Anna Rosofsky

Toxic Pollution and School Performance Scores: Environmental Ascription in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana

The current study adds to the literature linking environmental pollution and disparities in educational outcomes among vulnerable populations by measuring variations in school performance scores in East Baton Rouge (EBR) Parish, Louisiana. The authors ask whether the unique, place-specific, results of a study such as the 2004 study by Pastor, Sadd, and Morello-Frosch, specifically the finding that schools’ academic performance scores are negatively related to proximity to major polluters, can be made somewhat more “general” by examining a similar relationship in another location. The authors closely approximate the model and methodology used by Pastor et al. and then respecify that model by including new independent variables with a particular focus on alternative and more nuanced measures of proximity to polluters as indicators of potential human exposure. Furthermore, they analyze the relationship between proximity and achievement in terms of disproportionate effects on human capital experienced by vulnerable populations. The findings provide evidence of “environmental ascription,” the idea that “place” (especially, attending school in polluted places) has ascriptive properties. The authors find that, all else equal, their several measures of proximity (to Toxics Release Inventory facilities in general, to high concentrations of toxic emissions, and to high-volume polluters of developmental neurotoxins) are significantly related to school performance scores throughout EBR Parish.

Environmental ascription in Worcester County, MA: toxic pollution and education outcomes

As a replication and extension of two previous studies [Pastor, M. Jr., Sadd, J., and Morello-Frosch, R., 2004. Reading, writing and toxics: childrens health, academic performance, and environmental justice in Los Angeles. Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy, 22 (2), 271–290, Lucier, C., et al., 2011. Toxic pollution and school performance scores: environmental ascription in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. Organization & Environment, 24 (4), 421–441], the current study seeks to expand on the growing literature linking environmental inequality and disparities in educational outcomes among vulnerable populations by identifying the environmental determinants of variation in school performance in Worcester County, Massachusetts. Our findings show that schools rating lower in school performance were more likely to be located in more polluted areas, and that these schools had higher percentages of low-income and minority students. Our newly introduced, more targeted measure of toxicity is significant in all three equations in the present study. It is important to note that these significant impacts are found in a county that has much lower levels of overall pollution than in the sites studied previously. That is, the effect of toxins is significant even where pollution levels are modest.

Exposure to multiple chemicals in a cohort of reproductive-aged Danish women

Background: Current exposure assessment research does not sufficiently address multi‐pollutant exposure and their correlations in human media. Understanding the extent of chemical exposure in reproductive‐aged women is of particular concern due to the potential for in utero exposure and fetal susceptibility. Objectives: The objectives of this study were to characterize concentrations of chemical biomarkers during preconception and examine correlations between and within chemical classes. Methods: We examined concentrations of 135 biomarkers from 16 chemical classes in blood and urine from 73 women aged 18–40 enrolled in Snart Foraeldre/Milieu, a prospective cohort study of pregnancy planners in Denmark (2011–2014). We compared biomarker concentrations with United States similarly‐aged, non‐pregnant women who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Environmental Survey (NHANES) and with other international biomonitoring studies. We performed principal component analysis to examine biomarker correlations. Results: The mean number of biomarkers detected in the population was 92 (range: 60–108). The most commonly detected chemical classes were phthalates, metals, phytoestrogens and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Except blood mercury, urinary barium and enterolactone, geometric means were higher in women from NHANES. Chemical classes measured in urine generally did not load on a single component, suggesting high between‐class correlation among urinary biomarkers, while there is high within‐class correlation for biomarkers measured in serum and blood. Conclusions: We identified ubiquitous exposure to multiple chemical classes in reproductive‐aged Danish women, supporting the need for more research on chemical mixtures during preconception and early pregnancy. Inter‐ and intra‐class correlation between measured biomarkers may reflect common exposure sources, specific lifestyle factors or shared metabolism pathways. HighlightsWe measured 135 biomarkers in reproductive‐aged Danish women (n=73).We found ubiquitous exposure of persistent and non‐persistent chemicals.The mean number of biomarkers detected in the population was 92.Principal component analysis revealed common co‐exposures in this population.

