New Project, New Questions
What kinds of questions should we be asking about the communities surrounding the elementary schools in the City of Richmond? Using information from our readings, we know that the age of someone’s dwelling is correlated with possible lead poisoning. Each of you should post a variable (income, education data are two of them), and provide a source or a way for us to gather these data for our mapping project.
In order to determine if this is an environmental justice issue or not we need to be looking at the predominate race of the communities surrounding the elementary schools. To do this we can look at census information provided through the City of Richmond.
http://www.richmondgov.com/CensusData/documents/CensusTractsWithStreets.pdf
http://www.richmondgov.com/CensusData/documents/pop_race.pdf
Do these children have access to a balanced and healthy diet? Lead poisoning prevents the body from using minerals like iron and calcium in the way that it should. Fat helps the body take in lead and so a low-fat diet should be encouraged. For a child to have this balanced diet they need access to fresh fruit and low-fat unprocessed foods. The problem with some neighbourhoods which may have lead in their homes is that they are in low income areas where access to good produce is more difficult. It is often the case that these areas are far from a big supermarket where good produce is affordable (fresh fruit and vegetables are more expensive from small convenience stores), and many households don’t have access to a car to get to these supermarkets or good public transport options. This makes it more difficult to provide the children with the nutrients they need to protect them from lead.
To measure this, we should go to the area and count the number of large supermarkets and small convenience stores within the area we are measuring. We should also measure (using google maps or another online map service) the distance from the area to the nearest big supermarket if there is not one in the area.
Sources used:
https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/social-determinants-health/interventions-resources/access-to-foods-that
http://www.nwhealth.org/pubs/N-71.pdf
https://www.michigan.gov/lead/0,5417,7-310-65222_65234—,00.html
The age of the residents in the community is important in determining the seriousness of potential lead poisoning, as we know that younger age groups are more susceptible and more negatively impacted to the effects of lead. To look at this variable we can use this demographic map:
https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/va/richmond/demographics
Hunger specifically food access is an important variable to consider. Food access correlates with improvished neighborhoods where lead poisioning in schools is often present. Local CBS 6 news explains the problem or attracting grocery stores to the East End. Furthemore, the state has been trying to address food security providing funding for expansion among grocery stores, SB 999, the Virginia Grocery Investment Program and Fund passed the State Senate, but died in the House of Delegates. It would have given $5 million for food vendors to expand into under-served areas. In a townhall in fall of 2018, Rep. Donald McEachin was adamant that “access to healthy, nutritious food should not be dependent on geography.” A map of food desert and poverty in richmond neighborhoods is on pages 17 and 10 of Richmond’s Food Policy Task Force. Further more the USDA created a food access research atlas.
https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-access-research-atlas/
http://www.richmondgov.com/ProjectFoodPolicyTaskForce/documents/FPTF_ReportJuly2013.pdf
https://www.richmond.com/opinion/editorial/editorial-no-food-deserts/article_ddf9d697-ced7-57f0-93b5-e658bcc999b0.html
https://wtvr.com/2019/04/02/richmonds-food-deserts/
https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?191+sum+SB999
Nutrition plays an important role in how susceptible the body is to lead poisoning, we should take a look at certain communities’ access to healthy food. This is a comprehensive map that combines income, vehicle access, and proximity to supermarkets.
https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-access-research-atlas/go-to-the-atlas/
By reviewing the data for the Commercial Area Revitalization Effort (CARE), we are able to narrow down a series of low and moderate-income districts that are in need of economic rehabilitation. As we know, economic growth can at times create more trouble than anticipated and potentially result in a correlation between lead poisoning, and economic growth. The data would give us the ability to observe the potential long term health consequences from a growing economy.
https://data.richmondgov.com/Economic-Growth/CARE/jef5-qqij