IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/jenvss/v11y2021i2d10.1007_s13412-021-00664-7.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Assessing residential socioeconomic factors associated with pollutant releases using EPA’s Toxic Release Inventory

Author

Listed:
  • Amanda T. Charette

    (State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry
    State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry)

  • Mary B. Collins

    (State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry
    State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry)

  • Jaime E. Mirowsky

    (State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry
    State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry)

Abstract

There is a large body of literature showing that minorities and people living in low-income households live disproportionately close to polluting industrial facilities across the United States. However, only limited work of this nature has been conducted in Upstate New York. In this study, we utilized hierarchical clustering to create seven residential clusters from four Upstate New York counties; each cluster was then spatially linked to the locations of the polluting facilities and the quantity of pollutants released. The largest numbers of facilities and the highest quantities of releases were located in two clusters described as primarily working class. The lowest numbers of facilities were located in the two clusters representing neighborhoods that were the most economically deprived and the most wealthy and educated. These findings suggest that, in addition to race and class as predictors of community-level contamination, other metrics of socioeconomic status might help clarify the complex landscape of environmental inequity.

Suggested Citation

  • Amanda T. Charette & Mary B. Collins & Jaime E. Mirowsky, 2021. "Assessing residential socioeconomic factors associated with pollutant releases using EPA’s Toxic Release Inventory," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 11(2), pages 247-257, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jenvss:v:11:y:2021:i:2:d:10.1007_s13412-021-00664-7
    DOI: 10.1007/s13412-021-00664-7
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s13412-021-00664-7
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s13412-021-00664-7?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Wilson, S.M. & Fraser-Rahim, H. & Williams, E. & Zhang, H. & Rice, L. & Svendsen, E. & Abara, W., 2012. "Assessment of the distribution of toxic release inventory facilities in metropolitan Charleston: An environmental justice case study," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 102(10), pages 1974-1980.
    2. Evans, G.W. & Marcynyszyn, L.A., 2004. "Environmental justice, cumulative environmental risk, and health among low- and middle-income children in upstate New York," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 94(11), pages 1942-1944.
    3. Ashley Pedigo & William Seaver & Agricola Odoi, 2011. "Identifying Unique Neighborhood Characteristics to Guide Health Planning for Stroke and Heart Attack: Fuzzy Cluster and Discriminant Analyses Approaches," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 6(7), pages 1-11, July.
    4. T. Robert Fetter & Michael Ash, 2002. "Who Lives on the Wrong Side of the Environmental Tracks? Evidence from the EPA's Risk-Screening Environmental Indicators Model," Working Papers wp50, Political Economy Research Institute, University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
    5. Seema Arora & Timothy N. Cason, 1999. "Do Community Characteristics Influence Environmental Outcomes? Evidence from the Toxics Release Inventory," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 65(4), pages 691-716, April.
    6. Susan L. Cutter & Danika Holm & Lloyd Clark, 1996. "The Role of Geographic Scale in Monitoring Environmental Justice," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 16(4), pages 517-526, August.
    7. Roberts, E.M., 1997. "Neighborhood social environments and the distribution of low birthweight in Chicago," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 87(4), pages 597-603.
    8. Cutter, S.L. & Scott, M.S. & Hill, A.A., 2002. "Spatial variability in toxicity indicators used to rank chemical risks," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 92(3), pages 420-422.
    9. Wolverton Ann, 2009. "Effects of Socio-Economic and Input-Related Factors on Polluting Plants' Location Decisions," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 9(1), pages 1-32, March.
