Environmental Justice and the Allocation Of Risk: The Case of Lead and Public Health

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Abstract
This paper examines conceptual and methodological issues in the analysis of environmental justice through use of the case of lead‐exposure health risks. Researchers face important obstacles in measuring variable risks among population subgroups. The case of lead exposure, however, illustrates the dramatic potential where adequate data exist for identifying and correcting significant inequities in risk exposure. Despite sharp reductions in the general population's exposure to lead since the 1970s, substantial numbers of minority and low‐income children continue to exhibit unacceptably high blood‐lead levels due primarily to exposure to lead‐based paint. Resolving environmental inequities in this and similar instances requires solid documentation of the risk and better integration of equity issues with other policy demands such as the call for cost‐effective environmental policy.

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