Part 3 of our series on sacrifice zones takes a look at ProPublica’s investigative reporting on sacrifice zones. ProPublica’s analysis of five years of modeled EPA data identified more than 1,000 toxic hot spots across the country and found that an estimated 250,000 people living in them may be exposed to levels of excess cancer risk that the EPA deems unacceptable.
This work has provided tremendous, data-driven analysis that gives support and evidence to the environmental injustices that residents of predominantly Black, Latino, and low-income communities throughout the United States have known for years. The apex of this work is an interactive map that allows you to put in their zip code and understand the cancer risks associated with industrial pollution in your area. Let’s dive in!
Listen to the episode here.
Read the reporting by ProPublica: