Characterization of Risk to Indigenous Communities from Chemical Releases in New Mexico and Oklahoma

MS Environmental and Green Chemistry Capstone

Spring 2023

 

Throughout the last decade, many studies have categorically explored and defined the ways in which indigenous people in the United States have been systematically disadvantaged in terms of socio-economic mobility and general health and wellness. This capstone project characterized the chemical releases in New Mexico (NM) and Oklahoma (OK); isolated the date pertaining to releases on Indigenous land; and assessed the risk of said releases with the objective of direct comparison. Our analysis was supported by using open access tools provided by theUS EPA: the EJ Screening tool, the Toxic Release Inventory, and the RESI Scoring tool as well as data from the 2022 US Census and the Pharos Project database. Our study showed that the indigenous land, and subsequently the people, of NM and OK, are disproportionately affected by chemical releases both in terms of volume and potential toxicity. The methods proposed within the study take into account the necessary component required to measure toxicity, exposure, hazard classification, and time frame which can be replicated and scaled as required. The results of this study pose a significant question in terms of potential remediation and reduction of unequal chemical releases. Currently, there is legislation that could alleviate this inequality such as Superfund Cleanup funds specifically targeted at Tribal lands and communities and TRI Source Reduction activities, which provide avenues for material substitutions and process and equipment modifications.

Project Partner: U.S. EPA: Environmental and Protection Agency