Environmental injustice in South Florida. Burning sugarcane may lead to increased hospitalizations from respiratory distress related to PM2.5 exposure. 

Every year, from May to October, sugar cane is harvested in South Florida. The current harvest practice is to burn the fields; this makes harvesting cheaper and quicker. 400,000 acres of sugarcane are burned each year in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA). The smoke from burning, which contains particulate matter known to be harmful to human health (PM2.5), has long been a concern for the communities downwind. Sugar companies in South Florida operate on burn permits only allowing them to burn whenever the wind travels westward, carrying the smoke over counties with higher percentages of residents of color,  like Belle Glade and Clewiston. Eastern counties such as West Palm Beach and Boca Raton are relatively unaffected. By comparing public health data for Clewiston, Belle Glade, West Palm Beach, and Boca Raton it becomes evident that there are higher rates of hospitalization from respiratory illnesses in Belle Glade and Clewiston. Respiratory issues such as asthma and COPD have been linked to exposure to PM2.5. This research uses geospatial analysis to model the spread of the smoke over areas west of the fields. Public health data from Belle Glade and Clewiston shows a correlation between hospitalizations from asthma and COPD and exposure to PM2.5 from the sugarcane fires.  This environmental injustice can be mitigated by alternative methods of sugarcane harvest that do not release harmful amounts of PM2.5, but currently, the sugar industry in Florida continues to endanger the lives and well-being of people in these communities.

For more information- elcrosby@eckerd.edu 

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