Fugitive Chemicals and Environmental Justice: A Model for Environmental Monitoring Following Climate-Related Disasters

Abstract

The combination of population growth in areas of mixed (residential, commercial, and industrial) land use along U.S. waterfronts and the increasing frequency of devastating hurricanes and storm surges has led to community fears of widespread toxic chemical contamination resulting from accidental industrial or small business releases, particularly in the aftermath of an extreme weather event, such as a hurricane. Industrial waterfront communities, which are frequently environmental justice communities, contain numerous toxic chemical sources located in close proximity to residential housing, schools, daycare centers, playgrounds, and healthcare centers. Despite the longstanding concerns of community activists and researchers about the potential for “fugitive” chemicals to be released into floodwaters, there has been little coordinated research or action to develop environmental monitoring programs for disaster-affected communities. In the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, a community-academic partnership was formed between the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance, UPROSE, The LifeLine Group, and the RAND Corporation. The collaboration, known as Grassroots Research to Action in Sunset Park (GRASP) has focused on identifying possible sources of chemical contamination, modeling the potential for chemical release into community areas and resulting exposure risks, and proactively developing actions for mitigating or preventing adverse community impacts. Through our ongoing work, we have identified barriers and drivers for community-based environmental monitoring, and in doing so, we have developed a framework to overcome challenges. In this article, we describe this framework, which can be used by waterfront communities bracing to deal with the effects of future devastating weather disasters.

Houston hurricane Harvey health (Houston-3H) study: assessment of allergic symptoms and stress after hurricane Harvey flooding

“…Flooding overwhelmed numerous sewage treatment plants and triggered major releases of chemicals into the air from emergency shut-down and start-up procedures at area petrochemical facilities [13]. By September 2, 2017, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) determined that 13 of the 41 Superfund sites in the affected areas flooded and/or experienced possible damage due to the storm [14,15], raising concerns among residents that homes and small businesses nearby or downstream may have been exposed to toxic chemicals. Environmental concerns remained after floodwaters receded as individuals participated in residential flood clean-up efforts, which took many months in most instances, potentially leading to long-term exposures to storm-related air pollution, contaminated water, debris, and mold.…”

Cap. 26: Grandes Llanuras del Sur. En: La Quinta Evaluación del Clima

“…Además, las zonas residenciales de bajos ingresos y de residentes de color tienden a estar más cerca de las plantas petroquímicas o de las instalaciones de almacenamiento de productos químicos que sus homólogos blancos o de mayores ingresos 172 , lo que los expone a un mayor riesgo de accidentes industriales causados por eventos meteorológicos extremos que liberan toxinas en el aire y el agua (KM 15.2) 173 . Por ejemplo, las instalaciones que informaron de emisiones de productos químicos después del huracán Harvey tendían a estar cerca de vecindarios predominantemente hispanos y revelaron patrones de desigualdad social 174 .…”

New York City Panel on Climate Change 2019 Report Chapter 6: Community‐Based Assessments of Adaptation and Equity

“…This risk carries with it the potential that surging storm water could spread toxins from the many nearby industrial sites. During Hurricane Sandy, Sunset Park's waterfront was heavily flooded and chemical-contaminated water was pushed into residential areas (Madrigano et al, 2018;Bautista et al 2015).…”