    10. Reagan, Patricia B. & Salsberry, Pamela J., 2005. "Race and ethnic differences in determinants of preterm birth in the USA: broadening the social context," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 60(10), pages 2217-2228, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Amanda T. Charette & Dustin T. Hill & Mary B. Collins & Jaime E. Mirowsky, 2022. "Assessing the quantity and toxicity of chemical releases from TRI facilities in Upstate New York," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 12(3), pages 417-429, September.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Banzhaf, H. Spencer, 2011. "The Political Economy of Environmental Justice," MPRA Paper 101191, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Messer, Lynne C. & Vinikoor, Lisa C. & Laraia, Barbara A. & Kaufman, Jay S. & Eyster, Janet & Holzman, Claudia & Culhane, Jennifer & Elo, Irma & Burke, Jessica G. & O'Campo, Patricia, 2008. "Socioeconomic domains and associations with preterm birth," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 67(8), pages 1247-1257, October.
    3. Auger, Nathalie & Park, Alison L. & Gamache, Philippe & Pampalon, Robert & Daniel, Mark, 2012. "Weighing the contributions of material and social area deprivation to preterm birth," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(6), pages 1032-1037.
    4. Masi, Christopher M. & Hawkley, Louise C. & Harry Piotrowski, Z. & Pickett, Kate E., 2007. "Neighborhood economic disadvantage, violent crime, group density, and pregnancy outcomes in a diverse, urban population," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 65(12), pages 2440-2457, December.
    5. De Silva, Dakshina G. & McComb, Robert P. & Schiller, Anita R. & Slechten, Aurelie, 2021. "Firm behavior and pollution in small geographies," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 136(C).
    6. Zwickl, Klara & Ash, Michael & Boyce, James K., 2014. "Regional variation in environmental inequality: Industrial air toxics exposure in U.S. cities," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 494-509.
    7. Adam Eckerd & Heather Campbell & Yushim Kim, 2012. "Helping Those like Us or Harming Those unlike Us: Illuminating Social Processes Leading to Environmental Injustice," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 39(5), pages 945-964, October.
    8. Banzhaf, H. Spencer & Walsh, Randy, 2006. "Do People Vote with Their Feet? An Empirical Test of Environmental Gentrification," RFF Working Paper Series dp-06-10, Resources for the Future.
    9. Cole, Matthew A. & Elliott, Robert J.R. & Khemmarat, Khemrutai, 2013. "Local exposure to toxic releases: Examining the role of ethnic fractionalization and polarisation," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 249-259.
    10. Ncube, Collette N. & Enquobahrie, Daniel A. & Albert, Steven M. & Herrick, Amy L. & Burke, Jessica G., 2016. "Association of neighborhood context with offspring risk of preterm birth and low birthweight: A systematic review and meta-analysis of population-based studies," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 156-164.
    11. Chakraborti, Lopamudra & Shimshack, Jay P., 2022. "Environmental disparities in urban Mexico: Evidence from toxic water pollution," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    12. Carpenter, Angela & Wagner, Marcus, 2019. "Environmental justice in the oil refinery industry: A panel analysis across United States counties," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 159(C), pages 101-109.
    13. Kelly Maguire & Glenn Sheriff, 2011. "Comparing Distributions of Environmental Outcomes for Regulatory Environmental Justice Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 8(5), pages 1-20, May.
    14. Harrington, Donna Ramirez, 2012. "Two-stage adoption of different types of pollution prevention (P2) activities," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 34(3), pages 349-373.
    15. Donna Ramirez Harrington, 2013. "Effectiveness Of State Pollution Prevention Programs And Policies," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 31(2), pages 255-278, April.
    16. Schempf, Ashley & Strobino, Donna & O'Campo, Patricia, 2009. "Neighborhood effects on birthweight: An exploration of psychosocial and behavioral pathways in Baltimore, 1995-1996," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 68(1), pages 100-110, January.
    17. Saha, Shrawantee & Mohr, Robert D., 2013. "Media attention and the Toxics Release Inventory," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 284-291.
    18. Ann Wolverton, 2009. "The Role of Demographic and Cost-Related Factors in Determining Where Plants Locate - A Tale of Two Texas Cities," NCEE Working Paper Series 200903, National Center for Environmental Economics, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, revised Jun 2009.
    19. Hausman, Catherine & Stolper, Samuel, 2021. "Inequality, information failures, and air pollution," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 110(C).
    20. Ryan Johnson & Kim Ramsey-White & Christina H. Fuller, 2016. "Socio-demographic Differences in Toxic Release Inventory Siting and Emissions in Metro Atlanta," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-12, July.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:jenvss:v:11:y:2021:i:2:d:10.1007_s13412-021-00664-7. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.