Environmental Justice: Building a Unified Vision of Health and The
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Environmental Justice Environmental Justice: Building a Unified Vision of Health and the Environment Charles Lee Office of Environmental Justice, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, USA titled “Rebuilding the Unity of Health and The assorted and multidimensional concerns that give rise to the issue of environmental justice the Environment: A New Vision of have proved to be intellectually daunting and highly resistant to positive change. Low-income, Environmental Health for the 21st people of color, and tribal communities confronting environmental stressors are beset by stressors Century.” The purpose was to raise aware- in both the physical and social environments. For this reason, while the bifurcation of the public ness, promote community-based environ- health and environmental fields taking place over the past several decades has yielded generally mental health, and mold multidisciplinary negative impacts in areas of public health, environment, and planning, the consequences for low- partnerships to redefine and improve envi- income and disadvantaged communities have been especially grievous. This commentary builds ronmental health. IOM stated: on the recent Institute of Medicine workshop titled “Rebuilding the Unity of Health and the The goals of environmental health are to main- Environment: A New Vision of Environmental Health for the 21st Century.” The workshop tain a healthy, livable environment for humans organizers posited that only by thinking about environmental health on multiple levels will it be and other living species–an environment that possible to merge various strategies to protect both the environment and health. In this commen- promotes well being and a high quality of mental tary we examine how such a new vision of uniting public health and the environment can con- and physical health for its inhabitants. Responsible leadership requires that policy mak- tribute to attaining environmental justice for all populations. Key words: environmental justice, ers, health professionals, industry representatives, environmental policy, health disparities, minority health, planning, public health, socioeconomic and the general public all carry an expanded and status, sustainable communities. Environ Health Perspect 110(suppl 2):141–144 (2002). enhanced vision of environmental health forward http://ehpnet1.niehs.nih.gov/docs/2002/suppl-2/141-144lee/abstract.html into the 21st century. New approaches towards building environments that actively improve health will be required, including strategies to deal with waste, unhealthy buildings, urban con- The assorted and multidimensional concerns including genetic susceptibility, nutritional gestion, suburban sprawl, poor housing, poor that give rise to the issue of environmental status, other social or cultural factors, or in nutrition, and environmentally related stress. justice have proved to be intellectually the case of children, the vulnerability of devel- daunting and highly resistant to positive oping systems to environmental insult. The workshop brought together a broad change. On one hand, people of color, Distressed communities also suffer from frag- group of representatives, including business tribal, and low-income communities often mented social fabric and psychosocial and cul- leaders; economists; architects; urban plan- suffer adverse and disproportionate exposure tural stressors. Although the effects of stress ners; engineers; public health, environmen- to environmental and occupational toxins. occur individually, cumulatively they may tal, and social scientists; clergy; educators; Most of these negative impacts have yet to often acquire new dimensions (19–27). and citizens to share and discuss their views be documented. However, the emerging lit- Addressing these concerns will require on the elements for a healthful environment. erature on this subject has begun to conclu- the articulation of new visions, new strate- The workshop organizers posited that only sively document serious environmental gies, new models, and new partnerships. by thinking about environmental health on inequities in the areas of lead poisoning; air Environmental justice encompasses many multiple levels will it be possible to merge pollution and ambient air quality; ground- concepts. These range from community- various strategies to protect both the water contamination and drinking water based research to sustainable communities environment and health (33). safety; proximity to noxious facilities, min- (28–30). More often than not, issues of envi- ing waste and nuclear plants; location of ronmental justice comprise a complex web of Environmental Justice municipal landfills, incinerators, and aban- public health, environmental, economic, and The issues and ideas that gave birth to the doned toxic waste sites; placement of trans- social concerns. Given the multiple stressors IOM workshop are highly consonant with portation thoroughfares; illegal dumping; that impact low-income, people of color, and and closely related to the issues and ideas occupational health and safety; use of agri- tribal communities, such groups do not have embodied in the concept of environmental cultural chemicals; contaminated fish con- the luxury of addressing one issue at a time. justice. The concept of environmental justice sumption; habitat destruction; cleanup of They require holistic, integrative, and unify- has itself undergone significant maturation Superfund sites; and unequal enforcement of ing strategies that address social, economic, in the short time that it has existed. In 1979, environmental laws (1–18). and health improvement simultaneously. On the other hand, these populations For this reason, while the bifurcation of the This article is part of the monograph Advancing tend to be more susceptible and vulnerable by public health and environmental fields tak- Environmental Justice through Community-Based virtue of the social environment. Factors such ing place over the past several decades has Participatory Research. as economic distress and low socioeconomic yielded generally negative impacts in areas of Address correspondence to C. Lee, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Mail Code 2201-A, status (SES) contribute to the impact of these public health, environment, and planning Washington, DC 20460 USA. Telephone: (202) exposures as well as act independently to (31,32), the consequences for low-income 564-2597. Fax: (202) 501-1163. E-mail: lower health status. Exposure to toxic envi- and disadvantaged communities have been [email protected] ronmental and occupational agents can have especially grievous. The views expressed in this article are solely those different effects in individuals differing in age, of the author. No official support or endorsement SES, ethnic background, gender, and genetic Institute of Medicine by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or Workshop any other agency of the federal government is composition. Some subsets of the population intended or should be inferred. are inherently more susceptible to cellular or On 20–21 June 2000, the Institute of Received 13 August 2001; accepted 11 January genetic damage for a number of reasons, Medicine (IOM) conducted a workshop 2002. Environmental Health Perspectives • VOLUME 110 | SUPPLEMENT 2 | April 2002 141 Environmental Justice • Lee an African American community in important contributions to the understanding Integrated Environmental Justice Action Houston, Texas, filed suit to prevent the sit- of the profound value of public participation Agenda, the IWG seeks to nurture and pro- ing of a solid waste landfill in Bean v. and accountability in formulating public pol- mote collaborative models for achieving Southwestern Waste Management (34). In icy and environmental decision making. It has environmental justice. The Action Agenda 1982, the predominantly African American significantly expanded the discourse concern- attempts to target and focus the varied community in Warren County, North ing public health and environmental risks to resources of federal agencies in conjunction Carolina, protested the siting of a polychlori- include issues of multiple, cumulative, and with local partnerships to address commu- nated biphenyl (PCB) landfill. This incident synergistic risk. It has pressed for a new para- nity-based environmental, health, and brought together the environmental and civil digm for conducting community-driven sci- livability concerns (39). rights communities and sparked national ence and holistic, placed-based, systems wide The centerpiece of the Environmental attention. It gave rise to the landmark 1987 environmental protection. It is searching for Justice Action Agenda includes 15 environ- United Church of Christ study Toxic Wastes concepts and tools that are at the same time mental justice demonstration projects in and Race in the United States (6). These holistic, bottom-up, community-based, diverse urban, rural, and tribal communities events provided impetus for the emerging multi-issue, cross-cutting, interdependent, in virtually all regions of the nation, includ- awareness about environmental conditions integrative, and unifying. ing Puerto Rico and Alaska. These demon- in low-income, people of color, and tribal stration projects are intended to a) promote communities. A groundswell of activity Implications federal support of solutions that begin in the around a vast array of issues began to take A useful starting point for examining how community and remain in the community; place within such communities,