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The Environmental Racism within our Water; Demonstrated by Adverse Health Outcomes

Trinity Hutt

Environmental Sociology

Final Research Paper

May 9th, 2023

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Introduction

This research will be focused on the relationship between race and well-being as it relates

to the quality of water and wastewater treatment plants. Poor manufacturing and neglect of these

systems lead to sickness and contamination throughout communities. Recent research

post-pandemic illustrates a strong relationship between race and overall well-being as minorities

represented a large proportion of those illnesses. It is the objective of this research paper to

determine if the quality of water and wastewater treatment plants is a significant factor in this

relationship. This paper will also dive into the historical context of race as a variable and

environmental justice concepts. This is an issue with broad implications, and devastating effects,

and requires specific, local, measures for analysis and eventually change. I hope that this

research presented will contribute to the discussion on environmental racism, and provide

implications for future research and interventions.

Calls For Justice

The recent social movements regarding systemic racism during a pandemic have

established a new line of thinking and inspired a wave of research avenues. Despite criticisms, it

is evident that race remains an integral factor when studying other variables related to overall

well-being in the United States. When researching environmental issues it would be valuable to

compare the race and ethnicities that are most affected. Environmental Justice is a specific

branch of environmental sociology, framed by the work of Ulrich Beck, who postulates that the

technological and economic developments of late modernity have created a “host of new hazards

to human life.” Analyzing these hazards is critical to understanding the foundations of systemic

injustices. Environmental hazards can be defined as increased toxins, contaminated water and

soil, polluted air, climate change, and unhealthy food sources that pose significant risks to human
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and ecological health. (Muang et al. 2009) The environmental justice movement has historically

revolved around the marginalization of African Americans, as it gained its popularity alongside

their proximity to environmental hazards. The textbook, Environmental Justice by Muang and

Pellow, elaborates on the many meta-analyses of empirical studies on race and class disparities in

the distribution of these hazards, all of which found disparities based on income and race, and in

six out of nine studies race was a more important predictor of proximity to environmental

hazards.

Beck, COVID-19, and Perception of Risk

Szasz brings to attention an important cultural shift in perceptions of risk. More

remarkably, how people who can’t afford to protect themselves against environmental hazards,

get left behind in the toxins. This recent shift in the perception of risks and methods of control

could arguably be inflated in light of the pandemic. Beck outlines a risk society thesis, which

optimistically presumes that society will be able to assess and adapt to different levels of risk as

issues occur. (Hannigan 2023) The eerie period of COVID regulations, where citizens across the

world were ordered to stay home, to avoid germs. Though deadly and heartbreaking, the

pandemic offered a host of research opportunities and sociological insight. It exposed layers of

underlying racism to address, as we saw disparities in the death tolls rise. Black people are more

likely to be infected at 1.1x the rate of white people, the rate of hospitalization for COVID is

2.1x higher, and finally, the death rate is 1.6x that of white people. Because there is no physical

evidence for their vulnerability to COVID-19 it is reasonable to conclude that there are both

social and environmental factors adversely affecting people of color’s health. According to the

2022 Yale report on beliefs about climate change, there is a demonstrable increase in

acknowledgment and concern for environmental issues across the country. If there is one thing
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we should take away from the experience of quarantine, it would be that our social, physical, and

natural environments are much more important than we thought.

Quarantine(s)

Taking inspiration from Andy Szasz’s idea of Inverted Quarantine and growing cultural

fears of contamination of the food, water, and air. In his book, Shopping Our Way to Safety, he

claimed “Hardly a generation back, people did not worry about the food they ate. They did not

worry about the water they drank or the air they breathed. It never occurred to them that eating,

drinking water, satisfying basic, mundane bodily needs, might be dangerous things to do.” (Szasz

2007.) Furthermore, he explains that the social awareness of this invisible danger increases

feelings of vulnerability. Noting that in 1975, Americans were drinking on average, one gallon of

bottled water per year. By 2005 however, consumption had grown to twenty-six gallons of

bottled water per person per year. Nearly half of all households also use some sort of water

filtration system. (Szasz 2007.) Despite efforts made, the demand for these disposable, and

“safer” options for drinking water remains increasing.

The Social and Physical Locations

The communities with the majority of black populations within this country, on top of

being statistically closer to environmental hazards, have poorer infrastructure. Due to their

proximity to the poverty line. This infrastructure, such as our water treatment and sewer systems

is vital to the well-being of communities and often overlooked. Inequities in this aspect of

infrastructure can create drastic disparities. A popularized example of this issue is Flint,

Michigan. The issue began in early 2014, tens of thousands of residents surrounding Flint, were

exposed to dangerous amounts of lead via their water supply. After many complaints of spikes in

Legionnaire disease, A.K.A lead poisoning; attempts to investigate the water supply were met
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with resistance and delays from higher-ups. Residents at this time suffered severely, as they were

an already struggling community. (Smith 2008.) It was evident that this community also suffered

from the negligence of their infrastructure which should have been protected under the Clean

Water Act. The Clean Water Act of 1972 made significant developments in protecting our water

from contaminants. However, difficulties remain. Some of the challenges are “...population

growth, aging infrastructure, limited resources, and increasingly complex water quality issues,

new approaches to address CWA requirements are being explored” (EPA 2022). Media caught

wind of this crisis and support for residents, along with pressure on local and executive figures

flooded in. It was finally declared a state of emergency in December 2015, and an act to amend

the CWA was created. As Potter et al., document more recent occurrences of this same

sociological pattern. According to the Center for public integrity, an article highlights the

crumbling infrastructure communities of color overwhelmingly face. This article documents the

poor water quality, with one individual stating “Don’t nobody drink that mess,”. Highlighting

that in lower-income communities people have no choice but to live amongst contaminants.

