Mapping cumulative environmental effects, social vulnerability, and health in the San Joaquin Valley, California.

Abstract

To understand the social distribution of environmental hazards, methods to assess cumulative effects and their health implications are needed. We developed a cumulative environmental hazard index integrating environmental data on pollution sites, air quality, and pesticide use; a social vulnerability index to measure residents' resources to prevent or mitigate health effects; and a health index. We found that communities in California's San Joaquin Valley with high social vulnerability face more environmental burdens and have worse health conditions.