Authors: Samuel N Nimaful, Joel Holison, Augustine Hanyabui, Gloria O Darkoh, Laureta Tatenda Nyamutswa, Faith Esther Holison
Abstract: Environmental justice (EJ) in Illinois is shaped by the long arc of industrialization, suburbanization, infrastructure siting, and land-use decisions that have unevenly distributed environmental burdens across communities. Illinois’ pollution landscape spans legacy industrial corridors in and near Chicago[1], heavy manufacturing and petrochemical activity in the Metro-East, extensive agricultural nutrient and pesticide pressures across rural watersheds, major transportation and freight emissions, and persistent contamination from historical dumping and hazardous waste sites. These burdens interact with—and are increasingly amplified by—climate change impacts such as more intense precipitation and flooding, extreme heat, and air-quality–relevant meteorological shifts (e.g., conditions that favor ozone formation). Together, these factors create a cumulative exposure environment that can deepen existing health inequities and economic vulnerabilities for low-income communities and communities of color. [2] This report synthesizes official and peer‑reviewed evidence through 2024 to analyze (a) the major historical and current pollution sources in Illinois; (b) how pollution burdens are distributed spatially by race, income, and related social vulnerability factors; (c) climate hazards that exacerbate exposure and risk; (d) documented and plausible public health outcomes linked to pollution and climate stressors; (e) Illinois and local policy frameworks and resilience programs; (f) community-led EJ initiatives and illustrative case studies; and (g) recommended strategies and metrics for monitoring progress. Where possible, the analysis uses official screening and monitoring frameworks such as EPA’s EJSCREEN and CDC/ATSDR’s Environmental Justice Index (EJI), alongside Illinois EPA air and water program documentation and Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) surveillance. [3]
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19414502
