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Hispanic heterogeneity and environmental injustice: intra-ethnic patterns of exposure to cancer risks from traffic-related air pollution in Miami

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Abstract

To explore intra-ethnic diversity in patterns of environmental health injustice in Miami (Florida), we related modeled estimates of cancer risks from on-road pollutants from the 2005 National-scale Air Toxics Assessment with 2005–2009 American Community Survey tract-level sociodemographic data. Neighborhoods with lower incomes and higher proportions of Hispanics were at risk. When disaggregating “Hispanic” based on country of origin, we found that Cuban and Colombian neighborhoods faced significantly increased cancer risk from vehicular air pollution while Mexican neighborhoods faced significantly decreased risk. These divergent patterns of environmental injustice based on Hispanic country-of-origin groupings have been shaped by the differing migration and settlement patterns of Hispanic subgroups in Miami. Our findings highlight the growing need to consider racial/ethnic heterogeneity in future EJ analysis and policy.

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Notes

  1. We use the term Hispanic, as opposed to Latino, in this paper as it is more commonly used in Florida.

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Acknowledgments

This study is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under Grants No. CMMI-1129984/1130191, “Collaborative Research: Advancing environmental equity research: vulnerability to air pollution and flood risks in Houston and Miami” at the University of Texas-El Paso and the University of South Florida, Tampa. It was also supported by Award Number P20MD002287-05S1 from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities at the University of Texas-El Paso. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF, the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities or the National Institutes of Health, or the Environmental Protection Agency.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Texas at El Paso, 500 West University Ave, El Paso, TX, 79968, USA

    Sara Elizabeth Grineski & Timothy W. Collins

  2. Department of Geography, Environment, and Planning, University of South Florida, 4202 East Fowler Avenue, NES 107, Tampa, FL, 33620, USA

    Jayajit Chakraborty

Authors
  1. Sara Elizabeth Grineski
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  2. Timothy W. Collins
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  3. Jayajit Chakraborty
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Correspondence to Sara Elizabeth Grineski.

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Grineski, S.E., Collins, T.W. & Chakraborty, J. Hispanic heterogeneity and environmental injustice: intra-ethnic patterns of exposure to cancer risks from traffic-related air pollution in Miami. Popul Environ 35, 26–44 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11111-012-0184-2

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