Environmental Inequality in Latino Destinations: Cancer Risk from Air Toxins in Latino Traditional and Emerging Destinations

• In Event: 4412 - Section on Latino/a Sociology Refereed Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 02. Latina/o/xs and Health

Abstract

Since 1990s, Latino migration patterns have shifted away from traditional destinations--due to increasing inequality, discrimination, and changes in governmental regulations and the economy-- to emerging destinations away from the Mexico border. Immigration scholars and criminologists have begun to explore the differences between established and new destinations, examining patterns of inequality in housing, crime, education, and healthcare. However, attention has not been given to environmental inequality. In this paper we ask, is there a difference among estimated cancer risk from air toxics among established, emerging, and nondestination locations? Using county-level data with spatial lag regression analyses, we find that all Latino destinations (established, new emerging, and recent new emerging destinations) have higher estimated cancer risk than nondestinations. Additionally, we find that early new destinations (i.e. counties with significant Latino growth from 1990-2000) and recent new destinations (i.e. counties with significant Latino growth from 1990-2010) have higher estimated cancer risk from air toxics than established destinations (i.e. counties that had more than the national average of Latinos in 1990) and nondestinations. The effect remains significant even when controlling for various economic well-being variables for both the general and Latino-specific populations. These findings highlights that newer Latino migration push and pull factors -- whether economic, social, or political -- are shifting Latinos to places with higher estimated cancer risk from air toxics. We conclude by stressing the importance of Latino migration patterns within the formation and experience of environmental hazardous.

Authors

• Camila Huerta Alvarez, University of Oregon

• Kathryn Norton-Smith, University of Oregon