As you can see, in the results above, only 2 percent of houses in Lubbock County have a high risk of lead hazards, and Lubbock County does not have any Superfund Sites. Superfund Sites are waste disposal sites that are designated by the EPA to be hazardous to human health or the environment. The air quality of Lubbock is ranked the dirtiest/worst 10% of all counties in the U.S.
The area has extremely high Carbon Monoxide emissions, Nitrogen Oxides emissions PM-2.5 emissions, PM10 emissions, and Volatile Organic Compound emissions compared to the rest of the counties in the U.S.
The following are the top polluters and top chemicals in the county:
This isn't too big of a surprise due to the prominence of the cotton industry in Lubbock County. Pyco Industries Inc and Southern Cotton Oil are substantial cotton mills in the area. After some research, I have found that n-hexane is a chemical used to extract certain oils from crops (such as cotton). The mills are also responsible for the poor air quality in such that the cotton mills release Carbon Monoxide emissions, Nitrogen Oxides emissions PM-2.5 emissions, PM10 emissions, and Volatile Organic Compound.
On the bright side, Lubbock County has comparatively one of the cleanest water quality in the United States. I know that the primary source of drinking water for Lubbock County is the Ogalala Aquifer. This vast Aquifer runs as far north as North Dakota to the Panhandle of Texas. Its width covers Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico up until South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma.
Regarding Environmental Justice, Lubbock County's report shows enormous disparities in particularly the Distribution by Race/Ethnicity "Facilities Emitting Criteria Air Pollutants." There is a 12.90 ratio for people of color vs white in "Facilities Emitting Criteria Air Pollutants." This ratio is alarmingly high and I am curious to see why this is. Other categories have ratios ranging from 1.0 to 3.64, across the board.
I'm glad you decided to explore your hometown to find out the area's major pollutants, especially with it big on the cotton industry. Since you've got a policy concentration, what recommendations would you have to improve your city's environmental health?
ReplyDeleteAntonio, wow! High emissions of Carbon Monoxide, Nitrogen Oxides, PM-2.5, PM10, and Volatile Organic Compound, I am curious to know how, if at all, this may have impacted your health. I am not sure how long you lived there or how close you were to the cotton industry or mills. Good thing the water is better quality than most.
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