Environmental Justice and Health Risk Exposure (10A) - MCAT Psychological and Social Foundations

Spatial separation of groups that concentrates hazards and limits resources. Historical policies created unequal exposure to environmental hazards.

Opposition to local hazards that shifts burdens onto other communities. "Not In My Back Yard" - pushes hazards to less powerful communities.

Act to prevent harm despite incomplete scientific certainty. Prioritizes prevention when full evidence of harm is still developing.

A person’s subjective judgment of the likelihood and severity of harm. Influenced by personal experience, culture, and trust in institutions.

Cumulative risk (cumulative impact). Multiple stressors interact synergistically to worsen health outcomes.

An unfair, avoidable health difference produced by systemic disadvantage. Emphasizes injustice and systemic causes, not just differences.

Disproportionate environmental burdens on racial or ethnic minority groups. Intentional or systemic placement of hazards in minority communities.

Equity allocates resources by need; equality allocates the same to all. Equity addresses existing disparities; equality ignores different starting points.

A preventable health difference tied to social, economic, or environmental disadvantage. Links health differences to modifiable social factors, not just biology.

Social determinants of health. Recognizes that health outcomes depend on living conditions and environment.

Fair treatment and meaningful involvement in environmental decisions. Ensures all communities have a voice in environmental policies affecting them.

Environmental inequality. Describes systematic differences in hazard exposure based on social factors.

Contact with an agent over time (e.g., pollutant dose or concentration). Quantifies contact intensity and duration for risk assessment.

Higher dose is associated with greater biological effect or disease risk. Shows proportional increase in harm with increasing exposure levels.

Increasing concentration of a toxin at higher trophic levels. Toxins accumulate up food chains, concentrating in top predators.

Human-made surroundings that shape exposure and behavior (housing, roads, parks). Physical infrastructure influences exposure patterns and health behaviors.

Differential susceptibility due to comorbidities, stress, and limited healthcare. Social stressors amplify biological vulnerability to pollutants.

Higher rates of asthma and other cardiopulmonary disease. Air pollution triggers respiratory inflammation and cardiovascular stress.

Cumulative risk (or cumulative burden). Multiple stressors compound health risks beyond individual effects.

Not In My Back Yard; hazards displaced toward less powerful communities. Wealthy areas reject hazards, concentrating them in poor communities.

Epidemiologic observational study (often cohort or cross-sectional). Observes natural exposure patterns without experimental manipulation.

Stricter emission controls and equitable enforcement in high-burden areas. Targets pollution sources and ensures fair regulatory protection.

Unequal contact with hazards across groups, often by race or SES. Low-income and minority groups face more environmental hazards than others.

Disproportionate environmental burdens on racial or ethnic minority groups. Minority communities bear unfair share of pollution and environmental hazards.

Fair treatment and meaningful involvement in environmental health policies. Ensures all communities have equal voice in environmental decisions affecting their health.

Systematic differences in health outcomes across population groups. Reflects preventable, unjust differences in health between groups.

Institutional policies creating unequal access to resources and protections. Systems and policies perpetuate unequal environmental protections.

Urban warming from surfaces; higher heat risk in low-tree, low-income areas. Concrete absorbs heat; poor areas lack cooling green spaces.

Spatial separation by race/SES that concentrates hazards in some neighborhoods. Segregation clusters environmental hazards in minority neighborhoods.