Background: Low-income and non-White populations tend to bear a disproportionate burden of environmental hazards, including Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) facilities. The TRI is a comprehensive database of information on chemical releases and waste management reported by major industrial facilities in the US. Since TRI data may be indicative of exposure to environmental hazards, the purpose of this study was to assess spatial disparities in the distribution of TRI facilities in Maryland (MD).
Methods: The 2000 US census tract and block level data were used to enumerate population characteristics such as race/ethnicity, poverty and employment status, education, home ownership, home built before 1950, and urban area.Additional variables were analyzed which include the Diversity and Townsend indices as well as capital and median household income. GIS were used to map TRI facilities and develop choropleth maps based on race/ethnicity and SES. Spatial methods (mean distance analysis, buffer analysis, and spatial approximation) were employed and regression analysis was performed to evaluate the relationship between the distribution and number of TRI facilities and the aforementioned variables.
Results: Low income, low education, and Non-White census tracts were located closer to TRI facilities. Non-White populations living within 5 miles of a TRI facility was 154 times higher than other tracts. Individuals living below poverty and housed within 5 miles of a TRI facility was 71 times higher than those living below poverty in other tracts. Populations without a high school diploma and living within 5 miles of a TRI facility had 59 times more people than those without a high school diploma in other tracts. The percentage of African-Americans, poverty, and those without a high school diploma were statistically significant using simple linear regression which indicated that the distribution of TRI facilities was influenced by race/ethnicity and SES variables.
Conclusion: Burden disparities exist in MD in the distribution of TRI facilities across varying levels of demographic composition for race/ethnicity and SES. Based on our findings, we hope to inform local and state health improvement plans and zoning policy in MD as well as provide a template for research in states with similar environmental justice issues.
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