Socioeconomic disparities in incidents at toxic sites during Hurricane Harvey
Open accessAbstract
Background Hurricane Harvey facilitated exposure to various toxic substances and floodwater throughout the greater Houston metropolitan area. Although disparities exist in this exposure and vulnerable populations can bear a disproportionate impact, no research has integrated disparities in exposure to toxic incidents following Hurricane Harvey.Objective The objective of this study was to analyze the relationship between flooding, socioeconomic status (SES), and toxic site incidents.Methods Data on toxic site locations, reported releases, and flood water depths during Hurricane Harvey in the greater Houston area were compiled from multiple sources. A multivariable logistic regression was performed to predict the odds of a toxic site release by flooding at the site, SES and racial composition of the census tract.Results 83 out of 1403 toxic sites (5.9%) had reported releases during Hurricane Harvey. The proportion of toxic sites with reported incidents across increasing SES index quintiles were 8.35, 7.67, 5.14, 4.55, and 0.51, respectively. The odds of an incident were lower in the highest SES quintile areas (OR adj = 0.06, 95% CI: 0.01-0.42) compared to the lowest SES quintile. Flooding was similar at toxic sites with and without incidents, and was distributed similarly and highest at toxic sites located in lower SES quintiles.Significance Despite similar flooding across toxic sites during Hurricane Harvey, areas with lower SES were more likely to have a toxic release during the storm, after accounting for number of toxic sites. Improving quality of maintenance, safety protocols, number of storm-resilient facilities may minimize this disproportionate exposure and its subsequent adverse outcomes among socioeconomically vulnerable populations.
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Despite similar flooding across toxic sites during Hurricane Harvey, areas with lower socioeconomic status were more likely to have a toxic release during the storm, indicating socioeconomic disparities.
“Despite similar flooding across toxic sites during Hurricane Harvey, areas with lower socioeconomic status were more likely to have a toxic release during the storm, indicating socioeconomic disparities.52”
From Effects of Extreme Weather on Health in Underserved Communities (2024) · cites this paper as [52]
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Self-citation
- Authors
- Lieberman-Cribbin, W., Liu, B., Sheffield, P., Schwartz, R., & Taioli, E.
- Affiliations
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (US)
- Hofstra University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Taioli, Emanuela
- Venue
- Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology
- Published
- 2021-04-19
- Volume
- 31
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 454-460
- ISSN
- 1559-0631 (ISSN-L)
- 1559-064X
- PMC
- PMC8992005
- OpenAlex
- W3154898539
- Cited by
- 13
- References
- 28
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 3
- FWCI
- 4.16
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (P30ES023515)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Environmental Justice and Health Disparities
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Emergency Medical Services › Disaster Response and Management
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Disaster Management and Resilience
- Keywords
- Hurricane Harvey, socioeconomic disparities, socioeconomic status, floods, floodwater, hazardous waste sites, environmental justice, vulnerable populations, racial composition, Houston metropolitan area
- MeSH terms
- Humans, Social Class, Logistic Models, Cyclonic Storms, Floods
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