Environmental Exposure and Racial Disparities
Herbicides
Five herbicides
are examined in the National Report. One is detected in each
racial/ethnic group at the 50th percentile, one is detected
in one group at the 95th percentile, and three are not detected.
The chemical detected broadly enough to develop a geometric mean had the highest
geometric mean in Mexican-Americans.
Two chemicals are detected at the 95th percentile. One is detected in
Mexican-Americans at a level up to 455% greater than in Blacks and Whites. The other is
detected only in Blacks.
Herbicides are widely used in agriculture and residential lawns as insecticides,
fungicides, and herbicides. Atrazine
is the most widely used of the herbicides and is currently the
subject of intense debate concerning harmful environmental impacts
and continued use. Environmental justice organizations have
focused on the exposure of workers to these chemicals. The National
Report is evidence that the Mexican-American population has
the greatest overall exposure to herbicides and that a portion
of the Mexican-American and Black populations are exposed to
disproportionately high levels of herbicides.
Herbicides
(note - no data indicates non-detect)
| Herbicides |
Race/ ethnicity |
Geometric mean
(ug/g)
|
95th percentile (ug/g) |
Findings |
2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid
(2,4,5-T)
|
Not detected in up to 5% of U.S. population |
2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid
(2,4-D)
|
Black |
|
.570 |
2,4-D is detected at the 95th
percentile in Blacks. |
| Mexican-American |
|
|
| White |
|
|
2,4-dichlorophenol
(2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid metabolite)
|
Black |
1.52 |
28.9 |
The average 2,4-dichlorophenol level
in Mexican-Americans is 92% greater than in Whites. The average
2,4-dichlorophenol level in Blacks is 80% greater than in Whites.
The 2,4-dichlorophenol level in Mexican-Americans
at the 95th percentile is up to 455% greater than in
Blacks and Whites.
2,4-dichlorophenol is detected at the 50th
percentile in Whites and the 25th percentile in Blacks
and Mexican-Americans.
|
| Mexican-American |
1.62 |
48.7 |
| White |
.843 |
10.7 |
atrazine mercapturate
(atrazine metabolite)
|
Not detected in up to 5% of U.S. population |
alachlor mercapturate
(alachlor metabolite)
|
Not detected in up to 5% of U.S. population |
| 
