Environmental Stressors: The Mental Health Impacts of Living Near Industrial Activity

A growing literature examines whether the poor, the working class, & people of color are disproportionately likely to live in environmentally hazardous neighborhoods. This literature assumes that environmental characteristics such as industrial pollution & hazardous waste are detrimental to...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of health and social behavior 2005-09, Vol.3, p.289-305
Main Authors: Downey, Liam, Van Willigen, Marieke
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Causality
Environmental Degradation
Industry
Mental Health
Pollution
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Summary:A growing literature examines whether the poor, the working class, & people of color are disproportionately likely to live in environmentally hazardous neighborhoods. This literature assumes that environmental characteristics such as industrial pollution & hazardous waste are detrimental to human health, an assumption that has not been well tested. Drawing upon the sociology of mental health & environmental inequality studies, we ask whether industrial activity has an impact on psychological well-being. We link individual-level survey data with data from the U.S. Census & the Toxic Release Inventory & find that residential proximity to industrial activity has a negative impact on mental health. This impact is both direct & mediated by individuals' perceptions of neighborhood disorder & personal powerlessness, & the impact is greater for minorities & the poor than it is for whites & wealthier individuals. These results suggest that public health officials need to take seriously the mental health impacts of living near industrial facilities. 4 Tables, 1 Figure, 61 References. Adapted from the source document.
ISSN:0022-1465