Environmental Justice and Its Impact on Public Health

Introduction:

Hazardous environmental effects are one of the significant causes of disease, disability, and death among all age groups, especially in children and infants. Environmental hazards like toxic pollutants are directed towards underserved, low socioeconomic groups and victims of racism and ethnic minorities, causing health inequities. Also, the climatic changes put these groups who are already curbed of the facilities at risk for health burdens. Hence, measures should be taken to safeguard the environmental rights of each and everyone, and no community or group of people should bear disproportionate hazardous environmental effects from industries, government, and commercial institutions.

What Is Environmental Justice?

Environmental justice refers to giving equal access to the implementation, development, and enforcement of the environmental rules and facilities among all, irrespective of color, race,

nationality or socioeconomic status.

Who Is at Risk of Facing Environmental Injustice?

• People in poverty.

• Poor access to health care and preventive care facilities.

• Children who lack access to safe play areas.

• People who are unable to have healthy, well-balanced food.

• Illiteracy.

• Lack of employment.

• Crime and violence-oriented communities.

How Do Environmental Factors Affect the Overall Well-being of Children?

Environmental factors contribute majorly to the overall development and well-being of a child, which include:

1. Impact of Exposure to Environmental Hazards:

• Children today are more susceptible to environmental exposures.

• Many of the chemical exposures include plastics, pesticides, motor fuels, building materials, and chemical agents, which are newly formed and did not exist 50 years ago; hence, children today are at increased risk of exposure to more than 80,000 harmful chemicals.

• These hazardous chemical agents are produced at the rate of one million pounds or more every year from various industries and get suspended in the environment involving air, food, and water, crossing the high production volume (HPV) limit and thus affecting homes, schools, and communities situated in the close proximity.

2. Vulnerability to Toxic Chemical Exposures Among Children:

• Children are more vulnerable to toxic chemical exposures than adults.

• Small children are more prone to ingest toxic chemicals as they play on the floor. Owing to their unique oro-exploratory behavior, they tend to ingest toxic materials in the dust and soil.

• Usually, the metabolic system in infants is still immature and does not have the digestive power to break down the toxic chemicals and flush them out.

• When children ingest chemicals like organophosphate pesticides, the toxic compounds stay in the blood for more than 36 hours and cause adverse effects.

• Continuous growth and development in children make them vulnerable to the adverse effects of harmful chemicals.

• Certain chemical exposures like thalidomide, diethylstilbestrol, and methyl mercury have huge detrimental effects on children.

3. Prevalence of Major Diseases Among Children Due to Harmful Environmental Exposures:

• Increased cases of asthma in young children following exposure to air pollution and cigarette smoke.

• More cases of infant death syndrome due to increased exposure to air pollution have been registered.

• Exposure to lead and polychlorinated biphenyls causes impairment of neurodevelopmental delays with a reduced intelligence quotient (IQ), altered mental status, and lack of concentration among children.

• Prenatal exposure to the organophosphate pesticide chlorpyrifos results in a smaller head circumference of the fetus, low birth weight, and developmental delays.

• Fetal alcohol syndrome occurs due to prenatal exposure to ethyl alcohol.

• Prenatal exposure to tobacco smoke and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane causes an increased risk of preterm birth.

4. Failed Attempts in Testing the Chemicals for Toxicity:

• Many of the toxic chemicals released from industries go untested and unevaluated for their toxicities.

• Lack of information availability about the potential adverse effects of more than one-third of the 3000 HPV (high production volume) chemicals and their impact on children on exposure has caused the vulnerable population to suffer the consequences. The government’s failure to impose strict regulations on evaluating the toxicities of chemicals released and the irresponsibility of the industries in taking necessary steps to safely discard the potent chemicals has put children at increased risk of encountering disabilities, diseases, and even death.

• The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) was devised to check the toxicity levels of new chemicals released and retroactively test chemicals already on the market.

• This act failed in its purpose. Unfortunately, many chemicals invented are apparently considered safe unless there is strong evidence pointing out their potential adverse effects.

What Is the Role of Public Health Services in Creating Environmental Justice and Its Impact on the Overall Public Health?

Various prevention programs have been implemented in order to protect public health from hazardous environmental exposures, which include:

• Creating awareness programs about the ill effects of prenatal alcohol and tobacco exposure has led to decreased alcohol and cigarette smoking during pregnancy. This has prevented the incidence of fetal alcohol syndrome and intrauterine growth retardation.

• Many cases of childhood leukemia have been prevented by creating awareness about the ill effects of X-ray exposure during pregnancy.

• Major reductions in lead poisoning cases have been reported as a result of eliminating lead from gasoline by educating people about the adverse effects of lead, which include brain damage, altered mental status, and low IQ levels.

• Community education programs based on eliminating arsenic from well water have led to the reduction of skin and liver cancer cases in children.

• To fight against the environmental injustice caused, the government and the sectors responsible for taking action against the environmental injustice need to come together and take necessary steps to provide equal protection to all from health hazards.

• The government sectors should ensure equitable access to safe, healthy air and water quality for all.

• The local and state bodies should function optimally to cater to the needs of all and should condemn discrimination and bias towards the poor and needy.

• The agencies having the authority of decision-making should include the underrepresented communities to ward off discrimination and bias, hence contributing to devising fair rules and their implementation.

• Access to safe housing, clean and healthy affordable environments to work and play should be provided

• Efforts towards overcoming the challenges caused by abrupt climatic changes and various awareness programs to safeguard the affected communities need to be conducted.

Conclusion:

The intersection of environmental justice and public health underscores the critical need for equitable policies and interventions. addressing disparities in exposure to environment hazards is essential for promoting healthier communities and ensuring that all individuals, regardless of socio-economic factors can enjoy clean and safe environment conducive to overall well-being.