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Harrisburg, PA
EBIC's first GIS project emerged
out of a request from the Harrisburg Area Branch of the National Association
for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to investigate a proposed medical
waste disposal facility. The NAACP branch was concerned about the fact that
the proposed site for this large-scale operation was located adjacent to a
very low income, predominantly minority neighborhood.
EBIC's demographic analysis yielded the following
information:
- According to1990 census data, the statewide median household income of Pennsylvania is $29,069 and the racial composition is 88.5% white, 9.2% black, and 2.0% Hispanic. In Dauphin County, where Harrisburg is located, the median household income of $30,985 and the racial composition is 82.4% white, 15.0% black, and 2.5% Hispanic (see map 1.1). These statistics reveal that the state and county populations are roughly equivalent in terms of income and race.
- Harrisburg City has a median household income of $20,329 and a racial composition of 42.6% white, 50.6% black, and 7.7% Hispanic (see map 1.2). Within a 0.5 mile radius of the proposed site, there are 5 census block group centroids representing 2,648 people. The median household income for this half mile radius is $20,368 and the racial composition is 13.7% white, 80.9% black, and 7.4% Hispanic (see map 1.3). These figures show an increasing minority population and a decreasing median household income as we move into Harrisburg City and closer to the proposed facility.
- The census block group that is directly adjacent to the proposed facility at 1745 Cameron St. contains 1,171 people. Here the median household income is $5,974, which is only about one fifth of the median household income average for both the state and the county. Of the residents in this block group, only 10.5% are white, while 81.4% are black and 12.0% are Hispanic. Another interesting characteristic of this population is that there is a relatively large percentage of children. 37.5 % of this population is under 10 years of age, as compared to 13.3% statewide, 13.6% countywide, and 16.4% citywide and 23.7% within 0.5 miles (see map 1.4).
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Rochester, NY
EBIC's second GIS project arose when the Citizens Environmental Coalition in Medina, NY contacted us with concerns about toxic emissions form Eastman Kodak Company. In terms of toxic emissions, Eastman Kodak's Rochester facility was the number one polluter in Monroe County, the most polluted county in New York State. Eastman Kodak released over 64 different toxic chemicals on a regular basis. This includes over 6.5 million pounds of toxic air pollutants and 600,000 pounds of toxic water pollutants released in 1996 (the most recent year for which data was available). Kodak released over 2.4 million pounds of the carcinogen dichloromethane into the air in 1996. In addition to these releases there are numerous EPA reports of accidental spills.
Geographic analysis of the surrounding communities, illustrated in maps 2.1 through 2.6, revealed the following:
- According to the 1990 Census, over 20,000 people, representing a broad diversity of races, classes and ages, live within a mile of the Kodak facility. These people are especially susceptible to the effects of "fugitive" air pollutants which escape from unidentified locations around the plant. There were over 500,000 pounds of fugitive air emissions from Kodak in 1996 (see map 2.2).
- The census block groups within a half mile of the Kodak facility contain a higher than average concentration of children under the age of 10, when compared to the rest of the block groups in Monroe County. There are also three schools located less than a half mile from the facility(see maps 2.1 and 2.5).
- Other groups of sensitive and/or disadvantaged populations also reside in or just outside the one mile radius, including elderly, minority, and impoverished people (see maps 2.3, 2.4 and 2.6). For instance, map 2.3 shows that most of the block groups within a half-mile radius of the Kodak plant have incomes that are significantly below the average for block groups in Monroe County, which is $33,518. Map 2.6 shows that higher concentrations of elderly residents are clustered near the edge of the half-mile radius on the eastern side. Notice that the poorest block group has a relatively high concentration of elderly citizens at 29.2%. This block group would certainly represent a high risk population for health problems that could be exacerbated by exposure to the types of chemicals that Kodak routinely releases.
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Birmingham, AL
EBIC’’s third GIS project was requested by the Acmar/Moody Environmental Justice Society in Alabama. These citizens raised concerns over the Acmar landfill, a large, solid waste disposal facility located in Moody, Alabama just outside of Birmingham. The landfill operation was responsible for the uncontrolled release of pollutants into nearby waterways. EBIC’’s corporate research revealed that the landfill was being operated in violation of the law by individuals with criminal records. Federal authorities had linked these operators with New York area organized crime figures.
