CHE Science Cafe call: Sacrifice Zones: The Front Lines of Toxic Chemical Exposure in the United States: a conversation with author, Steve Lerner
"Low-income Americans and people of color who live immediately adjacent to heavy industry and military bases are subjected to higher levels of pollution than more affluent citizens and suffer disproportionately severe health effects. Through studies of twelve communities across the U.S., Sacrifice Zones (MIT Press / September 2010) a new book by Steve Lerner, describes the plague of environmentally induced diseases that people who live nearby heavy industry endure, and shows how these communities are rising up to take action against the polluters.
The book is based on hundreds of interviews of residents of communities on the fenceline with heavy industry. Lerner lets the victims of environmental injustice speak in their own words, and describe in detail what they experience and how they are organizing to improve their quality of life and protect themselves."
