AGU 2023 Poster: The Correlation Between Median Income and Soil Lead (Pb) Levels In California’s San Francisco Bay Area: An Environmental Injustice Impacting Marginalized Communities
Authors: Arjun Krishnan & Colleen Sutherland
Accepted Abstract
The Correlation Between Median Income and Soil Lead (Pb) Levels In California’s San Francisco Bay Area: An Environmental Injustice Impacting Marginalized Communities
Arjun Krishnan, Colleen Sutherland
Using data collected by our team at the East Bay Academy of Young Scientists, this study examines the correlation between the median income of a city and the soil’s lead (Pb) content, revealing environmental injustice issues in California’s San Fransisco Bay Area. Diversity in the form of race, gender, sexuality, and more thrives in this region, making it important to assess lead pollution through an equity and justice lens.
Pb is a toxin that can lead to neurological disorders, chronic fatigue, birth defects, and more. Many locations tested contain over 80 ppm (the California Pb limit as of June 2020), posing a potential public health concern to these communities. To see if lower-income communities were disproportionately impacted by the adverse health effects of lead pollution, we analyzed data regarding income and lead pollution in soil.
4-ounce soil samples were collected at various sites, including parks, streets, and homes, and were tested for lead particles using an X-Ray Fluorescence Analyzer. Over 2000 samples were used to identify the average lead content (measured in ppm) in soil for 16 cities. American Community Survey data was used to identify the median income of these cities. The data was then compared and analyzed using a Spearman’s Rank correlation.
Our results revealed a correlation of -0.61 between income and lead in soil, indicating that higher-income areas generally have less soil lead pollution, and lower-income areas generally have more soil lead pollution. People who earn lower incomes generally include people of color1, the LGBTQ+ community2, women3, and disabled people4. These groups may be disproportionately seeing the harmful effects of lead pollution, making further research and advocacy for environmental protection in lower-income areas a necessity.
References
1Firebaugh, G., & Acciai, F. (2016)
2Morton, M.H., Dworsky, A., & Samuels, G.M. (2017)
3State of Women In the States (2018)
4Erickson, W., Lee, C., & von Schrader, S. (2020)