I can’t breathe. This cry for help is most known to drive attention to police brutality against black lives, but this can also be applied to the toxic air that black individuals breathe.
Black lives are put in danger every day due to the disproportionate effects of pollution. Most people don’t even realize how the industrialist society we live in directly affects black communities.
A recent study found that African Americans breathe in 38 percent more polluted air than the average White American.
Black families are subject to more harmful living conditions, which greatly affects their long-term health. Premature delivery, low birth weight, and child mortality are all linked to constant exposure to toxic pollutants during pregnancy. Even more so, due to the ongoing pandemic, black people are at higher risk of contracting the virus.
The harmful effects of pollution go hand in hand with racial and economic disparities, which are found to be very present in our world today. Racism comes into full effect since black families tend to have a lower income than white families. This low income is reflected in the lack of opportunity for education and employment. African Americans are 75 percent more likely to live in neighborhoods near a factory or plant. These families can't afford to live in less polluted areas because they are burdened by their low income.
Decades of residential segregation have forced black families to live in these heavily polluted areas.
Low income plays a relevant factor in environmental racism, and the bigger picture lies within corporate polluters.
Especially in the digital age, people expect everything to be readily available for them at all times. This high demand for products and goods is the basis of industrialism. People who dwell in predominantly black areas breathe in fossil fuels, which are heavily dispersed into the air. Pollution is a direct result of industrialism, and therefore detrimental to the black community. Governmental efforts are lacking when it comes to enforcing environmental controls. Chemical plants, garbage, and toxic waste are dumped into these communities by these large corporations, leading to contaminated water, housing, and air. This contamination makes residents of color more susceptible to illnesses. The inequitable siting of polluting facilities overburdens people of color with avoidable health risks. Black lives are put in danger, all because the government has no regard for the neglect that their communities face.
COVID-19 has exacerbated environmental racism even more. The disposal of toxic waste has made African Americans subject to more long-term illnesses such as heart and lung disease. The virus significantly affects the respiratory abilities of Black Americans, as they are more likely to require ventilation if they are exposed.
From the start of the U.S. outbreak to July 2020, Black and Latino patients have accounted for more than half of the deaths.
These deaths also tie into the racial disproportionality in the United States's healthcare system. For African Americans, low socioeconomic status has significantly raised the chance of premature death.
The pandemic has done extensive damage to everyone, but the virus is especially life-threatening for African Americans. The government must assist people of color by improving their daily lives, thus minimizing future health issues. Corporate polluters need to pay for the damage that they have done to these communities. Cities need to invest in the many communities directly affected by pollution and create the proper infrastructure to improve their lives.
Writer: Angelica Vivas
Editor: Zayna Dil
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