About EJHA
Resources
Reports by the Environmental Justice Health Alliance and our partners.
- Securing Environmental Justice for All How the Biden Administration Is Fighting for Clean Air and Water, Climate Protection, and Healthy Communities for Every American. Center for American Progress, 2024.
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Key Findings: Chemical Incident Tracking 2021-2023 This analysis summarizes nearly three years of hazardous chemical incident data collected by the Coalition to Prevent Chemical Disasters. Between January 1, 2021- October 15, 2023, there were at least 825 chemical incidents in the United States, which include fires, explosions and chemcial releases reported in the news, causing nearly 200 community evacuations and other preventable harms. The majority of chemical incidents in this period can be traced to the toxic lifecycle of fossil fuels.
- Preventing Disaster: Three chemical incidents within two weeks show urgent need for stronger federal requirements. This report profiles three chemical incidents that occurred within two weeks in January 2022 and recommends specific safety measures that the EPA should require in its Risk Management Program (RMP) rule in order to prevent future chemical disasters.
- Watered Down Justice: a report by EJHA, NRDC, and Coming Clean explores the disturbing relationship between sociodemographic characteristics—especially race—and drinking water violations.
- Life at the Fenceline: Understanding Cumulative Health Hazards in Environmental Justice Communities - A report and maps that explore several interconnected environmental and health impacts near high-risk chemical facilities in nine EJ communities.
- A Day Late and a Dollar Short Report (English) | A Day Late and a Dollar Short Report (Spanish)— A report about toxic chemicals found in dollar store products.
- Who's In Danger Report (English) | Who's In Danger Report (Spanish) — A report that documents the risk of chemical disaster posed to low-income communities and communities of color.
Historical Environmental Justice Documents
The environmental and economic justice movement is guided by history and principles. Below are historical documents created at the inception of the environmental justice movement and developed as our movement has adapted to the ongoing struggle for justice.
- Jemez Principles of Democratic Organizing — A set of principles developed by members of the environmental justice movement to create common understanding among people from different cultures, politics, and organizations.
- EJ Principles of Working Together — Principles of working together created at the Second People of Color Environmental Summit in 2002.
- EJ Principles — Set of principles created at the First People of Color Environmental Summit in 1991.
- Louisville Charter for Safer Chemicals — A platform for creating safe and healthy environments by designing new, safer chemicals, products, and productions systems that protect people's health and create healthy, sustainable jobs.
- Environmental Justice Leadership Forum on Climate Change Principles of Climate Justice — A policy platform created by the Environmental Justice Forum on Climate Change calling on Congress to develop policies to combat climate change.
- SWOP Letter to 10 — Southwest Organizing Project Letter to the 10 highest grossing Environmentalist groups in the US, demanding economic justice and resources for the Environmental Justice Movement.
- SNEEJ Letter to EPA — Southwest Network For Environmental and Economic Justice letter to the US Environmental Protection Agency requesting direct engagement with the environmental justice movement.
- Bali Principles of Climate Justice — Climate Justice Principles adopted by networks of the environmental justice movement in the US.
- Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth — Declaration created and adopted at the World Peoples' Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth in Cochabamba, Bolivia in 2010.
- Margarita Declaration on Climate Change — Declaration on Climate Change created and adopted at the PreCOP Social on Margarita Island, Venezuela in 2014.
Featured videos produced by the Environmental Justice Health Alliance for Chemical Policy Reform and affiliate organizations.
