Endangered Community, Enduring People

Abstract

This article presents the case history and empirical analyses of specific characteristics of communities facing serious health-threatening environmental conditions in the New Orleans metropolitan area (NOMA). The attitudes and perceptions of local residents concerning environmental quality and associated health problems are assessed. A survey was conducted to determine respondents’ viewpoints about environmental risks, related health problems, and the well-being and level of community satisfaction in communities with severe environmental burdens in NOMA. The impacts of polluting industries and an abandoned toxic waste site recently placed on the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Priority List (NPL) are assessed. Among the findings, people in an NPL community exhibit different attitudinal, perceptual, and adaptive behavioral tendencies concerning the environment and health relative to their counterparts in non-NPL communities with benign environmental conditions. The respondents in an NPL community reported higher illnesses, lower community life satisfaction, and associate their somatic dysfunctions with poor environmental conditions.