Category: Sustainability and Society

Author: Jayla Cornelius ’23

Crumbling pipes and tainted water have continued to plague communities of color across the nation. The subsequent lead poisoning that comes with the corrosion of these lead pipes is at the forefront of the conversation around environmental justice issues. 

In places like Milwaukee, Wisconsin, we see the detrimental effects of this lead poisoning. 2018 Wisconsin blood testing data for children under the age of six were collected into a report by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. The results are alarming; in certain jurisdictions, the percent of children with more than 5 mcg/dL of lead in their blood is as high as 9.5%. This proves to be a significant anomaly from the expected percentage when we look at the many other jurisdictions in Wisconsin with less than 4%.

This disproportionate variation between the lead poisoning of children in different jurisdictions can, of course, have many contributing factors not associated with environmental racism. However, a 2019 study done at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee reported that “the risk of elevated childhood blood lead levels is greatest in majority non-White Milwaukee County neighborhoods with high poverty and low homeownership.” The Milwaukee Common Council is now trying to address the obvious unfair circumstances that put communities of color in a more vulnerable position when it comes to lead exposure. “Not only do we have inequities for risk for children in Milwaukee, but that’s been compounded by a lack of access to services for children whose blood lead levels fall between 5 µg/dL and 20 µg/dL,” Hellen Meier, associate professor at UWM, says. The Coalition on Lead Emergency’s (COLE) chair, Rev. Dennis Jacobsen, says that more efforts are being made to create programs that certify that properties are lead-safe before they are rented out to people, particularly in low-income or BIPOC neighborhoods.

How harmful is lead actually?

Lead is a very harmful poison that has the ability to affect almost every organ in a child’s body. Even when blood lead levels are at the lowest measurable values, the toxin can still compromise the child’s reproductive, neurological, and cardiovascular systems. Depending on the amount and duration of exposure, lead can cause “gastrointestinal disturbances”, such as anorexia, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Lead also has concerning effects on a child’s neurological development. Researchers say that, globally, lead accounts for approximately 10 percent of intellectual disability cases that are categorized to have an unknown origin. A 2009 study also estimated that up to one in four cases of ADHD amongst 8 to 15-year-old children may be attributed to lead poisoning. These statistics make the regulation and mitigation of lead exposure even more pertinent as it shows the serious impact lead has on the physical and neurological development of young children all over the world.

How are we working towards mitigating this issue?

The long-term solution to ending this harmful exposure to lead is to replace the lead pipes that are corroding and causing this neurotoxin to be digested in people’s drinking water. However, the dismantling and replacement of this lead-based pipeline infrastructure would take years and a large budget. The more feasible option is to figure out how much lead is actually coming into people’s homes through tap water so we can find more effective ways to mitigate this issue. This past October of 2020, researchers from the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis officially came up with a solution using acid. Senior Elizabeth Johnson and graduate student Weiyi Pan tried many different methods but eventually discovered that slowly passing an acidic solution through a commercial filter would free 100% of the lead captured by that filter. They have come up with the most accurate method to date that would help researchers collect data to see just how much lead would be potentially entering households. 

In the conclusion of their research report, the scientists stated that “additional experiments are needed regarding different tap water conditions and PbO2 solids.” They encouraged residents to send their used filters to laboratories so more in-depth data could be taken in a variety of conditions. These field studies would help researchers and utilities select reliable methods for analyzing Pb exposure and corrosion control effectiveness in the pipeline infrastructure. With this new method, we could potentially move one step closer to mitigating the lead exposure amongst young children and lessen the harmful effects it has on their development. 

To get involved and for more information visit: 

http://coalitiononleademergency.org/

https://city.milwaukee.gov/LeadSafeMKE

https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/lead/clppp-info.htm

Author: Francesca DiMare ’23

One of the defining features of environmental injustice is that disadvantaged communities often take on a disproportionate share of environmental impacts, despite not being at fault. This unfortunate trend can be seen on a very local level by comparing Trenton and Princeton.  Though only a 20-minute drive apart, these two communities have tremendously different levels of privilege and share very different levels of environmental burden. This post will use US Census Data and the EPA’s EJSCREEN – a tool designed to facilitate environmental justice mapping and screening – to explore this trend. 

The difference between the number of people of color and the median income in Princeton and Trenton is stark. Some key statistics, including the percentage of Black or African American people, the percent of people of Hispanic or Latino origin, the percent of persons in poverty, and the median family income, have been summarized in the table below.

            Princeton and Trenton Demographic Comparison

	Princeton	Trenton
Black or African American, percent	5.7%	49.5%
Hispanic or Latino, percent	7.5%	38.1%
Persons in Poverty, percent	7.8%	28.7%
Median Family Income	$137,672	$35,402

As seen above, Trenton has more than 8 times a greater Black population than Princeton, and nearly 1/4^th the median family income. Unfortunately, it is communities like Trenton that are low income and underrepresented populations which often face the brunt of negative environmental impacts.

EJSCREEN pools publicly available data to explore the intersection of environmental and demographic indicators. Of the program’s 11 environmental indicators, 5 revealed immediately visible differences between Princeton and Trenton. I generated maps to highlight these differences, which can be viewed in full at the end of the document.

