Introduction to Indoor Air Pollutants and Toxins

Background on Residential Segregation

Throughout history, systemic racism has played a major role in the housing market through residential segregation. Systemic racism (also known as institutional racism), is a system in society that ranks groups of individuals, valuing some groups and not others. This system can cause the formation of negative beliefs, stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination. The practice of redlining, which existed from the 1930s to the 1970s, consisted of the Home Owners' Loan Corporation and the Federal Home Loan Bank Board outlining Black neighborhoods in red ("Hazardous") on a map, ultimately making it difficult or impossible for these families to purchase a home loan because they were in a "risky" area where mortgage lenders would not lend.

The Fair Housing Act was signed into law in 1968 to mitigate several racist practices. Some of these included the unequal mortgage lending to Black families by banks, the avoidance of renting homes to members of minority groups by landlords, and the directing of Black home buyers to specific neighborhoods, away from predominantly white communities, by real-estate agents. Unfortunately, says John R. Logan, a Brown University sociology professor, "We still have a very, very segregated society in terms of housing and schools" (2018). As a result of these practices, Black families continue to live in lower-class neighborhoods, and this can negatively impact their health.

Current Status of the Problem

Summary of the Research

There have been several studies conducted examining the ways in which low-income BIPOC communities are disproportionately impacted by the negative health effects associated with indoor air quality and poor quality housing in general. Black people are 1.7 times more likely to live in homes with severe physical problems (low-income white people are 2.2 times more likely), and those living in substandard housing may be disproportionately affected by asthma caused by indoor environmental causes (Krieger & Higgins, 2002). Substandard homes are less well-insulated, and as energy and housing prices rise, families may need to make dire sacrifices in order to survive (Krieger & Higgins, 2002).

Studies related to asthma morbidity have discussed that socioeconomic status of minority groups indirectly impacts whether or not they die from the disease (Forno & Celedón, 2009). From an epidemiological perspective, a study found that racial differences in exposures to fine particulate matter and black carbon in the air can ultimately impact cardiovascular disease risk. In fact, the researchers found that of the 1717 participants, the Black individuals had significantly higher exposure to fine particulate matter and black carbon compared to Whites (Erqou et al., 2018). Exposure to fine particulate matter in Black individuals was associated with higher blood glucose levels, more events caused by cardiovascular disease, and mortality (Erqou et al., 2018).

Enterprise Green Communities- A Ray of Light

References