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Background: The industrialization and consolidation of the animal agriculture industry has led to the rise of concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). CAFOs and their runoff have been linked to deleterious effects on environmental and human health. A previous study demonstrated that hog CAFOs were disproportionately sited within or near low-wealth communities and communities of color, raising environmental justice concerns. This study aimed at replicated prior methods to assess whether environmental injustices that were identified nearly 20 years ago have been adequately addressed through policy and/or other mechanisms. Methods: CAFO data, including facility size and manure generation, were taken from the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality. Buffer analysis was conducted using CAFO data and block-group sociodemographic data from the 2018 5-year American Community Survey to measure CAFO proximity to communities of concern (low-wealth, communities of color). Statistical analyses (quintile analysis, prevalence ratios, negative binomial regression, spearman correlation assessments) were utilized to measure the correlation between CAFO presence and sociodemographics. Results: The CAFOs in Mississippi were located in block groups that have an average or greater African American population compared with the state. The highest number of hog CAFOs were within block groups with 15.9%–36.9% of people below the poverty line. Conclusion: Race and socioeconomic status could be factors in determining the likelihood of living near a hog CAFO in Mississippi, yet these analyses did not demonstrate a positive correlation between race, socioeconomic status, and the presence of CAFOs. Considering the potential harm that hog CAFOs pose to low-wealth populations and communities of color, policy recommendations include a moratorium on expansion; phasing out the largest CAFOs in the state; and stricter enforcement of environmental protections with regards to animal agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A concrete block plant located in Bladensburg, Maryland, wants to expand to include a concrete batching plant on the same property. This expansion could further degrade air quality and impact the health of vulnerable residents. The purpose of this study is to provide information on particulate matter (PM2.5) levels near residential areas close to commuter traffic and industrial activity associated with the concrete plant. Air quality monitoring was conducted in Bladensburg at five sites: (1) Kingdom Missionary Baptist Church, (2) Bladensburg Waterfront Park, (3) Confluence area, (4) Bladensburg Elementary School, and (5) Hillcrest Apartment Complex using the AirBeam, a real-time sensor that can measure PM2.5 levels. Sampling was conducted in 30-minute intervals to capture morning on-peak, afternoon off-peak, and evening on-peak periods. Traffic counts were also conducted at the abovementioned sites to evaluate vehicular activity. Mean PM2.5 levels at the church (26.13 μg/m3), Waterfront Park (7.52 μg/m3), Confluence area (7.44 μg/m3) and Bladensburg Elementary School (5.92 μg/m3) were higher, compared with Hillcrest Apartments (5.36 μg/m3) during weekdays. On weekends, the mean PM2.5 concentrations ranged from 6.33 to 21.49 μg/m3. Also, the average PM2.5 levels at the church on Thursday (June 7, 2018) were 27.44, 20.67, and 11.73 μg/m3 during the morning, afternoon, and evening monitoring periods. Our results revealed spatial and temporal variations of PM2.5 levels across the sites. We observed higher mean PM2.5 levels in the morning compared with afternoon and evening. There were higher PM2.5 levels at locations closer to the concrete block plant and heavily trafficked roadways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monitoring networks are commonly designed to measure the air quality of regional air sheds and may not be representative of neighborhood air quality. This study presents data collected in a neighborhood in Washington, District of Columbia (DC), through a partnership between academics, residents, and a grassroots organization. It contributes to a growing body of studies that demonstrate the extent of differences in air quality experienced by some local communities compared with concentrations from monitoring networks. Ambient concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and black carbon (BC) were measured in Ivy City, North East Washington, DC, for more than 60 days over the winter, spring, and fall of 2013. These neighborhood concentrations were compared with those from DCs District Department of Energy and the Environment (DOEE) monitoring network. During the monitoring campaigns, the maximum difference in daily