WHO BEARS THE BURDENS OF ENVIRONMENTAL-POLLUTION - RACE, ETHNICITY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL EQUITY IN FLORIDA

Objective. Economic growth, environmental concern, and NIMBY oppositio n form a well-known dynamic that may have a less familiar consequence: pollution-intensive activities may end up in areas populated by socia l groups lacking the economic and political resources to resist. The p urpose of this research is to investigate the empirical bases of envir onmental equity-the extent to which the physical and economic burdens of pollution are evenly distributed across society. Methods. This rese arch matches information on the geographic locations of industrial tox ic releases with corresponding 1990 Census data on the demographic pro files of surrounding Florida communities. The analysis then assesses t he relative importance of racial/ethnic, economic, and occupational ch aracteristics in accounting for proximity to potentially hazardous rel eases. Results. Racial and ethnic subpopulations are found to reside c loser to potential toxic sources-a pattern most clearly seen for Afric an American households. The race-pollution relationship weakens but pe rsists after background factors are controlled. Conclusions. Although occupational and housing patterns account for much of the variation in proximity to pollution, there is persistent inequity in potential exp osure across racial groups.