Why Justice and Health Equity Matters
How Toxic Chemicals are Disproportionately Impacting People of Color
Research shows that hazardous chemicals commonly found in building products contribute to both short and long-term health problems. The disease and disorder burden are not evenly distributed among the American public. Instead, chemicals are disproportionately impacting Black Americans, Hispanics, and low-income individuals.
The building products and materials that make up our indoor spaces can cause significant harm to human health. While chemicals and air pollutants don’t discriminate, generations of systemic inequalities have created racial injustices, including the disproportionate exposure people of color have to hazardous chemicals.
Studies show that communities of color are at risk of facing higher exposure to indoor pollutants. Black Americans have higher levels of chemical exposure to lead, mercury, phthalates, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs); Mexican Americans have exposure to more arsenic; and Asian Americans have higher than average levels of exposure to arsenic, cadmium, and manganese.
These exposures may exacerbate the health problems of these individuals. Black Americans—who, as mentioned, have higher levels of lead and phthalates than the national average—are more likely to have childhood asthma. American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN), Hispanic and Native Hawaiian, and Other Pacific Islander (NHOPI) communities have higher rates of diabetes compared to the general population. While studies don't make concrete conclusions that toxic building products are the cause for these disparities, reducing these exposures provides opportunities to limit the disproportionate impact.
Literature on Disproportionate Exposures to People of Color
Building Clean staff reviewed scientific journals, published reports, and federal census data detailing 1) the disproportionate exposures people of color have to hazardous chemicals, 2) chemical-linked health conditions disproportionately impacting people of color, and 3) links between these health impacts and the chemicals in building products. Our interactive database includes over 170 entries over the last 30 years, with a particular focus on research and studies from the past decade.
How Residents and Workers are Exposed to Chemicals in Building Products
Building Clean’s literature review and interactive database focuses on several prominent hazardous chemicals commonly found in building products. The following chart highlights information on these chemicals and how residents and workers are exposed through building products.
Chemicals | What are they? | Where are they found in building products? |
|---|---|---|
Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) | EDCs can mimic, overproduce, disrupt, or block human hormones to an undesirable effect and lead to adverse health consequences. | EDCs—such as flame retardants, bisphenol A and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)—can be found in spray foams for insulation, furniture and paint products. |
Lead | Lead is a toxic but naturally occurring element that is found in all parts of the environment, including the air, soil, and water. | Exposure to lead can come from paint chips from homes built before 1978 and old pipes that leach lead into the water supply. Children are especially at risk as they crawl and explore the world by putting things in their mouth. |
Metals | Sometimes referred to as “heavy metals,” including arsenic, cadmium, and lead. These naturally occurring elements are often found in the soil and become toxic in larger amounts as they build up in biological systems. | These can be found in paints, compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) and coatings for metal and plastic products. |
NOx | Nitrogen oxides are air pollutants that include nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and nitric oxide (NO). | Residents who cook with natural gas in kitchens—especially those with poor ventilation—can lead to increased NOx exposures that are linked to asthma occurrence and other respiratory diseases. |
Phthalates | Phthalates are manufactured chemicals commonly used to increase the flexibility of plastics in consumer and building products. They have widespread use that can be particularly harmful to pregnant individuals. | Phthalates can be found in PVC/vinyl products, including wall coverings, furniture, flooring, adhesives and sealants. |
PM2.5 | Particulate matter is the mixture of particles found in the air that can come from dirt, dust and/or various chemicals. | Exposure to particulate matter varies based on the environment of a building or household. Combustion-related activities are the primary source indoors. |
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) | VOCs are known carcinogens that are mixtures of chemicals made of carbon that can be released into the air under normal conditions of temperature and pressure. | VOCs can be found throughout the home in furnishings, flooring, paints, sealants, adhesives, and insulation products. |
Decreasing Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals and Improving Health Outcomes
Having a better understanding of where and how these disparities occur can hopefully lead to the next pressing question: Where are the biggest product opportunities to improve the health of people of color?
Affordable housing developers, health advocates, and housing tenants’ groups should encourage the use of alternative building materials that can reduce the risk of exposure to hazardous chemicals. Resources—such as Building Clean’s “Good, Better, Best” classification for product certifications and labels that are free of the most hazardous content—are available to evaluate what chemicals may be harmful to occupants and installers, which products contain these materials, and if there are less harmful chemicals that can be used or healthier products available.
Ultimately, addressing the unequal distribution of health burdens requires a multifaceted approach that tackles both the immediate health impacts of environmental pollutants and the broader social and economic factors that perpetuate health inequities. By centering the needs of marginalized communities in our efforts to promote public health, we can work towards a future where everyone has the opportunity to live in a safe and healthy environment.
Racial Disparities in Access to Clean Drinking Water
Water infrastructure in the United States is aging, with many pipes being over a century old, resulting in approximately 250,000-300,000 water mains breaking annually and the loss of six billion gallons of clean drinking water each day. Nationally, as many as 12.8 million homes and 400,000 schools and childcare centers get their water through lead pipes and service lines. Lead exposure is particularly dangerous for children, as it can cause severe and irreversible cognitive impairments, including reduced IQ and attention deficit disorders. Long-term health effects of lead poisoning in adults include hypertension, cancer, kidney damage, and reproductive issues. Unjustly, communities of color are disproportionately impacted by the presence of lead in their drinking water and race is the strongest predictor as to whether a family has access to safe drinking water.
Lead is not the only water quality issue threatening the health of people of color in the United States:
- Twice as many Black people and Latines lack basic access to safe drinking water and sanitation as compared to white people.
- Native Americans are 19 times more likely to lack access to basic indoor plumbing.
- Residents of rural, predominantly Black counties like Lowndes County, Alabama struggle with untreated sewage caused by failed septic systems.
- More than 800 U.S. cities are plagued by combined sewer overflows, which spread untreated sewage into homes, businesses, and waterways whenever there is heavy rain or flooding.
Efforts to replace lead pipes, improve water infrastructure, and provide effective water filtration systems must be prioritized to protect the health and well-being of affected families. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) provided roughly $15 billion to fund the replacement of lead service lines and other lead remediation activities. In addition to the benefits of ensuring communities have access to clean and safe drinking water, it could also lead to the creation of an estimated 56,080 jobs annually for the next ten years, and yield societal benefits worth over $205 billion just by reducing cardiovascular diseases linked to lead exposure.
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