Exposures to environmental hazards, ranging from air pollution and chemical releases to agricultural runoff and water contamination, are on the rise for communities all across the US as climate change impacts and degraded infrastructure together increase the likelihood that we come in contact with toxic substances.
Yet, the communities that are most vulnerable, or currently threatened by, environmental hazards, pollution and health disparities, often don’t have the tools needed to stop the exposures.
Mapping tools, like the Maryland Environmental Justice Screen Tool (MD EJ SCREEN), have become a crucial mechanism for identifying what is going on in communities and using the data to respond to an environmental injustice through advocacy and legal efforts.
With a new $100,000 contract from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Dr. Sacoby Wilson’s Community Engagement Environmental Justice and Health (CEEJH) group will lead the expansion of the MD EJ SCREEN.
Initially developed in 2017 by Dr. Wilson and colleagues in the School of Public Health, the Maryland Environmental Health Network and the National Center for Smart Growth, the EJ Screen tool has been used to map environmental hazards primarily in urban areas. The EPA contract will enable the CEEJH team to expand the EJ tool’s capabilities to quantify, and respond to, the issues that affect children and rural communities.
These include agricultural hazard indicators (e.g., pesticide exposures), children's health indicators (including blood lead levels and maternal/infant mortality), rural environmental effects (such as proximity to concentrated animal feeding operations, aka "CAFOs", and other polluters) and rural socioeconomic factors (such as the percentage of the population receiving social service benefits).
Dr. Wilson received the contract award from Adam Ortiz, EPA Region 3 administrator, at an event at the Stamp Student Union on Nov. 30. Ben Grumbles, secretary of the Maryland Department of the Environment, and State Senator Paul Pinsky (D-District 22) were among those who spoke about the importance of the tool in collecting data about the cumulative impacts of environmental exposures on vulnerable communities. All emphasized the urgency of using the partnership between UMD, the EPA, MDE and state and local legislators to translate the data into more legislative action.
“I’m excited because we have the opportunity to get better data and be responsive to the communities,” said Sacoby Wilson. “It’s not enough to visualize the data, we need to pinpoint and target dollars where they are needed. The frontline communities should be at the front of the line for the funds available from the infrastructure bill, the Build Back Better bill and the Justice40 initiative.”
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