In short, Trenton residents face an increased potential for lead exposure, an increased risk of being exposed to an accidental chemical release, higher levels of diesel particulate matter in the air, increased negative impacts of living near highly trafficked roads, and an increased chance of encountering hazardous waste due to proximity to a hazardous waste treatment facility. Additional information on these environmental indicators can be found in the technical documentation for EJSCREEN.

All of the disproportionate environmental burdens mentioned are associated with adverse health effects, such as increased risks of cancer, cardiovascular disease, neurological damage, and more.

Unfortunately, Princeton University is not guiltless when it comes to this environmental justice issue. The waste we produce across campus is sent to the Trenton area landfill, and our tiger transit buses are stored in Trenton overnight without servicing any communities along the way. In this way, we are directly contributing to the disproportionate environmental burden between Princeton and Trenton. To Princeton students, waste magically disappears after it is thrown down a trash chute or collected by Facilities staff. Unfortunately, this is not the case for the people who live near these landfills and must face all associated environmental and health impacts directly – even when it is not their waste.

As the university rapidly develops and expands, it is becoming increasingly urgent to recognize and address our shortcomings when it comes to environmental justice. We should be supporting and uplifting nearby communities – not standing in their way.

There is undoubtedly a long way to go in tackling the disproportionate environmental impacts faced by underrepresented communities. The Office of Sustainability recently released a draft environmental justice framework, which lays out short- and long-term action items for addressing environmental justice issues. The framework also invites feedback from all members of the campus community. This call to action is a start, but we are only at the beginning of a very long road, and making progress will require many different perspectives.

Author: Jayla Cornelius ’23

Sometimes, people may have the misconception that environmental justice communities are determined by socio-economic class rather than race. However, according to data collected by researchers, upper-income (app. $180,000+) Black communities in Pennsylvania are twice as likely to live near an existing power plant than the whitest, lower-income neighborhoods. Additionally, 85 percent of Pennsylvania’s power plants are located in neighborhoods with more low income and Black families than the state median. The fact that these facilities are located in Black communities is not an accident — it derives from centuries of racist policies, and it severely affects the quality of life for individuals in these communities. 

The two counties in Pennsylvania with the largest African American populations, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh’s Allegheny County, have the highest risk of asthma in the state, which is largely due to prolonged exposure to high levels of ozone and particulate matter. Within smaller communities in Philadelphia, African Americans endure some of the highest particulate pollution in the country along with the highest rate of childhood asthma hospitalizations. 

Dr. Sharelle Barber, an assistant research professor at Drexel University, confirms the origin of these health disparities noting the “striking racial inequalities, especially for Blacks” that are “rooted in structural racism.” Similar patterns are seen in national statistics because, while majority-Black counties account for only 30 percent of the U.S. population, they were the location of 56 percent of COVID-19 deaths.

The wrongs of environmental injustice against communities of color is a serious issue and must be addressed. The racist placement of these power plants reinforces the notion of infrastructural racism that, in this case, could possibly lead to the premature deaths of many. We must work hard to keep our communities safe and healthy, especially during this difficult time riddled with the COVID-19 global pandemic and social injustice. 

There is still hope, however. Local advocates and members of grassroots organizations continue to lobby and push for environmental justice reform. See the links below if you are interested in learning more and getting involved!

https://www.dep.pa.gov/PublicParticipation/OfficeofEnvironmentalJustice/Pages/PA-Environmental-Justice-Areas.aspx

https://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/tag/environmental-justice/

Author: Grace Liu ‘23

What comes to mind when you hear Environmental Justice (EJ)? Do you picture images of clean water and green forests? Or do you imagine thriving communities with healthy residents? For me, the notion of EJ was always kind of fuzzy, but I was interested in learning more, so I helped facilitate a week-long wintersession workshop on the topic. Every day we met for a few hours to listen to presentations, discuss in small groups, or work on a group project. 

By the end of the workshop, I was able to better grasp the complexity of environmental justice issues, and I wanted to share a few takeaways that I got from the experience. 

• Environmental justice is a collective issue, which affects all people on a personal level, both directly and indirectly.
• While environmental organizations prioritize the natural environment, environmental justice organizations prioritize communities and intersect heavily with social justice movements. As a result, the two can sometimes be in conflict (e.g. carbon offset purchases displacing indigenous populations).
• For anyone who wants to get involved, it’s important not to impose solutions since EJ communities have historically been sidelined by “outside help”. The community’s voice must be heard and supported with external resources.
• Since most environmental issues are related to environmental justice, it is beneficial to view these issues through an EJ lens. Only in this way can we can consider the complexity of the systems we’ve built and how they affect communities. 

For our project, my amazing small group (Jackie Lydon ‘24, Ayame Whitfield ‘21) and I made a tree that symbolized the EJ movement. The roots represent attitudes and motivations, the trunk represents methods and actions, and the leaves represent desired outcomes.

While I’ve barely scratched the surface of these important issues, I think I’ve gained a better understanding of the complexity that goes into environmental decision-making. If you would like to learn more about environmental justice, please check out the Princeton Indigenous Advocacy Coalition (non-indigenous students welcome) or New Jersey Student Climate Advocates (NJSCA).