This week we have focused on how the negative consequences of environmental exposures disproportionately affect BIPOC communities. Many environmental hazards such as poor air quality, lack of access to proper nutrition, and exposure to toxic chemicals and metals, can all result in health risks like diabetes, heart disease, and asthma. These are just a few of the many complications that add to the negative effects of the pandemic we are presently facing.
It all comes down to context – where you live, what you eat, what resources you have access to – all of these affect your overall health. And it’s more than just how much money you make. In America today, middle class Black Americans earning $50,000-$60,000 annually are exposed to higher levels of air pollutants and toxic metals on average, than lower class White Americans earning $10,000 annually. And in the face of a pandemic, the negative consequences of this systematic problem are evident.
When looking at cases of COVID-19, researchers at the CDC found that compared to White populations, Black/African American communities have 2.6x higher infection rates, 4.7x higher hospitalization rates, and 2.1x higher death rates. In Hispanic/Latinx populations, cases are 2.8x higher, hospitalizations are 4.6x higher, and death rates are 1.1x higher. The list goes on (see CDC website for more statistics). It is evident that there is a discrepancy here between race and the effects of the coronavirus in this pandemic. As we discussed, this is directly linked to the fact that many of these communities are pre-exposed to pollutants that can harm one’s immune system. If your immune system is compromised due to a pre-existing health condition, the effects of this virus will be greater. It may even result in hospitalization or, for the case of over 150,000 Americans in the United States today, death.
Your occupation also plays a role in your response to this pandemic. Hopefully as you read this you are sitting at home, staying safe and socially distant from others outside of your bubble. However many people in America don’t have this luxury. If you have access to a park and clean air, that is an environmental luxury. And if you are able to stay at home to do work, that is an occupational luxury. Many of the essential workers have to continue to go in-person to make an income, exposing themselves to the virus daily – especially agricultural workers.
Data has demonstrated that agricultural workers and rural communities have a higher susceptibility to COVID-19. These communities have higher rates of chronic disease, lower rates of health insurance coverage, and in many cases, need to continue working in-person to make a livable income. In some agricultural environments, if a worker tests positive they lose their job entirely. Therefore workers will avoid getting tested and sometimes even continue to come to work, despite symptoms or known exposure. Unfortunately, many of these workers live in communities that are overcrowded and substandard. This further increases exposure as it limits individuals’ abilities to social distance, quarantine, and remain sanitary. In many cases, if one person becomes infected, it infects the entire population of people working on the farm, or easily spreads throughout the county.
These are essential workers in the USA, yet by limiting protections like adequate healthcare and housing, we are deeming them as “unworthy.” Although there are CDC safety guidelines for agricultural workers to fight COVID-19, many individuals cannot get healthcare services even if they get sick. For example, approximately 49% of horticulture workers lack legal authorization to work in the USA, therefore, they do not qualify for unemployment benefits, health care, etc.
As Sacoby Wilson from the University of Maryland brilliantly said, “There are the have and have nots in this country.” The haves are those with environmental protections; those who live far away from chemical plants or air pollutants. The haves can stay home, wash their hands often, and protect themselves. The have nots do not have these privileges. In order to manifest environmental justice in this country, we have to acknowledge the have nots, and sustain environmental protections to help them stay healthy and visible. This pandemic is terrifying, we all know that, but for many, it is life-threatening and out of their control. Make sure to spend some time listening to communities outside of your own as this pandemic moves forward. Let’s lift each other up! And continue to support environmental protections that will protect ALL of the American people.
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