Environmental Research Foundation [Printer-friendly version]
August 11, 2009
UNION COUNTY: ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE, TOXIC EXPOSURES & HEALTH
By Peter Montague
Union County has an "Environmental Justice" Profile
Union County, N.J. is 22.7 percent Black, which is 56% higher than the
statewide average of 14.5%. And Union County is 25.1% Hispanic, which
is 57% higher than the statewide average of 15.9%. (Data for the year
2007 is available here: http://tinyurl.com/pl5v6k.)
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Union County Already has More than Its Fair Share of Industrial Hazards
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has identified 189 serious
environmental hazards in Union County. These include toxic industrial
discharges to air and water, and contaminated sites. When you measure
the number of environmental hazards per square mile, Union County
ranks #2 among New Jersey's 21 counties (only Hudson County has more
environmental hazards per square mile than Union County).
Union County has more than 6 times as many environmental hazards per
square mile, compared to the N.J. statewide average.
Industrial Hazards Cluster in Communities of Below-average Income
So Union County has far more than its fair share of industrial hazards
to health. Worse yet, these environmental hazards are not evenly
distributed across the county. Neighborhoods with below-average
income, and neighborhoods with an above-average percent People of
Color have 2 to 3 times as many environmental hazards per square mile
compared to whiter or wealthier neighborhoods in Union County.
Specifically, pollution maps show that people with below-average
family income in Union County have 2.6 times as many environmental
hazards (per square mile) in their neighborhoods compared to people
with above-average income.
(In these maps the "average" means the median. In a group of numbers,
the median is the mid-point: half the numbers lie above the median and
half lie below the median. For example in the string of numbers 1, 2,
3, 8, 16, the median is 3.)
Here is a map showing Union County neighborhoods with below-average
income (mapped in blue), compared to neighborhoods with above-average
income (mapped in green). The yellow circles represent environmental
hazards identified by EPA. Several municipalities are labeled.
Here is the same map with the municipal labels removed, to make it
easier to see where environmental hazards lie compared to lower-income
(blue) neighborhoods vs. higher-income (green) neighborohoods.
Industrial Hazards Cluster in Communities of Color
Now here is a map showing Union County neighborhoods with
above-average percent People of Color (mapped in blue), compared to
neighborhoods with below-average percent People of Color (mapped in
green). The yellow circles represent environmental hazards identified
by EPA. Several municipalities are labeled.
Here is the same map with the municipal labels removed, to make it
easier to see where the environmental hazards lie.
In sum, Union County already has far more than its fair share of
environmental hazards. Furthermore, people in neighborhoods with
below-average income, and people in neighborhoods with above-average
percent People of Color, are 2 to 3 times as likely to be living near
an industrial hazard, compared to people in whiter, wealthier
neighborhoods.
[A lengthy report describing how these maps were made, giving sources
of the data, can be found online here: http://tinyurl.com/kja2aw (29
megabytes).]
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People in Union County are already dying from air pollution
Union County already fails to meet minimal federal health standards
for soot (also known as fine particles). (See
http://tinyurl.com/dapofc)
The N.J. DEP estimates that soot in the air is presently killing 1900
people every year in New Jersey (five funerals every day) and causing
53,000 cases of asthma. Six percent of New Jersey's people live in
Union County (524,658 out of 8,685,920 in 2007), so we can estimate
that soot is killing 114 people in Union County each year and causing
3180 cases of asthma in the county. (See pgs. 1-7:
http://tinyurl.com/dapofc)
Therefore any additional pollution in Union County will make an
intolerable situation worse, killing more people, giving more kids
asthma, and generally degrading the quality of life.
Based on a similar modern coal plant being built in Indiana, we can
estimate that PurGen One will add 11.3 million pounds (5,662 tons) of
air pollution to Union County each year, including 104 tons of
volatile organic compounds (VOCs), 2,877 tons of nitrogen oxides, 67
tons of sulfuric acid mist and 532 tons of soot (fine and ultrafine
particles). See http://tinyurl.com/lrs436
Thus, this is a prime example of environmental injustice.
But of course soot is not the only kind of pollution present in the
air of Union County.