The Acmar landfill study demonstrates how GIS analysis can be used to help citizens visualize the environmental and social consequences of a dangerous waste disposal operation. This research project helped EBIC document how environmental crimes can impact a broad range of human populations crossing class and race lines.
The GIS analysis yielded the following information:
- Map 3.1 shows the statewide context for the study area. Moody is in the Southwest corner of St. Clair County which places it on the border of Shelby and Jefferson Counties. Based on 1996 figures, St. Clair, Jefferson, and Shelby counties have estimated populations of 88,000, 662,000 and 127,000, respectively. Jefferson County, where Birmingham is located, is the most populated county in Alabama (map 3.1A). Jefferson County also has the largest minority population in the state, whereas St. Clair and Shelby counties have two of the smallest minority populations in the state (map 3.1C).
- St. Clair County is a relatively affluent and has one of the lowest rates of poverty in the state (map 3.1B). In terms of median household income, all three counties are fairly well-to-do. In fact, Shelby County has one of the highest median household incomes in the state (map 3.1D).
- Moody is in the Southwest corner of St. Clair County which places it on the border of Shelby and Jefferson Counties. Leeds, Alabama, in Jefferson County abuts Moody in St. Clair and Chelsea abuts Moody in Shelby County (maps 3.2 and 3.5). The landfill in Moody sits between two branches of Big Black Creek. These two branches feed into the Cahaba River. The Cahaba runs southwest along the border of Leeds and Trussville and from there along the southern border of Birmingham. The intake for Birmingham’s water supply is on the Cahaba River about 14.5 miles as the crow flies from the Acmar Landfill (maps 3.3 and 3.5).
- The Cahaba river is Birmingham’s water supply, and, in turn, Birmingham supplies water to Moody. Thus an illegal landfill operation has been taking place directly in the watershed for the drinking water supply for Birmingham and Moody (maps 3.3 and 3.5). Put differently, a landfill with a history of legal violations and alleged ties to organized crime is being operated in the water supply for the largest population segment in the state - with the highest minority population in the state - as well as the water supply for an affluent municipality in one of the more affluent, whitest counties in the state (see map 3.4) . The Cahaba river also flows through some of the most affluent neighborhoods in Birmingham (map 3.3).
The Acmar landfill study demonstrates how GIS analysis can be used to
help citizens visualize the environmental and social consequences of a dangerous
waste disposal operation. This research project helped EBIC document
how environmental crimes can impact a broad range of human populations crossing
class and race lines.
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 Three county area detail % minority fig3-5.JPG 153.07 Kb |
New Orleans, LA
EEBIC’’s fourth GIS project was conducted at the request of the Louisiana Chapter of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN). Our mapping analysis focused on twelve industrial facilities in Jefferson and Orleans Parishes and the census block groups in their immediate vicinity. The purpose of this project was to aid in an effort to build a labor/community coalition on environmental issues. The overall goal was to summarize the demographic data of the communities adjacent to the industrial facilities and to combine this with environmental data on each facility. The environmental data included emissions, storage and transport of hazardous waste, and spills. We also provided general background information about chemicals being released.
The combination of GIS and environmental analysis was summarized using three separate “focus areas” or clusters of facilities. Sample maps for one of the focus areas are shown in maps 4.1 through 4.5. The analysis resulted in the following findings :
- 11 of the 12 facilities examined were located in or adjacent to block groups in which a significantly higher percentage of the population is composed of minorities than the parishes as a whole.
- 11 of the 12 facilities were located in or adjacent to block groups with significantly higher poverty levels than the parishes as a whole.
- All of the facilities have large numbers (greater than 15 for each) of schools and churches within a 2.5 mile radius.
- 5 of the twelve facilities were located in or adjacent to block groups that contained a significantly higher proportion of the elderly (over age 65) or of children (under age 10). These populations are especially vulnerable to toxic pollution.
