Abstract
Background:
The location of hazardous sites is a known environmental justice issue, but the impact of site classification (Superfund vs. brownfield) is less clear. The objective of this study is to determine whether demographic and health indicators are correlated with the prevalence of brownfield and/or Superfund sites in Indiana, USA.
Methods:
This is a cross-sectional, ecological study using publicly available data on hazardous waste sites, demographics, and self-reported health status. Complete data were available for 1252 census tracts, with 2251 brownfield and 2264 Superfund sites. Adjusted Poisson and linear regression models were used to determine associations between hazardous site frequency with demographic and health characteristics.
Results:
Approximately 24% of census tracts had >3 Superfund or brownfield sites. Higher brownfield frequency was significantly associated with a higher nonwhite population (adjusted β [adjβ] = 0.004; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.002, 0.006); in contrast, more Superfund sites were significantly associated with a lower nonwhite population (adjβ = −0.006; 95% CI: −0.008, −0.004). Lower income was significantly associated with higher Superfund or brownfield site frequency. Results were consistent when limited to urban areas. Health measures were not associated with Superfund frequency. Census tracts with more brownfields were associated with a higher proportion of poor general health (adjβ = 0.057; 95% CI: 0.010, 0.104) and poor mental health (adjβ = 0.046; 95% CI: 0.017, 0.075) compared with census tracts without brownfields.
Conclusions:
This concurs with existing evidence on disparities related to hazardous site location and additionally suggests disparities may extend to hazardous site classifiication.
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