Abstract
The issues of environmental racism and environmental justice are the two major implications which involve counter response to deliberate human actions of harming that environment which has vicinity of some racially segregated sections of the society. In United States, sources of most harmful toxic wastes from industries and other commercial establishments are dumped close to those low-income neighborhoods like African American, Latin American, and Native Americans Thus, the above-stated phenomenon stands as an example of environmental racism where impact of toxic waste dumps, industrial waste incinerators, chemical drains into rivers, etc. are deliberately channeled towards racially ignored segments like African Americans. It is definitely obvious that contamination of natural resources due to waste disposal sites near to African Americans community’s residence has led to sever health implications on them (for example Cancer, lung disorders, etc).
Introduction to the research subject
In the modern contexts, environmentalism is not only limited to environmental aspects but it also encircles the lives of humans who dwell in the same environment which is supposed to be endangered due to human actions (Loomis, 2015). The notion of environmental racism comprise of racial disparities for subjecting minorities to be exposed to environmental toxic waste hazards, inapt waste disposal policies, deliberate targeting of highly noxious waste disposal facilities close to some low income localities, etc (Taylor, 2016). The minorities which live near these toxic waste disposal facilities are found to suffer in terms of physical and mental health issues in almost all of the economically sound cities of America (Gross, 2013). For example, Connecticut has an abandoned coal power plant (located in the middle of Mill river) which is under corrosion which results in high contamination of river water and the mill river has minority population in its east which involves low income African Americans and Latinos (Morisson, 2016). This study aims at researching the probable role of chemical waste disposal near low income communities and higher incidence of Cancer in the African Americans.
Background and purpose of the study
In spite of the global initiatives to protect the environment, almost 1.3 billion individuals are still prone to extreme health concerns due to risky and unhealthy physical environments (Bunn, 2015). This issue of environmental racism involves the selective bias in dumping chemicals close to those minorities and racially segregated low–income communities who are unable to raise their voices in return. A proper association of this environmental racism to one of the most prominent disasters like health issues in African American communities can give a platform to fight against the environmental, economic, legal, political, social and ethical dilemmas underlying this menace (Goldman Environmental Foundation, 2016).
Cities like Chicago have huge chemical and toxic waste disposal sites near low income localities that have African Americans as the major population (Pace, 2005). It is quite evident in the location’s health statistics that too much air and water pollution has lead to severe health impact like Asthma, Lung Cancer, etc. Environmental racism has professed the systematic exploitation of land resources, resident people and the victimized natural environment which fall in direct vicinity of such commercial waste disposal sites (Bullard, 2007). The plight of African Americans is equally narrative in other states in USA like Louisiana and North Dakota where excessive industrialization has eroded the harmony between communities and their environmental habitats (Martin, 2010). It can be concluded that Institutional racism harnesses, protects and modifies the economic and social advantages for maximizing the wealth privileges of industries at the cost of physical health and environmental degradation of innocent victims.
Environmental Justice: The environmental justice is one of most stark opponents of national well being because of its holistic impact over the demographic, regional, economic, political, and epidemiological factors associated with the issues of environmental racialism. Epidemiologists have defined that environmental impacts on the health of individuals are more than that of human factors like heredity features, bad habits like smoking, behavioral and cultural practice, etc (Johnson, 2013 ). The higher incidences of African Americans suffering from prostate, lung , stomach and colon cancer when compared to that of their native African counterparts justifies the rationale posed by epidemiologists (Collins, 2008). A study conducted by NAACP involved around 100 people interviewed from low income minority area from Dickson and confirmed that more cases of cancer were found in their localities after the chemical waste landfill started polluting their water resources like borewell (National Black Environmental Justice Network, 2016).
The strive for environmental justice started with the Afton Movement which protested against the actions of racial disparity created in Warren country when the government of North Carolina forced local industrial facilities to dump their hazardous chemical and toxic waste near an African American community (Natural resource defense council, 2015). After this incident, there were several other issues sighted in American states which proved that all the state governments adopted a racial injustice towards deliberately forcing the chemical waste management close to black Americans communities (Taylor, 2016). After this civil rights activists and environmentalist have started commencing active protests against all the acts of Environmental racialism to seek adequate environmental justice for the victimized communities.
Statement of the problem
“This qualitative research aims at affirming that the location of chemical waste disposal near to African American communities is a cause for higher rate of cancer in these minorities”.
The effect of chemical and toxic waste disposal facilities close to residential communities causes a contamination of key environmental resources like land, water, and air. It is also verified that contamination of either of the above sources can lead to direct impact over health degradation of individuals who are closer to the site of pollution and contamination. The persistence of government’s decisive stand to place the toxic waste disposal facilities closer to low income minorities has also been ratified by the examples of various incidents quoted above from Chicago, Connecticut, etc (Boberg, Lessner & Carpenter, 2011). The demographical studies have affirmed that more than 90% of the African Americans lived in the sites mentioned above and those close to the racially segregated regions used for toxic landfills and chemical waste dumping facilities (Conolly, 2009). The medical studies have also proven that rate of cancer in African Americans is far more than that of their native African counterparts which proves that no hereditary and cultural factors are responsible for this observation (Taylor, 2016). The assimilation of all the above stated problems brings us the statement of problem proposed for this study which aims to directly link the two ends of above discussed analysis so that proper heed can be paid towards eliminating the root cause of such deleterious disease for African American communities.
Literature review: Significance of the study
There have been studies and conclusive researches done in case of specific cases in American history which have proved the vicinity of chemical dumps closer to African American communities causing cancer for residents. The Mississippi river industrial corridor was named by social activists as an act of Environmental injustice and referred to be the ‘Cancer Alley’ for native African American residents in that area (Keller & Lever, 2009). The Justice and Witness ministry managed by the United Church of Christ has been actively fighting against the environmental racism and they have developed some glass root level efforts to solve this menace (Bullard, Mohai, Saha & Wright, 2007). The efforts from local health agencies and environmental ministry in the state of Louisiana stand as an epitome of efforts taken in terms of government initiatives for environmental justice. The State of Louisiana stands at the top of national ranking for highest production of per capita waste and subsequent disposal of the toxic waste into various natural resources like Air, Water and Land (Singer, 2010).
Hence, the significance of this research can be in terms of affixing a probable cause to the highly mortifying consequence of cancer as a consequence for Black Americans and this study might compel government and civil rights activists to shut or relocate all the chemical waste disposal management near the minority communities.
Research Methodology
This qualitative research aims at affirming that the location of chemical waste disposal near to African American communities is a cause for higher rate of cancer in these minorities. The proposal research methodology aims at ratifying the above-stated problem statement to achieve a qualitative study based on following notions of research design:
Research setting (Unit of analysis and demographics): The demographical backdrop for the proposed study involves African American citizens living close to chemical waste disposal sites and toxic waste landfill facilities (Singer, 2010). The study also encompasses the health centers, pathological services, and medical practitioners (Oncologists) working close to such minority communities. Hence, the unit of analysis comprises of both the segments, the African American population and the healthcare service providers in the region.
Data collection mode (primary): The qualitative research is primary in nature and features some interview questions (moderated) which will lead to qualitative response enabled analysis. The proposed questionnaire (moderated) will be having following open ended questions:
Are you having any chronic illness or your family members diagnosed with any disease? If so what is nature of this disease?
Are you aware of any industrial waste disposal site nearby your residence? If so, approximately at what distance it is located from your place?
Have you notice any significant change in your community’s health conditions after the commencement of industrial operations/waste disposal facilities?
Have you come across patients suffering from cancer in your neighborhood?
Are the medical facilities and government health centers aptly located near to your residence?
Have you noticed any significant drop in pollution and contamination level of air, water and land resources near to your area?
Have you witnessed or participated in any protest to remove the waste disposal sites in the area?
Is there any survey or study conducted by government or private agencies in your area to evaluate the contamination level and pollution standards for you and your community?
Is there any significant change in your environment which you have noticed after the waste disposal sites or industries came into full function?
Are there any medical initiatives conducted in your area like medical health checkup camps, free blood donation camps or any other health related effort from external agencies?
Sample selection: The proposed sample pool is for at least 80 respondents from the targeted African American communities and 20 from healthcare facilities and agencies located near to the chemical waste disposal sites. Each of the 80 respondents should ideally represent a household and give their response to the questionnaire keeping his family and his neighbors into consideration. Similarly, healthcare workers and other health agencies working in proximity should respond on behalf of their observation for the targeted community only.
Data collection via response: As the study is qualitative in nature, the observed responses will be moderated to gain required insights in terms of probable links of cancer with targeted waste disposal sites, their link to higher cancer rates, corresponding response from government agencies and incidents for protesting against environment justice in the selected demographical response. These responses will be then mapped into statistical code for developing analytical results in form of graphical charts which will associate the number of responses that affirm the stated problem statement for the research.
Data analysis procedure: The proposed data analysis will be executed in three steps of graphical and statistical response:
Percentage of responses which imply incidence of rising cancer cases after commencement of toxic landfills and waste disposal facilities (Using graphical analysis and Pivot table in MS excel).
Percentage of responses which indicate that government has taken any initiative to check contamination and pollution standards in the community (Using graphical analysis, pie chart)
Percentage of responses which indicate that there were active protest and corresponding reversions from activists and healthcare agencies against (Using graphical analysis, pie chart).
Anticipated findings: If the results of taken survey are not skewed and unbiased, the results from the study will be providing sufficient relation between the higher incidence of cancer in African Americans and the respective location of chemical and toxic waste disposal sites. Further, the findings might also provide a picture of possible need for environmental justice initiatives required for the targeted regions.
Maximizing participation of chosen sample: The questionnaire based interview is moderated and includes a brief introduction regarding the problem statement and significance of study before conducting the research. Thus, the targeted pool will be urged to respond with complete integrity so as to maximize the utility of this study to enhance environmental justice against environmental racism.
Limitations: The conducted study has its limitations on the front that no other causes for cancer other than the focused area of contaminated resources due to toxic landfills are taken into account. Also, the study is a qualitative generalization of a bid socio-economic phenomenon bt all the socio-economic factors like employment status for resident African Americans are not considered for analysis.
Conclusion: Generalization scope of the findings
As already discussed, this study might compel government and civil rights activists to shut or relocate all the chemical waste disposal management near the minority communities. The study can be conducted at any specific location in US but its results can be generalized in terms of the harmful effects and proof of environmental racism for entire country. The study can be generalized to lay the foundation of a modified environmental justice initiative from government and international agencies like W.H.O with aid from other national level healthcare agencies.
References
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