Public health and environmental stakeholders focused on evaluating the impact of industrial emissions on community health outcomes in high-risk regions of Harris County, Texas.
Communities located near industrial corridors in Harris County face ongoing exposure to hazardous air pollutants, particularly Ethylene Oxide (EtO), a known carcinogen.
Despite the potential risks, there was limited clarity on:
- Which communities were most affected
- The magnitude of cancer risk attributable to EtO exposure
- How environmental exposure intersects with demographic and socioeconomic vulnerability
The need was to identify high-risk “hotspots” and quantify exposure-driven cancer risk to inform regulatory and public health action.
- Identify high-risk census tracts using environmental exposure data
- Quantify cancer risk associated with EtO and other air toxics
- Integrate demographic and environmental justice indicators
- Benchmark risk at state and national levels
- Translate findings into actionable insights for decision-makers
Exposure Data Integration
Utilized EPA AirToxScreen data to identify high-exposure census tracts and quantify air toxic concentrations.
Risk Quantification
Applied statistical analysis to estimate cumulative cancer risk and isolate the contribution of Ethylene Oxide.
Environmental Justice Analysis
Integrated U.S. Census and Environmental Justice (EJ) indices to assess demographic disparities, including income, insurance status, and population composition.
Benchmarking and Ranking
Evaluated census tracts against state and national percentiles for cancer risk and criteria pollutants (PM2.5 and ozone).
Visualization and Interpretation
Developed clear visual outputs (as shown in the TPHA poster) to communicate exposure-response relationships and highlight high-risk communities.
- Identified census tract 48201252600 as a high-risk environmental hotspot
- Determined that EtO contributes over 50% of total cancer risk in the area
- Highlighted extreme risk levels, with the tract ranking in the 95th percentile (state) and 97th percentile (national)
- Revealed disproportionate impact on low-income, minority populations
- Provided evidence to support targeted regulatory oversight and intervention strategies
Industrial emissions are not impacting all populations equally. This analysis demonstrates that environmental exposure risk is strongly aligned with socioeconomic vulnerability, reinforcing the need for targeted environmental justice interventions.
This work was presented at the Texas Public Health Association (TPHA) 2024 Annual Meeting and Expo, supporting broader awareness of environmental exposure risks and informing future public health strategies.