Invisibility… Imagine being able to sneak about, completely unseen. For kids — and even some adult introverts — invisibility seems like a cool superpower. Spy on your friends; startle your parents; never be marked “tardy” in class again… But, in the wrong hands, this superpower has hidden sinister qualities. Invisibility turns harmful air pollutants into toxic supervillains.
Environmental Injustice, Close to Home
Meet the residents of a neighborhood in Santa Ana, California. This tight-knit community is home to eight thousand people who work, sleep, and play as Orange County locals.
Residents in Santa Ana, California. Photo by José Rea.
But the invisible surrounds them; air quality and everyday struggles feed into each other like an infinite loop. Unlike much of Orange County, many fear they may face discrimination because of their linguistic preference, immigration status, income, zip code, or race.
They live along what they’ve aptly named “The Corridor” (City of Santa Ana 2020). Dozens of businesses manufacture construction components, aerospace equipment, and hazardous materials. Together, the businesses create a soupy mix of poor air quality, amplified by vehicle exhaust from traffic on nearby roadways.
The hustle to clean up the air quality hasn’t been equal to what it would be for a wealthier area. This experience is all too common (Denchak 2018). For instance, how much faster would the response time have been if the Flint, Michigan water crisis occurred in Newport Beach, California? Perhaps much faster. Santa Ana residents face a similar barrier, known as environmental injustice.
Above: Response to the Flint, Michigan water crisis in 2014. Below: Sunset near Newport Beach, California.
Low-income groups and communities of color nationwide cope with a disproportionately high burden of environmental pollution and associated health risks. Areas with dense infrastructure and traffic often accumulate issues like poor air and water quality and the associated health risks… all while big industry booms and the elite grow wealthier.
But Santa Ana is resilient; residents use the strength of their community and their resources to push back. Eager to protect their lungs, the residents employ California legislation, exercise powerful advocacy, and explore promising partnerships.
What Can Be Done? Updates on Legislation and Residential Resiliency
The year was 1952: daytime skies in London, England were darkened by horrible air pollution. Over 10,000 people died of complications in the months to come. In 1956, London passed the Clean Air Act (Martinez 2019). This cleaned up their skies… and lungs.
Above: Photo taken around noon in London’s Trafalgar Square 1952 and Below: 2018.
California has also begun addressing environmental injustice. Senate Bill 1000, passed in 2016, requires cities’ General Plans to acknowledge disadvantaged areas and introduce environmental justice concepts (U.S. Congress 2016, California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment 2017). But, just like how London passed their Clean Air Act four years after losing thousands of lives, new rules take time. To further complicate things, air pollution in Santa Ana is often invisible, making the problem even harder to track and eliminate.
Santa Ana residents have taken matters into their own hands. They’ve formed committees and collaborate with UC Irvine researchers. Everyone wants to understand air quality near “The Corridor,” and how pollutants affect residential health. Residents leverage their own experiences, community expertise, and voices to advocate and disseminate information within their community and the county at large. Their efforts, coupled with the gradual implementation of Senate Bill 1000, will make Orange County a cleaner and better place to live — no matter the zip code.
Discussion Questions:
- What is environmental injustice? How might it affect those living around us?
- Why might new legislation take a long time? What sort of scientific studies might be necessary before changes are implemented?
- How could more communities become interested in their air quality? What are some ways to build capacity and get more people involved?
- What ways can you think of to share the voices of a community with the public? With policymakers?
Bibliography:
- California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. “SB 535 Disadvantaged Communities.” Last modified June 2017. https://oehha.ca.gov/calenviroscreen/sb535.
- City of Santa Ana. “City of Santa Ana Zoning Map.” Last modified March 5, 2020. https://www.santa-ana.org/sites/default/files/pb/planning/Zoning%20Maps/4.%20Zoning%20FULL%20CITY%202020%203-5-20.pdf.
- Denchak, Melissa. “Flint Water Crisis: Everything You Need to Know.” Last modified November 8, 2018. https://www.nrdc.org/stories/flint-water-crisis-everything-you-need-know.
- Martinez, Julia. “Great Smog of London.” Last modified December 2, 2019. https://www.britannica.com/event/Great-Smog-of-London#ref1273803.
- U.S. Congress. Senate. SB 1000 Land use: general plans: safety and environmental justice. Approved by governor September 24, 2016. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB1000.
Brenna Biggs was a 5th year Ph.D. candidate in UC Irvine’s Department of Chemistry at the time when she was 2019-2020 Newkirk Fellow with the Research Justice Shop. She studies air quality worldwide, and is particularly interested in the pollution surrounding disadvantaged communities in California. For more information, contact researchjustice@uci.edu.
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