“Many residents rely on antiquated water systems and haphazard monitoring or live near

businesses and industries whose waste, they say, pollutes their water systems.” This article also

states that the town's poverty itself is a significant impediment to rebuilding the infrastructure,

and that non-white, poor, neighborhoods, are the most likely to have water violations. (Potter et

al.)

Dissonance and Distance

Biohazards, dirty water; where it ends up is often forgotten, and how it is treated is

widely unknown. Perhaps due to cognitive dissonance, a mental aversion to thinking of

something as foul as sewage water. Perhaps more simply, because society is accustomed to the
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powers of modern technology? Have we as a society forgotten the terror caused by mishandling

biohazards? On the contrary, we have just pushed environmental issues as far away as possible.

A landmark case study outlined by Muang et al. demonstrates this concept. The Not In My

BackYard movements historically had success in protesting the placement of environmental

hazards in their neighborhoods. The problem however was that these hazards were being handed

over to communities of color. This further divides the rift and strain between classes.

Disruption of Homeland Duties

The Center for Disease Control’s page on septic and onsite waste systems explains how

the community septic tanks work, “A well-maintained and constructed septic system will better

withstand the stresses of heavy rains or flooding. Regular inspection is necessary to ensure

proper functioning. During heavy rains and floods, the ground can become saturated, preventing

proper operation of the system.” (CDC 2021). Signs that a septic system is not working properly

include slow drainage and even, sewage becoming visible outside of the home. If that isn’t a

stinky and memorable, reminder, to never neglect septic systems, I don’t know what is.

In Hayneville, Alabama, raw sewage reportedly engulfed the neighborhood, pooling into yards

and playgrounds. Proving the lack of infrastructure within this community, while its residents

live paycheck to paycheck. After complaints, “Sherry Bradley, the director of the Bureau of

Environmental Services of the state Public Health Department, showed up at a Justice

Department hearing to defend the agency. She is adamant that the Justice Department won’t find

any wrongdoing. She argues that when it comes to installing sewer lines from home to the

county’s system, it’s on the homeowner.”(NBCNews 2022) Sherry Bradley’s statements offer no

proposal for a solution and left residents frustrated. Since this, progress has been made on the
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communities' issues and there is hope for the future under new environmental protections and

changing perspectives.

Conclusion

The contrast between white people's experiences with exposure to environmental hazards

and people of color’s is distinct. The environmental justice framework fits this issue as race plays

a significant factor throughout the research presented. The assigned readings inspired the

sociological principles that link it to the framework and examples of this issue. To answer the

research question of this paper; little evidence links unequal sewage systems directly to adverse

health effects of people of color. However, people of color are overall more likely to suffer from

exposure to environmental harm. Implications for the future should involve grassroots

organizations and political action. A further research question that could be asked after

considering this research could be, to what extent do environmental hazards of the prison put

these populations more at risk for health-related concerns?

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References

Alcindor, Yamiche. 2022. “In Rural Alabama, Raw Sewage Spurs Investigation into Racial
Inequality.” NBCNews.Com. Retrieved May 9, 2023
(https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/rural-alabama-raw-sewage-spurs-invest

Environmental Protection Agency. 2022. “Summary of the Clean Water Act.” EPA. Retrieved
May 9, 2023 (https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-clean-water-act).

Hannigan, John A. Environmental sociology : a social constructionist perspective / John A.

Hannigan Routledge London ; New York 1995igation-racial-inequality-rcna25475).

Leiserowitz, et al. 2022. Climate Change in the American Mind. Yale Program on Climate
Change Communication.

News21 Staff, William Taylor Potter. 2019. “Crumbling Pipes, Tainted Water Plague Black
Communities.” Center for Public Integrity. Retrieved 2019
(https://publicintegrity.org/environment/crumbling-pipes-tainted-water-plague-black-com
munities/).

Ray, Michael. 2023. “Flint Water Crisis.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved May 9, 2023
(https://www.britannica.com/event/Flint-water-crisis).

Smith, Rebecca K. “‘ECOTERRORISM’?: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE VILIFICATION

OF RADICAL ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISTS AS TERRORISTS.” Environmental
Law, vol. 38, no. 2, 2008, pp. 537–76. JSTOR,

Szasz, Andrew. 2009. Shopping Our Way to Safety: How We Changed from Protecting the
Environment to Protecting Ourselves. Minneapolis, Minnesota: University of Minnesota
Press.