African-Americans Face More Pollution-Related Health Hazards, New Report Shows

Style Magazine Newswire | 11/17/2017, 2:27 p.m.
African-Americans face a disproportionate risk of pollution-related health problems caused by the location of oil and gas refineries, according to …
An oil refinery blow off stack is shown, September 16, 2008 in Texas City, Texas.Mark Wilson / Getty Images file

Source: NBCNews.com

African-Americans face a disproportionate risk of pollution-related health problems caused by the location of oil and gas refineries, according to a new study released Tuesday. The report, a joint effort between the advocacy group Clean Air Task Force (CATF) and the NAACP, found that more than 1 million African-Americans live within half a mile of an oil and gas operation, while 6.7 million — about 14 percent of the national population — live in a county with a refinery. The report found that Texas and Louisiana are home to the largest populations of African-American living in areas with cancer risk above the Environmental Protection Agency's level of concern. African-Americans in Houston and Dallas faced the highest risk of childhood asthma attacks due to ozone smog resulting from oil and gas facilities. However, since pollutants can drift for miles before forming ozone smog, black communities as far as Chicago, D.C., and New York City are potentially impacted, the study said.

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