inequalities in exposure across analytic strata, with a 45-fold difference in average exposure between most and least exposed. Low SES, multiply marginalized (high % Black, high % female-headed households) urban communities experienced highest risk. These inequalities were not described by additive effects alone, necessitating the use of interaction terms. We advance a critical intersectional approach to evaluating environmental injustices.

Last updated on 08/22/2022