In response to our continued work with them, Beulah Labostrie, LA-ACORNS’s president said, “They think that ACORN has Philadelphia lawyers helping us out. They are very close, because we do have Pennsylvania’s best minds–from the Environmental Background Information Center!”
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Chester, PA
(click for the full draft
report)
EBIC was invited by the Chester
Residents Concerned for Quality Living to examine the community structure
of Chester, Pennsylvania using GIS to help visualize demographic conditions
in communities impacted by manufacturing and waste disposal facilities. The
results show that the facilities in Delaware County and Chester are located
in areas wiht high percentages of people living in poverty and people of minority
status with low levels of educational attainment. According to the 1990 Census,
- Chester City is the fourth largest municipality in Delaware County. The city has the highest percentage of minority residents and the highest poverty rate in the county. Chester has the lowest median income, the third lowest rate of home ownership, and one of the lowest rates of educational attainment in the county.
- 7.6 % of the population of Delaware County lives in Chester City. 10.1%
of the population of Delaware County lives in 5 municipalities centered
around Chester (Chester City, Chester Township, Eddystone, Trainer, and
Upland). There are 49 separate municipal divisions in Delaware County so
those five municipalities constitute 10% of the municipalities in the county.
- 9 of 25 manufacturing facilities in Delaware County are in Chester and an additional 7 are within 1 1/4 miles of the city limits in Chester Township, Eddystone, Trainer and Upland. Almost all chemical emissions from manufacturing activity in Delaware County in 1995 (90.7%), came from these manufacturing facilities. 41.7 % of all minority residents in Delaware County live in those municipalities. 32.1% of the persons living in poverty live in those 5 communities.
- The fourth largest trash incinerator in the United States is located in Chester, next door to a shuttered medical waste facility and the Sewage Treatment Plant for the entire county. 9900 people live within 1 mile of this complex of waste disposal operations. 67.8 % are minority, 27.4% are living in poverty.
Click on the
Map to see a Larger Version
 Toxic Facilities in Chester, PA chester1.jpg 112.48 Kb |
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 Education and Proximity to Toxic Releases chester3.jpg 72.14 Kb |
 Poverty and Proximity to Toxic Releases chester4.jpg 57.95 Kb |
 Minority Status and Proximiy to Toxic Releases chester5.jpg 62.16 Kb |
 Chester, Delaware Cty: Demographic Profile chesterchart1.jpg 55.90 Kb |
 Chester Infant Health Outcomes chesterchart2.jpg 61.71 Kb |
 Delaware Cty Proximity to Toxic Releases chesterchart3.jpg 74.02 Kb |
 Chester Mortality Rates chesterchart4.jpg 43.05 Kb |
This project is being developed for the Pennsylvania Environmental Network. It is an analysis of the spatial relationship between the distribution of human population, sources of environmental risks, and major transportation routes. The project is aimed at the problem of environmental justice in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Preliminary results reveal interesting details which we believe add to our understanding of the origins and dimensions of social inequality. Our data shows inequality at multiple levels of geographic scale but not at all scales. Finer geographic units of scale tend to undercut the arguement that polluting facitilities are located in poor and minority neighborhoods. However, these finer scale analyses actually redirect social inequality more precise spatial analysis lines. We believe this approach also advances the use of Geographic Information Systems in the understanding of important human social problems.
Preliminary findings of this analysis tell us that proximity
to transportation routes is closely related to the presence of sources of
environmental risk. (Here risk is “indicated” by facilities reporting
the release of toxic chemicals to the EPA’s Toxic Release Inventory and
facilities permitted to handle hazardous waste under the Resource Conservation
and Recovery Act.) These findings imply that a thorough inquiry
into issues of environmental equity should look at the convergence of these
phenomena and their relationship to the distribution of human populations.
A thorough analysis should also be prepared to address multiple levels of
scale and should be explicit about how research decisions regarding the
design of the analytical model impact the results of the analysis.
Appalachian Clearcutting
EBIC assists groups such as the Allegheny Defense Project
(ADP) in demonstrating environmental degradation at the ecosystem level.
