ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS IN BROOKLYN

Issues

     This web page addresses the health and environmental issues in all of Kings County. Do environmental issues affect the poor more than they affect the rich? Do toxic emissions, asthma, cancer, and lead poisoning cases exist predominantly in impoverished populations?

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Methodology

     The data was delineated in individual maps highlighting the environmental issues’ concentrations. Using ArcView geographic information system (GIS) we created maps based on information obtained from sources such as: infoshare.org created by Queen’s college, campus.esri.com, NYC Dept. of Health and Mental Hygiene and NY Census 2000. The data for each zip code was always displayed in a per capita ratio for a coherant comparison. Data was obtained using the databases listed above to highlite the possible link between diseases that are typically described as having some environmental factors and poverty levels. The data was then standardized by dividing the total number of cases in each zip code by the total population of that zip code, giving the per person ratio of disease. These results were then used to generate a visual map displaying the per person ratio for each zip code. The poverty level was determined by equating the median income to the total population of the zip code. This allows for quick comparison between disease rates and poverty level. Finally, the assessment of diseases and environmental quality in Kings County and the toxic release centers in Kings County (reported by the Environmental Protection Agency) were displayed in maps. By comparing all the maps side by side it is possible to draw conclusions between poverty level, environmental and disease issues in Kings County.

Conclusions

     According to the gathered data, cancer distribution in the areas of Brooklyn does not correlate with the number of toxic waste sites. However, the percentage of lead exposure and asthma cases was high particularly in northern Brooklyn, which encloses the majority of toxic releases. Areas reporting low median income appear to have high levels of asthma, lead exposure, but not cancer. Toxic release sites cluster in areas of low median income.

Health Concerns

Factors Contributing to Health Concerns

Disease Prevalence in Brooklyn

About us

Individual Neighborhood Environmental Data

     While this website focuses mainly on the environmental facts pertaining to the entire Borough of Brooklyn, the following links focus mainly on the environmental perception of the public on individual areas of Brooklyn. The links to these six websites document specific neighborhoods and zip codes in Brooklyn, juxtaposing the residents’ perception of the environmental issues and concerns in their neighborhoods with the neighborhoods’ real problems. The data for the actual issues is based on the EPA’s, NYC Department of Health’s, and Infoshare’s, a Queens College database, facts and figures. The data for the concerns are based on surveys developed for this purpose.