Jennifer Ortega, Research Analyst for Environmental Health
Environmental racism is all around. Neighborhoods of color face worse air quality, less green spaces, and more extreme temperatures. Families of color and low-income households are at higher risk for lead in their drinking water, higher utility debt, and energy insecurity. These inequalities are also evident in the products we use every day. Many personal care products targeted to women of color contain lead. More toxic ingredientsThese are not for white women.
These toxic exposures do not result from individual choices. They are driven by where you live, where you work, and cultural beauty standards. A new product for personal care Story map(also available online in SpanishThe ) consolidates federal census and federal labor data as well as information from health studies to show how different factors interact to create racial disparities when it comes to the exposure of toxic ingredients in personal care products. This interactive map is part of a larger project. Web series, led Tamarra James-Todd (Ph.D.) and her Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Neighborhoods with more toxic hair productsDepending on where you live, the availability of safer products may vary.
Dr. James-Todds’ team EvaluationSeven Boston neighborhoods have hair products that are safe according to the Environmental Working Groups. Skin Deep database. The Roxbury neighborhood saw 50% more hair products that were high-hazard than those sold in Beacon Hill just a few miles away. In Roxbury, 51% of residents in the neighborhood are Black and 34% live in poverty. In the Beacon Hill neighborhood, only 2% of residents are Black while 8% live in poverty.
Access is a key factor in toxic chemical exposure disparities. The story map highlights the need to have safer personal care products in all retail stores. These safer products should also be affordable.
Stark inequalities for certain workers The place you work can have an impact on your exposure to toxic chemicals.
Nail salon workers know what they are doing. Higher urinary concentrationsAccording to the story map, there are more toxic chemicals than the general population. Many of the chemicals used in nail salons are dangerous, including formaldehyde, dibutylphthalate, and toluene. These chemicals can cause irritation of the eyes and skin. They can also lead to more serious consequences like cancer and reproductive harm. People of Asian descent make up approximately 5% of the population. Below 10%They make up 76% of all U.S. nail salon workers. Furthermore, 81% of all nail salon workers are female and 58% are in their reproductive years (i.e. 25-44 years of age and are at greater risk of developing toxic chemical reactions.
Because they use nail products so often, nail salon workers are more susceptible to chemical exposures. The story map demonstrates the need for safer workplaces and safer ingredients.
Toxic disparities should be eliminated
It is evident that there is an urgent need. Beauty justice for clean skinAffordable, safer personal care products available to people of color The provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic ActSince 1938, the regulations governing cosmetics have not been significantly updated. Since 1938, a multitude of cosmetic and personal-care product ingredients have been released onto the market without being approved or reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Story maps and scientific resources like the one below show how environmental racism is manifested by the marketing of more toxic personal products to women of color. Congress, FDA, and manufacturers of personal care products need to all work harder to make safer products more accessible, affordable, and affordable for everyone. Clean beauty can only be achieved when all the actors take the appropriate steps.
Public health research that highlights the extent of clean beauty inequity, its root causes and associated adverse health effects is crucial. The story map and other tools that guide audiences through the data are a great way to make these toxic inequalities more accessible.
Visit the new story map of environmental racism and take a look at it. Their survey (Spanish versionTo share your thoughts about how the map is helping you to raise awareness about this issue, please click here
