Term Paper on "Pollution Inequity in Poor Communities"

Term Paper 10 pages (3081 words) Sources: 16 Style: MLAApril 28, 2020

[EXCERPT] . . . .

The Problem of Pollution and Poor Neighborhoods: How Air Pollution Affects People

Introduction

It is well-documented that air pollutants have a negative effect on people’s health. While the adverse effects can potentially plague the entire body, it is generally the lungs that are punished most. Emphysema, bronchitis, and asthma are all directly correlated with long-term exposure to the pollutant nitrogen dioxide, or “NO2“. NO2 is a pollutant released from fuel combustion, meaning nearly all automobiles, busses, power plants, and off-road equipment are constantly pumping the gas into the air we breathe. It is also well-documented that poorer areas in urban environments are nearer to busy freeways, highly trafficked streets, and large factories and plants that produce massive amounts of air pollutants. People living in poorer neighborhoods are more consistently exposed to air pollution and are therefore more likely to develop health problems.

The Problem of the Built Environment

Part of the problem of the built environment is that these environments are not always built with all the needs of human beings in mind. Human beings need green space, safe parks and playgrounds where they can get outdoor exercise, and clean air to breathe. But if one looks at an urban area like downtown Louisville, one finds abandoned buildings close together, little green space, and lots of air pollution from the incessant stream of traffic on the city’s roads and highways. The built environment of poor neighborhoods in urban areas, in other words, was created to facilitate business and transportation—commerce—rather than to facilitate that healthy lifestyle that human beings need to survive.

Air pollution, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) under the guidance of the World Health Organization (WHO) is a leading “cancer-causing agent” in the industrialized world (Simon). Wealthy communities like Burbank, California, do not have the same problem: they are designed not so much for profit as they are for peace and comfort. There is plenty of fresh air and green space and the neighborhoods are safe. The people there can also afford to buy electric vehicles (EVs), which produce no air pollution because they have no exhaust; they run on battery power. Thus, the air is easier to breathe and the cancer causing agents identified by the WHO are less likely to be found in the air of such neighborhoods.

However, where the parts for these EVs are made—or any car for that matter—production areas like Detroit, Michigan, for instance—are polluted and poor. The environments are completely the opposite of the plush neighborhoods like Burbank. Detroit is a town built for business and the built environment reflects this reality: polluted air and streets, factories producing cars, and so on: it all contributes to a polluted environment that is toxic for the poor, working class people who spend their lives slaving away in these environments. Setting aside the exhaust of the automobile that pollutes the streets of cities like Detroit (as opposed to the streets of places like Burbank where the people tend to drive EVs), one can point to the parts that are manufactured in the urban areas and how the production of these parts contribute to the spoliation of the environment. Even the parts of the automobile, for example, such as the plastic exterior and interior parts rely on a great deal of petroleum, which is not just used for gas but is always used in the manufacturing of plastics, moldings, etc. Today’s cars have on average about 260 lbs of plastic on them, which equates to about 130 gallons of oil (Schirber). Thus, even those people who think they are saving the environment in Burbank by driving EVs are still making it worse for others in other parts of the world where the parts for their EVs are manufactured. Big oil companies are still needed to produce the EVs that these people love to drive—and what it does not mean is that driving an EV is really any better for the environment than driving an internal combustion engine vehicle—at least for now. What Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, and many Tesla fans argue is that in the future, the EV will have zero carbon footprint and there will be more reliance on renewable energy sources for electricity and less dependency on petroleum for car parts (Berndt). Yet, that would mean replacing the energy infrastructure of the US, which could cost trillions of dollars and is seen by many as unrealistic (Natter).

Another problem faced in such urban areas where spatial design has focused on maximizing space for the purposes of business is that these areas’ planners have not taken into consideration the health needs of the population or those of the health care providers who have to have a safe facility in which they can operate in order to provide access to care for the people in these environments. Access to care is considered a significant issue in the US because the market is mixed. The Affordable Care Act was meant to improve supply and get 20 million more people signed up for government subsidized plans or for private insurance. Access to care remains an issue, however, because of the fact that in many states Advanced Practice Registered Nurses are still obliged to practice under the supervision of doctors, even though they have been trained and certified to be able to practice independently. This creates a situation in which supply is constrained by outdated laws (IOM; O’Brien). In the UK, France and Japan, supply is available but because of the single-payer system that ensures care for everyone, delays are inevitable and obtaining care through the public system can cause long waits (Carroll, Frakt). In India, supply is found in urban areas but is greatly reduced in rural regions. In the US, the problem is that poor neighborhoods are not made to attract many in the services or health services industry because there is not any money to be made. These areas are designed to be urban ghettoes for the working class. The big health facilities are found in larger suburbs, where the upper middle class with health insurance and who are in the habit of getting health check-ups and treatments can be found. Thus it is not just a matter of how the design of the urban area is conceived but also a matter of how the economics of the area are to be considered. Wealthy urban areas can be created and access to care can be found in them—like in New York—but in urban ghettoes the conception has failed to consider factors like the economic incentive of businesses to operated in these areas, which only makes matters worse, and prevents people in poor neighborhoods from having the access to care they require. The problem of the built environment is thus one that cannot be examined in isolation from other disciplines, such as economics and business and politics, for they are all integrated in society.

The Health Impacts

If the COVID 19 pandemic has shown anything it is what can happen when fewer people in these neighborhoods are out driving on the streets or when fewer factories are introducing pollution into the air: the pollution disappears and the air becomes cleaner (Ellis-Petersen). How these same communities fare once life returns to normal, however, is another story altogether. The factories are likely to return to full production, the streets are likely to be overwhelmed with traffic once more, and the air pollution is likely to increase back to toxic levels.

As Kravitz-Wirtz points out, these levels of pollution increase health risks such as asthma. Indeed, the research shows that early-life exposures to NO2, a marker of traffic-related pollution, and fine particulate matter PM2.5, “a mixture of industrial and other pollutants, are positively associated with subsequent childhood asthma diagnosis” (Kravitz-Wirtz 1114). These findings have been borne out by multiple other studies around the nation—particularly in regions where pollution is high, like the San Fernando Valley region. Stillbirths, congenital heart defects, maternal diabetes and preterm births have all been associated with air pollution in this region (Padula et al.). And as Connolly points out, a high rate of mortality has also been linked with air pollution in the Valley. It is believed and argued by Connolly that the reduction of PM2.5 could lead to a reduction in the loss of life in the poorer neighborhoods of the Valley. The problem is that it is difficult for these neighborhoods to get the support they need because they do not contribute much to the overall economy. The cities that get the most investment and that are planned and spatially designed to be most supportive of health are the ones where wealth is concentrated. Poor neighborhoods are essentially left to flounder and to dither on their own in whatever makeshift, haphazard way they come into existence. Planning and foresight are not considerable factors in their development.

The Hewlett Foundation has shown that among people who are 30+ in age, there are approximately… READ MORE

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