8.7.3: Environmental Conditions
Although environmental health deserves its own chapter, it’s important to recognize the unjust influence that environmental factors have on particular neighborhoods and communities. Historically, we have many examples of environmental hazards like drinking water contaminated with lead, hazardous waste disposal, and high levels of pollution in neighborhoods with majority black, hispanic, and/or indigenous populations, or high levels of poverty. To make matters worse, there are just as many stories detailing the obstruction of investigations, delays in notifying residents and providing safe alternatives, or refusals to hold accountable those responsible for environmental disasters. Advocating for healthy and safe neighborhoods for all is a priority of the environmental justice movement.