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With 400,000 Covid deaths, a smaller but equally significant number is overlooked: 2.8. If you are Black or Hispanic, you are 2.8 times more likely to die of Covid. For Native Americans, the number is 2.6. This thread explores how environmental racism produces health inequities.
A major reason for this severe health inequity is environmental racism—unequal access to basic resources, clean air, and uncontaminated water. This causes and exacerbates many of the pre-existing conditions that are known to correlate with higher Covid mortality rates.
Basic Resources:
Black people experience food insecurity in the U.S. at twice the rate of white people. People experiencing food insecurity lack access to high quality, nutritious food. Low-cost processed foods are sometimes the only choice.
Black people experience food insecurity in the U.S. at twice the rate of white people. People experiencing food insecurity lack access to high quality, nutritious food. Low-cost processed foods are sometimes the only choice.
Basic Resources Continued:
A mere 10% increase in ultra-processed food in a diet increases the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 15%. Black people develop Type 2 diabetes at twice the rate of white people. And having diabetes triples the risk of hospitalization due to Covid.
A mere 10% increase in ultra-processed food in a diet increases the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 15%. Black people develop Type 2 diabetes at twice the rate of white people. And having diabetes triples the risk of hospitalization due to Covid.
Clean Air:
Black people are 75% more likely than white people to live in high-emission “fence-line” communities & 21% more likely to live 30 miles from a coal plant. Residents of these areas breathe in higher concentrations of pollutants, which can cause asthma & heart problems.
Black people are 75% more likely than white people to live in high-emission “fence-line” communities & 21% more likely to live 30 miles from a coal plant. Residents of these areas breathe in higher concentrations of pollutants, which can cause asthma & heart problems.
Clean Air Continued:
Unsurprisingly, asthma rates for Black children (13.4%) are approximately twice as high compared to white children (7.3%).
Unsurprisingly, asthma rates for Black children (13.4%) are approximately twice as high compared to white children (7.3%).
Water Contamination:
EPA data from 2016-2019 shows that the number of chronically noncompliant water systems was 40% higher in communities with the highest percentages of residents who were people of color.
EPA data from 2016-2019 shows that the number of chronically noncompliant water systems was 40% higher in communities with the highest percentages of residents who were people of color.
Water Contamination Continued:
Metals, arsenic, lead, mercury, and PFAS (aka “forever chemicals”) are common pollutants found in water. These pollutants can produce airway inflammation, asthma, obesity, and autoimmune disease.
Metals, arsenic, lead, mercury, and PFAS (aka “forever chemicals”) are common pollutants found in water. These pollutants can produce airway inflammation, asthma, obesity, and autoimmune disease.
Climate-induced health inequities are largely responsible for increased Covid mortality rates in BIPOC communities. This fact highlights the tragic prevalence of systemic racism in our society, and it demonstrates how monumental the task of achieving true racial justice will be.
Our nation was founded on white supremacy. Slave owners wrote the Constitution. Racism is too deeply embedded in our societal structure for us to overcome it by merely enacting piecemeal well-intentioned policies.
This is why every policy proposal, including those that relate to climate change, must center on racial justice. It’s the only solution to a status quo that continuously terrorizes communities of color disproportionately.
Sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/health-equity/racial-ethnic-disparities/index.html
https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/obesity-and-covid-19.html
http://Epa.gov
https://psci.princeton.edu/tips/2020/8/15/racial-disparities-and-climate-change
https://moveforhunger.org/hunger-racial-equity-issue
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2021264
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11356-020-11487-4
http://closethewatergap.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Dig-Deep_Closing-the-Water-Access-Gap-in-the-United-States_DIGITAL_compressed.pdf
https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/watered-down-justice-report.pdf
https://www.physiciansweekly.com/ultra-processed-foods-linked-to/
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/health-equity/racial-ethnic-disparities/index.html
https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/obesity-and-covid-19.html
http://Epa.gov
https://psci.princeton.edu/tips/2020/8/15/racial-disparities-and-climate-change
https://moveforhunger.org/hunger-racial-equity-issue
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2021264
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11356-020-11487-4
http://closethewatergap.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Dig-Deep_Closing-the-Water-Access-Gap-in-the-United-States_DIGITAL_compressed.pdf
https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/watered-down-justice-report.pdf
https://www.physiciansweekly.com/ultra-processed-foods-linked-to/
Sources continued:
https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/factors-contributing-higher-incidence-diabetes-black-americans
https://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/diacare/early/2020/12/01/dc20-2260.full.pdf
https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/factors-contributing-higher-incidence-diabetes-black-americans
https://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/diacare/early/2020/12/01/dc20-2260.full.pdf
