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Arguments Against Environmental Racism

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Industry is more valuable than the lives of minorities. It is widely believed that everyone, regardless of race or income level, deserves to receive their inherent right to clean air, water, and soil. Some people have been stripped of that right, due to no fault of their own, for simply lacking a particular level of melanin or funds. As such their choice of environment is limited and consequently they have few options for inhabiting homes in locations that do not violate their right to uncontaminated essentials. Environmental racism is placement of low income or minority communities in proximity of environmentally hazardous or degraded environments which can be displayed by the fact that it is detrimental to health, it …show more content…
For instance, according to the University of Central Florida, “ zip codes in the state host potential toxic exposure sources, also found blacks overrepresented in areas with toxins, hazardous waste storage facilities and sewage treatment plants” (Mitchell, 1994). To clarify the point, most of the zip codes found were predominate black neighborhoods that have high exposure rates to toxic gases. According to a Lauderdale Lakes democrat, “studies show higher-than-average black populations near toxic exposure sources” (Mitchell, 1994). To further explain, this research shows that mostly blacks are being put near these booming sources of pollution and being put on a higher risks of getting cancer, reproductive problems, and neurological effects because of the variety of pollutants that are in the air. To close this point, predominate black neighborhoods are being weakened due to sources of pollution and the main reason environmental racism. In a nutshell, environmental racism is detrimental to health, it intentionally disproportionally distresses minorities and marked by contamination from hazardous sources. If this environmental racism problem continues then consequences will consist of constant changes in the climate, pollution in the ozone layer, and an increase in global warming. If we lessen down the amount of industry and lessen the release of hazardous gases then we won’t have problems with health, sources of pollution will decrease, and minorities won’t feel as distressful as they feel

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