Chronic Environmental Burdens: Spatial Variability in Potential Risk Exposures. S. Cutter and A. Hill, Department of Geography and Hazards Research Lab, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
This paper examines the impact of cumulative potential risks on environmental justice issues in eight medium-sized U.S. cities. Particular attention is given to identifying differences in potential risk burdens faced by residents of Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Section 8 public housing. Using distance-decay measures of locational inequities, we created a relative risk measure based on proximity, toxicity, and magnitude of releases from each TRI facility in our study areas. First, the evaluation and selection of an appropriate toxicity index is described briefly. Then, the spatial analytic and GIS-based methodology for determining the potential risk exposure associated with each facility is introduced. Cumulative proximal risk burdens vary substantially among cities. As a general statement, minority families shoulder more risk burdens than non-minority families in our study areas. Also, in seven out of eight cities, families living in HUD Section 8 public housing are exposed to greater proportional risk burden than families with equivalent income levels living outside this type of HUD housing.
This work was supported by the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development, Project Code 181-97CGA.
Go to . . .
1999 SRA Table of Contents
1999 SRA Author Index
Main Abstracts Menu Page
RiskWorld Home Page