The predominantly black and low-income communities living near the back-to-back petrochemical refineries of Louisiana’s “cancer alley” have long suffered compromised immune systems and high rates of disease. Now, the state’s fast-growing COVID-19 outbreak is poised to hit them especially hard. <Read more>
Tag: coronavirus
Is air pollution connected to higher coronavirus death rates? The Harvard University T.H. Chan School of Public Health released findings on a study that found a positive correlation between long term exposure to particulate matter (PM 2.5) and higher death rates from disease. The study concluded that exposure to air pollution leads to more severe outcomes to patients infected with COVID-19. The study may be important to how health officials allocate virus resources, such as ventilator or respirators, to more vulnerable regions. Read More.
Find Harvard University’s health study here.
Blog by Sharon Franklin
DaLyah Jones a staff writer for Texas Observer covering the environment reported on March 25, 2020 that COVID-19 Could Be a Double Whammy for Those in Pollution Hotspots.
Ms. Jones reports that air pollution across the globe has sharply dropped, an unintended silver lining of COVID-19, as the coronavirus continues to spread. However, Texas environmental advocates are bracing for impacts that can’t be reversed by a few weeks of reduced industrial production and air travel. Why is this? Because Texans living in polluted areas who breathe polluted air are more likely to have preexisting health issues, and are also at a higher risk of getting seriously ill from the virus. Currently, there have not been any large-scale studies of how air pollution can complicate COVID-19. However, experts say that lung damage caused by poor air quality or smoking could poses a “double-whammy effect”, to these individuals because it can only be exacerbated by pollution hotspots and COVID-19, as noted by Elena Craft, of the Environmental Defense Fund.
Researchers at Environment Texas utilizing 2016 data found that roughly 20 metropolitan and rural areas in Texas had elevated levels of particulate matter and smog. In the Houston metro area there are many hotspots (Brazoria, Chambers, Galveston, Fort Bend, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, and Waller counties) that currently don’t meet the national air-quality standards. Additionally, Dr. Brett Perkison, MD, Professor of Occupational Medicine, University of Texas School of Public Health says that those much-needed defenses are further taxed “by exposure day after day, year after year, to high levels of ozone and nitric oxide.”
According to a study conducted by the NAACP and the Clean Air Task Force, some of the nation’s largest African American populations are at risk for childhood asthma are in the cities of Dallas and Houston. Researchers also found that Texas was one of three states to have the most African Americans living within a half-mile of an oil or natural gas facility. Dr. Perkison further says “Low-socioeconomic communities that occur near manufacturing or industrial sites are at more risk for acute and chronic disease, and we need to take it seriously to allocate resources adequately.” Dr. Perkison encourages at-risk residents to take even more precautions, especially when concentrations of ground-level ozone are high, which includes limiting their time outdoors, monitoring their breathing, or only going outside in the morning, before ozone forms.
Researchers have already begun looking at neighborhoods that face elevated risks. A team at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston mapped the potential risk of severe COVID-19 in Harris County by identifying residents who are 60 and older that have one or more chronic conditions. The study found that the East Little York, Deer Park, Channelview, and East End neighborhoods saw the highest concentration of people over 60 or with a chronic disease.
Reverend James Caldwell, a founder of Coalition of Community Organizations, says the virus has increased a “myriad of issues” for communities like Houston’s Fifth Ward that are located near Superfund sites and has seen elevated cases of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Reverend Caldwell notes, many residents with preexisting conditions are also uninsured. He asks “Why does it cost out of pocket to just stay alive?”
Photo: Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle Via AP
Could migrant farmworkers be more susceptible to the coronavirus? In a time where social distancing is encouraged and washing one’s hands is important to staying safe from the coronavirus, there is cause for concern for farmworkers that are exposed to less than ideal living and working situations. Most workers live in crowded housing, are transported to farms on crowded buses, have unsanitary working conditions and cannot work from home. If a worker does contract the virus, most farmworkers do not have health insurance and do not have the finances to pay for medication and treatment out of pocket.
Some states, including North Carolina, have made alterations to protect farmworkers. Some accommodations include separate housing for individuals suspected of having the virus and access to hand sanitizer. Is this enough to keep farmworkers healthy and safe? Read More.
Everyday the nation’s government and public health officials are making rapid decisions in response to the Coronavirus outbreak. To assist officials in their decision making and response to the virus, the NAACP has provided a resource that highlights 10 major impacts the virus could have on minority or low income communities. Read More.
Full Resource Guide
The following considerations and proposals can be found on the NAACP website.
10 Impacts of the Coronavirus COVID-19 Outbreak on Communities of Color
- Racism and stigmatization have increased, particularly towards the Asian and Asian American populations.
- Certain populations including immigrants, incarcerated people, people over 60 years old, people with disabilities, people with special health needs, and others are at an added risk of exposure and other implications.
- Frontline workers face tough choices between abstaining from work or risking exposure.
- Census and voting may be jeopardized as public outings continue to dwindle.
- Coronavirus remediation will result in increased exposure to toxic cleaning chemicals.
- Children and college students risk exposure in schools. If schools close, students may experience food or housing insecurities.
- There is a lack of accessibility to testing kits.
- Quarantine policies and practices are unfolding with a risk to human and civil rights.
- The coronavirus has already been used to justify increased militarization and more restrictive immigration policies and practices.
- Denial and misinformation on the crisis can worsen the outbreak.
10 Policy Recommendations to Temper the Impact of the Coronavirus on Communities of Color
- Shift the narrative surrounding the crisis: “The virus is the enemy, not the person who is infected.”
- Adopt policies that increase access to childcare, healthcare and humane, sanitary living conditions to at-risk, vulnerable populations.
- Advocate for the establishment of a paid leave system, strengthened OSHA standards, provision of training and safety gear, and routine testing for all workers.
- Ensure the data collection for the Census through online and telephone enumeration, extend voting hours, and minimize large gatherings.
- Significantly increase the stringency of the Toxic Substances Control Act.
- Advocate for equal standards of sanitation, safety, and health as well as education continuity, food assistance for families and the establishment of housing assistance through Stafford Act provisions.
- Advocate for funding for an effective health infrastructure, prioritization of testing for vulnerable groups/populations, and equitable distribution of limited hospital supplies.
- Establish and enforce a Quarantine Bill of Rights.
- Establish sanctuary sites, repeal the travel ban and repeal of the restrictions on the provision of healthcare to immigrants.
- Advance litigation for the willful misleading of the public for political gain while jeopardizing the wellbeing of the nation.
The American Petroleum Institute (API) has requested temporary regulatory relief for the oil and gas industry. In a letter sent to President Trump, API has asked for a suspension of certain regulatory requirements to assist in operations during a time of decreasing oil and gas prices and decreased staff. Some requirements under question include record keeping, non-essential inspections and audits, and trainings. Read More.
As the United States continues to respond to the coronavirus outbreak, cities across the country are seeing a general decrease in air pollution. While people are being asked to stay home to avoid exposure to the virus, cities including Los Angeles, Seattle and New York City are seeing fewer cars on the road. The decrease in traffic has led to a decrease in nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide from car emissions and an increase in rush hour speeds. Read More.
Although the elderly are the most in danger of infection from the virus, those that have developed preexisting conditions due to constant exposure to pollutants cannot be forgotten. Individuals in these communities are commonly low-income and/or minority populations and have to travel great distances in order to receive medical services. Former Army Surgeon General William C. Gorgas explained that it is in times of stress and danger that we need to be our most brave and unselfish to those that are most vulnerable. Read More.