The Restructured Landscape of Economic Development Challenges and Opportunities for Regional Workforce Development Collaborations

Regional workforce development collaborations have emerged as a notable approach to tackle complex problems within workforce development systems. While much of the existing research on workforce development documents the importance of promoting regional workforce development collaborations, little research exists that adequately identifies the specific barriers that organizations encounter in establishing and maintaining these collaborations. Through several sets of interviews over a 10-year period, this article examines the experiences of three detailed case studies of regions—Greater North Bay area, CA; Greater Fort Wayne/Northeastern IN; and Greater Pittsburgh/Southwestern PA—to identify the barriers and emerging strategies for creating regional workforce development systems. The authors identify three primary barriers: high initial upfront costs, competition, and fragmentation. They also find that an effective regional workforce development system is promoted primarily through an anchor organization that possesses programmatic and jurisdictional authority throughout a region.

Temporal trends in air pollution exposure inequality in Massachusetts

ABSTRACT Mounting evidence over the past several decades has demonstrated inequitable distribution of pollutants of ambient origin between sociodemographic groups in the United States. Most environmental inequality studies to date are cross‐sectional and used proximity‐based methods rather than modeled air pollution concentrations, limiting the ability to examine trends over time or the factors that drive exposure inequalities. In this paper, we use 1 km2 modeled PM2.5 and NO2 concentrations in Massachusetts over an 8‐year period and Census demographic data to quantify inequality between sociodemographic groups and to develop a more nuanced understanding of the drivers and trends in longitudinal air pollution inequality. Annual‐average population‐weighted PM2.5 and NO2 concentrations were highest for urban non‐Hispanic black populations (11.8 &mgr;g/m3 in 2003 and 8.4 &mgr;g/m3 in 2010, vs. 11.3 &mgr;g/m3 and 8.1 &mgr;g/m3 for urban non‐Hispanic whites) and urban Hispanic populations (15.9 ppb in 2005 and 13.0 ppb in 2010, vs. 13.0 ppb and 10.2 ppb for urban non‐Hispanic whites), respectively. While population groups experienced similar absolute decreases in exposure over time, disparities in population‐weighted concentrations increased over time when quantified by the Atkinson Index, a relative inequality measure. Exposure inequalities were approximately one order of magnitude greater for NO2 compared to PM2.5, were more pronounced in urban compared to rural geographies, and between racial/ethnic groups compared to income and educational attainment groups. Our results also revealed similar longitudinal PM2.5 and NO2 inequality trends using Census 2000 and Census 2010 data, indicating that spatio‐temporal shifts in air pollution may best explain observed trends in inequality. These findings enhance our understanding of factors that contribute to persistent inequalities and underscore the importance of targeted exposure reduction strategies aimed at vulnerable populations and neighborhoods. HIGHLIGHTSWe characterized longitudinal PM2.5 and NO2 inequality trends across Massachusetts.Exposure inequality increased in urban, but not rural areas.NO2 exposure inequality was greater in magnitude than PM2.5 inequality.Observed inequality trends likely driven by spatiotemporal pollution shifts.

The impact of air exchange rate on ambient air pollution exposure and inequalities across all residential parcels in Massachusetts

Individual housing characteristics can modify outdoor ambient air pollution infiltration through air exchange rate (AER). Time and labor-intensive methods needed to measure AER has hindered characterization of AER distributions across large geographic areas. Using publicly-available data and regression models associating AER with housing characteristics, we estimated AER for all Massachusetts residential parcels. We conducted an exposure disparities analysis, considering ambient PM2.5 concentrations and residential AERs. Median AERs (h−1) with closed windows for winter and summer were 0.74 (IQR: 0.47–1.09) and 0.36 (IQR: 0.23–0.57), respectively, with lower AERs for single family homes. Across residential parcels, variability of indoor PM2.5 concentrations of ambient origin was twice that of ambient PM2.5 concentrations. Housing parcels above the 90th percentile of both AER and ambient PM2.5 (i.e., the leakiest homes in areas of highest ambient PM2.5)—vs. below the 10 percentile—were located in neighborhoods with higher proportions of Hispanics (20.0% vs. 2.0%), households with an annual income of less than

Proximity to industrial toxins and childhood respiratory, developmental, and neurological diseases: environmental ascription in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana

20,000 (26.0% vs. 7.5%), and individuals with less than a high school degree (23.2% vs. 5.8%). Our approach can be applied in epidemiological studies to estimate exposure modifiers or to characterize exposure disparities that are not solely based on ambient concentrations.