Study of Environmental Impacts on Minority Populations

[Patricia Dines <73652.1202@CompuServe.COM>]

For your info.  P. Dines

P.S.  I feel it should be noted that, with the interconnectedness of the global
environment, this doesn't mean that being white and/or rich protects oneself....

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From: Rich Winkel, INTERNET:rich%pencil@VMA.CC.ND.EDU
Sender: o-imap@chumbly.math.missouri.edu
To: Patricia Dines, 73652,1202
Date: Sat, Dec 7, 1996, 4:34 PM
Subject: Study of Environmental Impacts on Minority Populations

/** headlines: 147.0 **/
** Written  9:28 AM  Dec  5, 1996 by newsdesk in cdp:headlines **
From: EcoNet Environmental Justice Desk <ejdesk@igc.apc.org>
Subject: study of environmental impacts on minority populations (fwd)

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: mienvcouncil@igc.apc.org
Subject: study of environmental impacts on minority populations
To: enviro-mich@igc.apc.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE            CONTACT: Elaine Hockman, (313) 577-4740
Tuesday, November 26, 1996                Charles Morris, (313) 283-9574

Study Finds Link between Incinerators, Minority Status and Cancer in Michigan

Detroit--A recent study has established a link between environmental
pollution, race, and cancer and low birth weight. Using both demographic
and housing data from the 1990 Census and locational data of major
pollution sources across the State of Michigan, Dr. Elaine Hockman,
Director of the Research Support Laboratory at Wayne State University and
Charles Morris, Graduate Student in Urban Planning at Wayne State, have
shown a strong link between various types of pollution sources and minority
status.

Although the data does not prove causation, it suggests a strong
association between race and pollution and human health problems that
should concern state and local policymakers, and spur protective actions,
the researchers said.

With State of Michigan zip codes as the unit of analysis Hockman and Morris
have used multivariate statistics to establish that:

1) Race is a consistent predictor of location of pollution sources, with
pollution sources occurring more often in minority areas.  However, other
socioeconomic and housing characteristics, other than income, also predict
environmental sources of contamination.  The drive time to work (shorter
time), the percent of home ownership (more renters), housing value, percent
on public assistance (greater percentage), number of persons per household
(fewer), vacant housing (less) and population density (greater) impact the
siting of pollution sources.  Minority racial status remains a major
contributor to spatial location near pollution sources, particularly
incinerators.

2) This study looked at multiple pollution sources simultaneously- the
listing of Leaking Underground Storage Tanks (LUST) for 1990, the lists of
Act 307 Hazardous Waste Sites for 1990 and 1995, the Toxic Release
Inventory (TRI) for 1989 and 1993, landfills for 1996, hazardous waste
treatment facilities for 1996, and listing of incinerators for 1996.
Hockman and Morris found that incinerators and LUST sites are more likely
to be associated with minority racial status and lower income than are
landfills and hazardous waste sites.

3) Despite all the publicity and State efforts to target hazardous waste
sites for cleanup, little cleanup is actually occurring.  Of the 1,961
sites that were on the Act 307 list for both 1990 and 1995 and had a
cleanup status indicator for both years, only 14% have shown any
improvement in status over that five year period.  Over 80% of the sites
have had no cleanup activity at all.  A surprising 6% of the sites report
slippage.  The good news for the State is that Hockman and Morris found no
evidence of racial of racial or class bias in the sites that had attention
to cleanup versus those that didn't.

4) Environmental pollution is associated with increased rates of suspected
environmental cancers (i.e. derived from reported new cases of cancer in
1987, 1990 and 1993) even when controls for age, population and household
density, and race were added.  In particular, the presence of incinerators
is associated with areas of higher cancer rates.  Environmental pollution
also impacts increased rates of low birth weight (<2,000 grams).

For copies of the report, contact Heckman via e-mail at
ehockma@cms.cc.wayne.edu or Morris at morriscm@earthlink.net.

Michigan Environmental Council
115 W. Allegan St., Suite 10B
Lansing, MI  48933
(517) 487-9539* FAX: (517) 487-9541
mec@mienv.org or mienvcouncil@igc.apc.org
WWW address:mienv.org

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Alex J. Sagady & Associates             Email:  asagady@sojourn.com
Environmental Consulting and Database Systems
PO Box 39
East Lansing, MI  48826-0039
(517) 332-6971 (voice); (517) 332-8987 (fax)
** End of text from cdp:headlines **

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