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Introducing the Equitable & Just Climate Platform A commitment that advances the goals of economic, racial, climate and environmental justice to improve the public health and well-being of all communities, while tackling the climate crisis. |
Priorities of the Equitable & Just Climate Platform A shared vision that 1) calls for national climate action that confronts racial, economic, and environmental injustice; and 2) accelerates a pollution-free energy future that benefits all communities. |
No Community Left Behind
For generations, residents of Mossville, Louisiana – a town founded by former slaves and the site of more than a dozen refining and chemical industry facilities – have been disproportionately exposed to toxic pollution. |
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Life at the Fenceline Vulnerable fenceline communities — which are disproportionately black and Latino — live every day with the threat of chemical leaks, spills, and explosions that threaten families’ health, their livelihoods, and ultimately, their lives. |
Campaign for Healthier Solutions
Why are you involved in the Campaign for Healthier Solutions? |
Who's In Danger? Chemical Security in Environmental Justice Communities The story of a community organizing for chemical safety in the Mountain View community in Albuquerque, NM. |
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Jennifer Beals Supports the Campaign for Healthier Solutions "It's not simply a toxic chemicals issue. It's a social justice issue." |
Clean Power Plan "101" Training,
Hosted by Coming Clean and EJHA, with the Building Equity and Alignment for Impact, and the Delaware Concerned Residents for Environmental Justice. |
Las pequenas cosas son importantes Litte Things Matter: The impact of toxins on the developing brain
From our allies at IPEN and Canadian Environmental Health Atlas. |
Related News
EPA announces stricter rules to prevent chemical incidents
March 15, 2024
On March 1, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published updates to its Risk Management Plan (RMP) rule with stricter regulations for chemical accident prevention. The new rule is a result of listening sessions by the EPA in which industry, advocates, scientists and fenceline residents voiced their concerns. According to the new rule, facilities handling hazardous materials must consider safer technologies and practices, and the possibility of events caused by climate change in their emergency management plans. When a chemical incident occurs, the facility will have to undergo third-party testing to find the root cause and what could have prevented it. Any disconnection or disabling of air monitors in an emergency would be in violation of this rule and must be reported to the EPA. As a result, backup power options must be explored to prevent lack of emissions readings in events that result in the loss of power. To read a version of this story in Spanish click here. Haz clic aquí para leer este reportaje en español.
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US faces almost daily hazardous chemical accidents, research suggests
November 9, 2023
Hazardous chemical accidents are occurring almost daily, on average, in the United States, exposing people to dangerous toxins through fires, explosions, leaks, spills and other releases, according to a new analysis by non-profit researchers. The report, prepared by Coming Clean, in conjunction with a network of environmental and economic justice organizations in the Coalition to Prevent Chemical Disasters, documents what it calls an “alarming frequency” of accidents, and comes a month before US regulators are expected to release final rules aimed at preventing such incidents.
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Testing finds toxic chemicals in 50% of dollar store goods
April 12, 2022
Products sold at dollar stores may be inexpensive, but a new report from the Campaign for Healthier Solutions also found high rates of toxic chemicals in the budget brands, raising questions of environmental justice. The consumer advocacy group purchased 226 products from Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, Dollar General, Five Below and 99 Cents Only Stores in seven states and Ontario, Canada, and tested a total of 635 product components for toxic metals and endocrine-disrupting chemicals like flame retardants, bisphenol A and its substitutes, phthalates and PFAS, also known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.The results showed that half of the items had one or more chemicals of concern.“Many families rely on dollar stores for affordable toys and other products for kids,” said José Bravo, national coordinator of the Campaign for Healthier Solutions. “With their high profit margins, dollar stores must do more to ensure that all of these products are safe.” One of the more surprising products where tests revealed the presence of toxic chemicals was children’s headphones. Read More
Chemical Hazards in the Wake of Hurricane Ida, One Month Later
September 29, 2021
New Report Profiles Three Toxic Chemical Incidents Caused by Ida and the Need for Stronger Federal Protections to Prevent Further Public Health Risks Read More
New Report Shows EPA Negligence in Protecting People of Color, Indigenous Peoples, and Low-income Communities From Disproportionate Impact of COVID-19
August 31, 2021
"This is another example of environmental racism that our communities are consistently impacted by,” added Richard Moore, co-coordinator, Los Jardines Institute. “Now is the time to begin to dismantle systemic racism within all levels of government."
[Vermont Law School] Read More