Environmentally Marginalized Populations: the "perfect storm" for infectious disease pandemics, including COVID-19

Authors

Gabriella Y. Meltzer, New York University School of Global Public HealthFollow
Oyemwenosa Avenbuan, New York University Grossman School of MedicineFollow
Christina Awada, New York University Grossman School of MedicineFollow
Oluwakemi B. Oyetade, New York University Grossman School of MedicineFollow
Tricia Blackman, New York University Grossman School of MedicineFollow
Simona Kwon DrPH, MPH, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New YorkFollow
Esther Erdei PhD, University of New Mexico Health Sciences CenterFollow
Judith T. Zelikoff PhD, New York University Grossman School of MedicineFollow

Keywords

Environmental justice; COVID-19; health disparities; environmental contamination

Disciplines

Community Health | Environmental Health | Environmental Public Health | Immune System Diseases | Inequality and Stratification | Place and Environment | Respiratory Tract Diseases | Toxicology | Virus Diseases

Abstract

COVID-19 has exacted a severe toll on the United States population’s physical and mental health and its effects have been felt most severely among people of color and low socioeconomic status. Using illustrative case studies, this commentary argues that in addition to COVID-19 health disparities created by psychosocial stressors such as the inability to socially distance and access quality healthcare, environmental justice communities have the additional burden of disproportionate exposure to toxic contaminants that contribute to their higher risk of COVID-19. Environmental contaminants including heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants found contaminating their nearby environments can alter the immune response, produce an inflammatory response, and induce systemic adverse health effects that, alongside social stressors, create the “perfect storm” in environmental justice communities for COVID-19.

Recommended Citation

Meltzer, Gabriella Y.; Avenbuan, Oyemwenosa; Awada, Christina; Oyetade, Oluwakemi B.; Blackman, Tricia; Kwon, Simona DrPH, MPH; Erdei, Esther PhD; and Zelikoff, Judith T. PhD (2020) "Environmentally Marginalized Populations: the "perfect storm" for infectious disease pandemics, including COVID-19," Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice: Vol. 13: Iss. 4, Article 6.
Available at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/jhdrp/vol13/iss4/6