Inequitable Chronic Lead Exposure: A Dual Legacy of Social and Environmental Injustice

Both historic and contemporary factors contribute to the current unequal distribution of lead in urban environments and the disproportionate impact lead exposure has on the health and well-being of low-income minority communities. We consider the enduring impact of lead through the lens of environme...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Family & community health 2016-07, Vol.39 (3), p.151-159
Main Authors: Leech, Tamara G. J., Adams, Elizabeth A., Weathers, Tess D., Staten, Lisa K., Filippelli, Gabriel M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Chronic Disease
Environmental Exposure - legislation & jurisprudence
Environmental justice
Health care policy
Health disparities
Human exposure
Humans
Lead - toxicity
Lead content
Low income groups
Original Articles
Public health
Risk assessment
Social Justice - legislation & jurisprudence
Urban environments
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Summary:Both historic and contemporary factors contribute to the current unequal distribution of lead in urban environments and the disproportionate impact lead exposure has on the health and well-being of low-income minority communities. We consider the enduring impact of lead through the lens of environmental justice, taking into account well-documented geographic concentrations of lead, legacy sources that produce chronic exposures, and intergenerational transfers of risk. We discuss the most promising type of public health action to address inequitable lead exposure and uptake: primordial prevention efforts that address the most fundamental causes of diseases by intervening in structural and systemic inequalities.
ISSN:0160-6379
1550-5057
DOI:10.1097/FCH.0000000000000106