Toward Environmental Justice: Research, Education, and Health Policy Needs

Excerpt

[T]his report describes what the committee discovered as a result of its site visits and other data collection activities. Chapter 2 describes the evidence for the contention that exposures to environmental hazards and subsequent adverse health outcomes are borne disproportionately by communities of concern. Chapter 3 (Research) describes the application of the public health perspective to environmental justice and defines the integral roles that public health efforts and the public health community play in addressing environmental hazards. The chapter also addresses research questions and their context in environmental justice, concluding with recommendations for research and research methods. Chapter 4 (Education) focuses on the need for education and strategies that can be used to educate various sectors of the population regarding environmental risks, the prevention of disease, and the care and treatment of those exposed. It concludes with recommendations directed to the public at large and the public education system as well as to physicians and other heath professionals. Chapter 5 (Health Policy) addresses the limits of science and the effects of those limitations on policy decisions. It concludes with a discussion of the need to make policy decisions without conclusive data.