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The lived reality of people in the Bronx makes clear that coronavirus and environmental justice are not separate issues. They are compounding factors leading to an unprecedented public health crisis. THREAD.
Recently published research from @HarvardChanSPH found a connection between the prevalence of air pollution in a community and higher lethality rates of coronavirus. The dirtier the air you breathe, the more vulnerable you are to a respiratory illness. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/biostatistics/2020/04/linking-air-pollution-to-higher-coronavirus-death-rates/
It’s no coincidence that the Bronx, a community with *seven* superfund sites, has the most coronavirus infections per capita in NY and an asthma hospitalization rate for children that is 70 percent higher than the rest of NYC.
Race and class are inextricable from all of this. The Bronx is one of the most racially diverse boroughs with a median income level that is significantly lower than the rest of NYC.
Ignoring the relationship between environmental justice and coronavirus ignores what frontline communities have long known to be true: Racism, class environmental justice and public health are inextricably connected.
You can’t address one without addressing the others. Our relief measures should reflect these connections.
Read more here: https://www.dataforprogress.org/blog/5/18/bronx-is-epicenter-for-coronavirus
Read more here: https://www.dataforprogress.org/blog/5/18/bronx-is-epicenter-for-coronavirus
