© 2024 WEMU
Serving Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County, MI
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

U-M Researchers: Low Income And Minority Communities Are Targets For Hazardous Waste Industries

Jason Koxvold/ Wikipedia

 University of Michigan researchers say low income and minority communities are targeted as sites for hazardous waste facilities.

Using U.S. Census data, researchers found a pattern of hazardous waste sites being built near poor and minority communities.

U-M's Environmental Studies Professor Paul Mohai explains that this study clears up the question of whether toxic waste facilities cause demographic changes or are intentionally built near low income communities.

"What our study shows is there’s a pattern that, for whatever reason, they’re [hazardous waste facilities] resulting in being placed disproportionately in places where people of color or poor people live.”

Mohai says the study looked at the location of 319 hazardous waste sites built in the U.S. between 1966 to 1995. He says this is the first long term environmental justice study of its kind. 

Like 89.1 WEMU on Facebook and follow us on Twitter

 

- Amanda LeClaire is a reporter and anchor for 89.1 WEMU. Contact her at aleclaire@wemu.org.

Related Content