PM2.5 concentrations between Ivy City and the nearest DOEE site was 21.7 μg/m, and the mean daily difference between the two monitoring sites was 5.7 μg/m. Average daily BC concentrations in Ivy City were also statistically significantly (p < 0.001) higher, ranging from 0.3 to 2.6 μg/m for Ivy City as opposed to 0.2–0.92 μg/m for the DOEE site. Multivariate linear regression was used to develop an annual estimate of PM2.5 and BC concentrations for Ivy City. Using this annual estimate of local PM2.5 concentration could have led to a different conclusion in the DOEE environmental assessment (EA) for a proposed bus parking lot in Ivy City. The actual EA concluded that the additional bus parking lot would have no significant impact, after considering bus emissions on top of DOEE monitor levels of PM2.5. Using concentrations more representative for the neighborhood could have shown that additional bus parking would further contribute to PM2.5 levels that exceeded the Environmental Protection Agency standards. This case study illustrates how using network data to make citing decisions about local emission sources can contribute to environmental injustice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A concrete block plant located in Bladensburg, Maryland, wants to expand to include a concrete batching plant on the same property. This expansion could further degrade air quality and impact the health of vulnerable residents. The purpose of this study is to provide information on volatile organic compounds (VOCs) levels near residential areas close to commuter traffic and industrial activity associated with the concrete plant. Air quality monitoring was conducted in the community at five sites: (1) Kingdom Missionary Baptist Church, (2) Bladensburg Waterfront Park, (3) Confluence area, (4) Bladensburg Elementary School, and (5) Hillcrest Apartment Complex by using the Atmotube, a wearable, real-time sensor that can measure total VOCs. Sampling was conducted in 30-minute periods to capture morning on-peak, afternoon off-peak, and evening on-peak periods. Traffic counts were also conducted at the sites mentioned earlier to evaluate vehicular activity. Average 30-minute values for cars ranged from 8.33 to 1295.33 cars, whereas mean truck values ranged from 0.00 to 137.67 trucks across all sites. The highest average car count of 1295.33 cars was observed at the confluence area. Mean VOCs concentrations ranged from 0.11 to 0.54 ppm across the monitoring locations. The maximum average VOCs level of 0.54 ppm was observed at Kingdom Missionary Baptist Church on Saturday. Also, the mean VOCs levels observed at the church (0.54 and 0.31 ppm) were higher compared with other locations on Saturday. Our results revealed spatial variations of VOCs levels across all locations. There were higher total VOCs levels at the church, which is the closest location to the concrete block plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the demand for goods continues to increase, a collective network of transportation systems is required to facilitate goods movement activities. This study examines air quality near the Port of Charleston before its expansion and briefly describes the establishment and structure of a community-university partnership used to monitor existing pollution. Particulate matter (PM) concentrations (PM2.5 and PM10) were measured using the Thermo Fisher Scientific Partisol 2000i-D Dichotomous Air Sampler, Thermo Scientific Dichotomous Sequential Air Sampler Partisol-Plus 2025-D, and Rupprecht & Patashnick TEOM Series 1400 Sampler at neighborhood (Union Heights, Rosemont, and Accabee) and reference (FAA2.5 and Jenkins Street) sites. Descriptive statistics were performed and an ANOVA (analysis of variance) was calculated to find the difference in overall mean 24-hour PM average concentrations in communities impacted by environmental injustice. PM2.5 (15.2 μg/m3) and PM10 (27.2 μg/m3) maximum concentrations were highest in neighborhoods such as Union Heights neighborhoods due to more goods movement activities. Nevertheless, there was no statistically significant difference in mean concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 across neighborhood sites. In contrast, mean PM10 neighborhood concentrations were significantly lower than mean PM10 reference concentrations for Union Heights ( p = 0.00), Accabee ( p ≤ 0.0001), and Rosemont ( p = 0.01). Although PM concentrations were lower than current National Ambient Air Quality Standards, this study demonstrated how community-university partners can work collectively to document baseline PM concentrations that will be used to examine changes in air quality after the port expansion brings additional goods movement activities to the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]