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Toxic Air Exposures in Union County are Above Average
[Contaminated air data from N.J. State Health Assessment Data (NJSHAD)
online here: http://tinyurl.com/l3ya9d. The term ug/m3 means
"micrograms of chemical per cubic meter of air." A microgram is a
millionth of a gram and there are 28 grams in an ounce. A cubic meter
is roughly a cubic yard.]
1,3-Butadiene (ug/m3 in 1999): N.J. average: 0.15, Union County: 0.18
(Union is 20% above the N.J. average.)
Acetaldehyde (ug/m3 in 1999): N.J. average: 1.85, Union County: 2.39
(Union is 29% above the N.J. state average.)
Acrolein (ug/m3 in 1999): N.J. average: 0.14, Union County: 0.22
(Union is 28% above the N.J. state average.)
Chloroform (ug/m3 in 1999) N.J. average: 0.1, Union County: 0.12
(Union is 20% above the N.J. state average.)
Diesel soot (ug/m3 in 1999) N.J. average: 1.8, Union County: 2.09
(Union is 16% above the N.J. state average.)
Formaldehyde (ug/m3 in 1999) N.J. average: 1.92, Union County: 2.46
(Union is 28% above the N.J. state average.)
Naphthalene (ug/m3 in 1999): N.J. average: 0.07, Union County: 0.12
(Union is 71% above the N.J. state average.)
Perchloroethylene (ug/m3 in 1999): N.J. average: 0.24, Union County:
0.32 (Union is 33% above the N.J. state average.)
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The Cancer Risk from Air Contaminants in Union County is High
The federal government recently released a report on the total cancer
risk from 187 toxic air contaminants. The report compared all 3,223
counties in the U.S.
The national average in all counties is 36 cancers per million people.
The average of all counties in New Jersey is 41.5 cancers per million
people (15% above the national average). The cancer risk in Union
County is 51.2 -- which is 23% above the New Jersey average and 41%
above the national average. See http://tinyurl.com/lakb9z.
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Health in Union County is below average
[Data from N.J. State Health Assessment Data [NJSHAD] online here:
http://tinyurl.com/n3ln8b.]
Percent very low birth weight (1999-2004): N.J. average: 1.5, Union
County: 1.8 (Union County is 20% above the N.J. state average.)
Percent of children less than age 3 with blood lead > 10 ug/dL in
2004): N.J. average: 1.59, Union County: 1.93 (Union County is 21%
above the N.J. state average.) [The term ug/dL means
"micrograms of toxic lead in each tenth of a liter of blood." A liter
is roughly a quart.]
Percent of children less than age 3 with blood lead > 20 ug/dL in
2004: N.J. average: 0.3, Union County: 0.42 (Union County is 40% above
the N.J. state average.)
Infant mortality rate 2000-2004 (per thousand births): N.J. average:
5.91, Union County: 6.2 (Union County is 4.9% above the N.J. state
average.)
Low birth weight (% live births, 2001-2005): N.J. average: 7.65, Union
County: 8.2 (Union is 14% above the N.J. state average.)
Perinatal mortality (2000-2004): N.J. average: 6.1, Union County: 7.3
(Union County is 20% above the N.J. state average.)
Percent live births with no prenanatal care (2001-2005) N.J. average:
0.98, Union County: 2 (Union County is 104% above the N.J. state
average.)
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Summary
1. The population of Union County is disproportionately Black and
Hispanic.
2. The air of Union County already fails to meet federal health
standards for deadly soot, and it has more than its fair share of many
toxic contaminants.
3. The risk of cancer from toxic air contaminants is elevated in Union
County
4. The health of people in Union County falls below statewide
averages.
5. The 750 megaWatt coal-based power plant proposed for Linden in
Union County will process 2 million tons of coal each year, turning
it into a "synthetic gas" (syngas), which will then be burned to make
electricity.
Although the proposed plant will use the latest modern technology, it
will still emit large quantities (5,662 tons) of air pollution into
Union County each year, killing people, causing asthma and other
illnesses, and making a bad situation worse.
The plant will be highly automated, employing only 50 people on three
shifts for a total of 150 jobs.
6. This is a classic case of environmental injustice.