It has long been understood that the burden of environmental pollution is disproportionately felt in certain neighborhoods, particularly low-income or minority neighborhoods. In the 1980’s the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) described Environmental Justice as the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. Community advocates argue that racial and ethnic minority neighborhoods and lower income neighborhoods are burdened by mixtures of multiple environmental pollutants and socioeconomic stressors, contributing to a “double jeopardy”.
Understanding the health effects of exposure to multiple, or complex mixtures of, pollutants is particularly challenging. The Mailman School of Public Health’s Department of Environmental Health Sciences is hosting a 2 day training workshop (Aug 23-24) on statistical analyses of complex environmental contaminant mixture data. Workshop information is here.
