Reading, Writing, and Toxics: Children's Health, Academic Performance, and Environmental Justice in Los Angeles

Manuel Pastor, James L Sadd and Rachel Morello-Frosch
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Manuel Pastor: Center for Justice, Tolerance, and Community, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
James L Sadd: Environmental Science, Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA 90041, USA
Rachel Morello-Frosch: Center for Environmental Studies and Department of Community Health, School of Medicine, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA

Environment and Planning C, 2004, vol. 22, issue 2, 271-290

Abstract: A significant body of previous research on environmental justice has demonstrated a disproportionate burden of environmental hazards on low-income and minority residents. In this paper we evaluate spatially indexed data on estimated respiratory and cancer risks associated with exposures to ambient air toxics to show that children of color in the Los Angeles Unified School District suffer potentially disparate health impacts, and that disparities in environmental risks may be associated with diminished school performance—even after controlling for socioeconomic and demographic covariates that generally explain much of the variation in student scores. Remediating environmental health risks in distressed neighborhoods could, therefore, improve both health and human capital.

Date: 2004
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:envirc:v:22:y:2004:i:2:p:271-290

DOI: 10.1068/c009r

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