Abstract
Natural and synthetic toxicants can cause harm to people and their environment. People who are living in poverty typically face greater environmental risks than people who are wealthy. Consequently, we can ask whether these differing health risks are fair or just, and what we, as teachers and students, can and should do about it. We can also ask how do we create a society that will benefit both people and the environment. In this chapter, we show how these questions can lead to students changing their behaviors and working to educate their fellow students and community. Students can also act to change environmental policies at the local, state/provincial, national, and global levels in order to reduce or eliminate exposure risks. In the process, students can gain a better understanding of what they can do as citizens to create a society that promotes the health of all its citizens.
An erratum to this chapter can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-1811-1_5
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Hursh, D.W., Martina, C.A., Trush, M.A., Davis, H.B. (2011). Working for Social and Environmental Justice Through Environmental Health. In: Teaching Environmental Health to Children. SpringerBriefs in Environmental Science. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-1811-1_4
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