Toxic contamination has been shown to have significant, adverse physical health impacts. However, the mental health impacts of exposure to toxic contamination are not often discussed.

On this episode, we are discussing the mental health impacts of air pollution. Toxic air pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur oxides (SOx), and particulate matter (PM) disproportionately impact people of color, and there is a large amount of research that connects it to severe mental health disorders.

Let’s explore the research behind it. Join us!

Learn more:
Air Pollution's Impact on Mental Health
PM2.5 polluters disproportionately and systemically affect people of color in the United States
Air pollution, depressive and anxiety disorders, and brain effects: A systematic review
Air pollution and mental health: associations, mechanisms and methods

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Toxic contamination has been shown to have significant, adverse physical health impacts. However, the mental health impacts of exposure to toxic contamination is not often discussed.

On this episode, we are discussing the mental health impacts of lead exposure. Lead is a major issue in the United States and around the world, and there is a large amount of research that connects lead contamination to severe mental health disorders for both children and adults.

Let’s explore the research behind it. Join us!

Learn more:
2020 UNICEF Report – The Toxic Truth


The intersectional effect of poverty, home ownership, and racial/ethnic composition on mean childhood blood lead levels in Milwaukee County neighborhoods

Early-life lead exposure and neurodevelopmental disorders

Prospective associations between childhood low-level lead exposure and adult mental health problems: The Port Pirie cohort study

Association of Childhood Lead Exposure With Adult Personality Traits and Lifelong Mental Health

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Email: [email protected]

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While the physical health impacts of living in a highly polluted, industrial zone has been well-documented and the mental health impacts of various contaminants are being researched, little attention has been given to the reality that simply living near industrial activity has negative health impacts. Not the pollution from the facilities. Just the fact that the activity is near you causes mental health issues for the residents.

Let’s explore the research behind it. Join us!

Learn more:
Environmental Stressors: The Mental Health Impact of Living Near Industrial Activity
Living in grey areas: Industrial activity and psychological health
Communities living with chronic environmental contamination: Leveraging interdisciplinarity to address environmental justice issues

Connect with our Environmental Justice Lab community:
Instagram: @envjusticelab
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Email: [email protected]

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May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and we are going to spend the entire month exploring the mental health implications of experiencing environmental racism and injustice. Mental health is often an overlooked and under-researched outcome when considering the issues associated with living in a disproportionately polluted and toxic environment, even as those negative outcomes are just as pervasive and destructive as the physical health issues that are clearly present.

So this month, we are going to bring awareness to the mental health issues that are faced by so many fenceline and frontline communities, as the fight for environmental justice continues.

Let’s talk about it!

Learn more:
Mental Health Statistics - Johns Hopkins Medicine
The Interplay between Environmental Exposures and Mental Health
Racism and Mental Health
Mental Health and Communities of Color - Statistics and Resources

Connect with our Environmental Justice Lab community:
Instagram: @envjusticelab
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Email: [email protected]

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On April 21, President Biden issued an executive order on environmental justice. It was his strongest statement reaffirming his commitment to environmental justice since he became president. But what does that mean for fenceline and frontline communities? How excited should we be about this executive order?

Let’s talk about it! Join the conversation.

Learn more:
Fact Sheet - Biden Executive Order on Environmental Justice
Indigenous Knowledge Guidance Document
1994 Executive Order on Environmental Justice

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Facebook: www.facebook.com/EnvironmentalJusticeLab
Email: [email protected]

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Episode Description:
Have you ever thought about what an “environmental justice” community actually is? How are they identified? How do you know if you are living in one? How does a community become one? Let’s think about it on this episode. Join us!

Learn about how environmental justice communities are identified:
Environmental Justice - California Environmental Justice Alliance
Environmental Justice - NAACP
Life At the fenceLine - Understanding Cumulative Health Hazards in Environmental Justice CommunitiesDefinition - New Mexico Department of Public Health
Definition - Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Definition - Massachusetts Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs

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Email: [email protected]

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Over the last month, we have been talking about everything related to Cancer Death Alley. From the health issues to the complaints to the lawsuits to EPA. And while it may get discouraging at times to discuss the issues surrounding Death Alley, there is hope. Hope from the various community groups and organizations fighting for change.

On this episode, we discuss two of these groups, RISE St. James and the Concerned Citizens of St. John, and what we can learn from their hard work and dedication in the fight for environmental justice in Death Alley.

Let’s get into it!

Learn more about RISE St. James:
Official Website of RISE St. James
The Story of RISE St. James
Sharon Lavigne, Founder of RISE St. James - 2021 Goldman Environmental Prize Winner

Learn more about the Concerned Citizens of St. John the Baptist Parish
Official Website of Concerned Citizens of St. John the Baptist Parish
Profile: Robert Taylor, Founder of Concerned Citizens of St. John

Connect with our Environmental Justice Lab community:
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Email: [email protected]

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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the United States’ regulatory body who is responsible for keeping us safe from pollution and environmental hazards. So what are they doing about everything that is going on in Cancer Alley? From letters to lawsuits, this episode explores all that the EPA has done in response to the continued push for change from the residents in Cancer Alley. Let’s get into it!

Learn more about the EPA’s involvement in Cancer Alley*:
EPA Administrator Michael Regan tours Cancer Alley and other pollution hot spots, vowing to promote environmental justice - The Washington Post

Residents of Louisiana’s Cancer Alley hopeful for action after EPA head’s visit | Environment | The Guardian

Complaint No. 01R-22-R6 and 04R-22-R6 against the LDEQ

Complaint No. 02R-22-R6 against the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH)

Letter of Concern from EPA to LDEQ and LDH

Letter to Denka and DuPont (before the lawsuit)

EPA’s lawsuit against Denka and DuPont

Connect with our Environmental Justice Lab community:
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This episode is about the health impacts of living in Cancer Alley. While Cancer Alley gets its name from the high rates of cancer (which is 50 times higher than the national average), there are plenty of other health issues that these residents face, including various lung and heart illnesses. And there is new research that shows direct links to the discriminatory permitting practices that place these polluting facilities in Cancer Alley and the direct impact of that increase in air pollution on the cancer rates in the area. None of this is a coincidence.

Let’s get into it!

Learn more about the health issues in Cancer Alley*:
Research Article - Air pollution is linked to higher cancer rates
Research Article - Discriminatory Air Permitting in Louisiana
News Article - Cancer Alley residents sue for moratorium on chemical plants
Fighting for Cleaner Air in Cancer Alley
"You only have to smell ‘Cancer Alley’ to know how toxic it is"

*If you are unable to view any of the resources listed above, please reach out to me, and I will send you a PDF copy.

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Email: [email protected]

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This episode is about Cancer Alley. A place where the risk of getting cancer is 50 times higher than the national average. A place that the United Nations refers to as “the textbook definition of environmental racism”. A place that has more polluting facilities per square mile than anywhere else in the United States. The ultimate sacrifice zone. We need to talk about Cancer Alley.

Learn More about Cancer Alley*:
History of Cancer Alley
Story Map of Cancer Alley
UN News Report - Cancer Alley
Research Article: Employment in Cancer Alley
Plantation (i.e. Slavery) Tourism

*If you are unable to view any of the resources listed above, please reach out to me, and I will send you a PDF copy.

Connect with our Environmental Justice Lab community:
Instagram: @envjusticelab
Facebook: www.facebook.com/EnvironmentalJusticeLab
Email: [email protected]

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