GIS technology, together with environmental data made publicly available
by government agencies, can be used to illustrate such problems as water
contamination, forest decline, loss of wetlands and open space, and
the disappearance of species. When ecosystem data is used together
with socioeconomic and business information, it becomes possible to demonstrate
the social consequences of environmental degradation and dispel the
myth that ecological preservation is incompatible with economic prosperity.
ADP requested EBIC to provide maps to support its efforts to have
the Tionesta Natural Area upgraded to a federally protected wilderness area.
We are currently helping them develop a rationale for the proposed
boundary of the new area based on watershed boundaries. We are also
contributing a calculation of the mileage of existing roads in the area
as well as a few specific maps for a paper they seek to have published in
Natural Areas Journal to call attention to the issue.
Human Health
Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice
The health survey form was designed and circulated by members of Organized Northeasterners/Clay Hill and North End (ONE/CHANE) of Hartford under a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. ONE/CHANE is a neighborhood organization based in the North End of Hartford. It is affiliated with the Hartford Environmental Justice Network (HEJN). HEJN is a coalition of twenty-two health and neighborhood organizations and the local affiliate of the Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice (CCEJ). CCEJ is an umbrella group for a network of grassroots activists working in urban areas of Connecticut on local environmental issues (see Appendix II for a description).
The Coalition works with regional groups such as the Toxics Action Center (TAC). It was through the course of two conferences in Connecticut and Massachusetts hosted by the TAC that the CCEJ's Dr. Mark Mitchell met and began working with Dr. Brian Lipsett of the Environmental Background Information Center (EBIC). Dr. Mitchell is President of CCEJ, a director on the Greater Hartford Hispanic Health Council, and former director of the Hartford Health Department. He has a MD from the University of Missouri and a Masters in Public Health from Johns Hopkins. Brian Lipsett is organizing director of the EBIC and has a PhD in Administration of Justice from Penn State University.
Results
Dr. Mitchell and CCEJ derived preliminary results from the
analysis which showed that asthma is fairly evenly distributed among households
throughout the city. However, a preliminary analysis of cough and sore throats
lasting longer than two weeks and respiratory problems lasting longer than
one month appeared to be more common in the southern part of the city. This
result is consistent with anecdotal reports from residents that many Hartford
residents get "colds" that last for months. This is contrary to the duration
of viral upper respiratory illness (the common cold) reported in the medical
literature which is described as lasting from 4 to 10 days.
Subsequent analysis of the data provided further support for these results
and led to the observation that the Hispanic population is more at risk
for asthma, colds lasting more than one week and other respiratory problems
lasting more than one month. We define these observed respiratory health
problems of people in Hartford as "Chronic Recurrent Respiratory Ailments
(CRRA)." What follows is a more detailed discussion of our findings.
The Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice is an organization that was established in Hartford in the summer of 1997. It was formed in response to community concerns about the siting of yet another fossil-fueled power generator in South Hartford as a consequence of the closure of Connecticut's nuclear power plants. Residents were concerned that this was the tenth power generator to be situated next to a neighborhood that is 80% Black and Latino and that this neighborhood is already overburdened with significant sources of air pollution, and its inhabitants suffer accordingly. CCEJ researched the issue, raised public awareness about the relationship between air pollution and respiratory health, requested a public hearing, and arranged the first environmental public information session sponsored by competing neighborhood groups. This was a highly successful strategy that led to an agreement whereby Northeast Utilities took the unprecedented step of removing the new power generator.
Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia
The Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia (PILCOP) in asked EBIC to help them research, analyze and map community health in Pennsylvania in order to identify communities in need of environmental protection. PILCOP is developing health-based criteria to screen sites targeted for environmentally hazardous facilities in PA. In support of this work, we are thematically mapping statistics for four health outcomes in Pennsylvania including total mortality, cancer mortality, infant mortality, and low birth weight. PILCOP's proposal represents a bold departure from the cumulative risk assessment model favored by regulatory authorities. Their novel approach is to identify communities plagued by substandard health and then take them off the map as potential hosts for any further environmental insult or degradation.