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Dialogues@RU is published annually
by the
Writing Program at
Rutgers, The State
University of New Jersey
Volume One
Spring 2002
Trading
Human Health For Profit -
Page 1
by Nicole L. Warren
Welcome to "Toxic Town USA", formally known as Chester, Pennsylvania
(Offman 1998). This Delaware County community, fifteen miles outside of
Philadelphia, suffers from one of the many cases of environmental injustice,
found in poor minority communities throughout the world. Over the years,
residents of Chester have been subjected to severe pollution, resulting
from the toxic emissions of several waste facilities in their neighborhood.
Lead, dioxin, arsenic, nitrous oxides, and sulfur dioxide are just a few
of the toxic chemicals emitted into Chester's environment on a daily basis.
A small sample of the ailments residents are suffering includes:
respiratory disorders, constant eye, nose, and throat irritation, increased
risks of cancer, lung disease and liver and kidney toxicity (Howington
& Viola). The pollutants and health risks present in Chester made
it an appropriate choice for the EPA's 1995 study on the cumulative effects
of continuous exposure to toxic waste.
Robert D. Bullard, director of the Environmental Justice Resource Center
at Clark Atlanta University, is well acquainted with Chester's story,
which is representative of many communities nationwide. He believes that
environmental injustices are rooted in the practices of racism, adding
that the existence of racial "discrimination is a fact of life in
America", despite its illegal status (Bullard 6). Many African Americans
have suffered mistreatment from the housing industry, educational institutions,
and from employers, all due to racial discrimination. It's no surprise
that that discrimination should extend to other facets of American life.
In the realm of environmentalism, another racially based injustice called
environmental racism is occurring. The term, coined by former executive
director of the NAACP, Benjamin Chavis, was created to give a name to
the gross environmental inequalities imposed on poor, black communities
like Chester, PA. Bullard reports "race has been found to be independent
of income in the [disproportionate] distribution of municipal landfills,
incinerators, abandoned toxic waste dumps, smelters, and other polluting
industries" (22). Environmental discrimination, although not a new
practice, has only recently, within the past 15 or so years, gained deserved
attention. Despite the problem being revealed and publicized, a permanent,
effective resolution has not been implemented. This is due in part to
upper class citizens, who directly control the actions that influence
facility site placement and policymaking, failure to recognize the devastation
caused by environmental inequalities as human rights violations. Each
citizen should be entitled to healthy and safe living environment. Bullard
reinforces that environmental protection "is a right, not a privilege
reserved for a few who can…escape or fend off environmental stressors
that address environmental inequities" (Bullard 12). By addressing
the problems of environmental injustices as human rights violations, the
cause can be more effectively campaigned and resolved.
One of the main accusations made by environmental justice advocates is that the environmental movement centered on white, elitist concerns. Traditionally, as Environmental Ethics editor Eugene Hargrove notes, environmentalism has focused on "environmentalists concerns, and these have not included concerns about human welfare" (Westra ix). The attention was given to protecting natural species and system, neglecting how toxic environments affected humans. This accusation is supported in much of the literature exploring suburban and urban life, where a common theme is found in the in their discussion of the exclusionary practices of the upper classes, and the effect their actions have on the general population. In this instance, their actions have been instrumental in creating the environmental disparities imposed on poor, minority communities. With their observations and ideas, Sharon Zukin, and Yi-Fu Tuan, are able to evidence the impact of segregational habits of the upper classes. Their respective books, The Culture of Cites and Topophilia, give insight into part of the foundation of the evolution and continued existence of environmental inequalities in present day society. Tuan also recognizes that environmental inequalities are "fundamentally human problems" (1), and Topophilia offers support for a human rights approach to resolution. The Culture of Cities illustrates how the symbolic economy created by upper class citizens of cities is another factor in the development and preservation of inadequate living environments in poor minority communities.