Effects of Economic and Social Disadvantage on Environmental Hazards in Suburban Rust Belt Communities

The study of environmental hazards in the suburban context has received very little attention. Additionally, there is little known about the role of persistent social and economic disadvantages on environmental hazard placement in communities. This article seeks to examine the determinants of the likelihood of toxic releases, as well as the drivers of the intensity (toxicity and amount) of hazards present in those affected communities.

The findings in this article demonstrate that wealthier and whiter communities in the Rust Belt are less likely to be exposed to toxic releases in their communities. It does not, however, find substantive evidence that persistent poverty plays a particularly large role in the levels of toxic releases today.