Environmental Justice for Delaware

The report finds that seven low-income and minority-majority communities in northern New Castle County, Delaware, face significantly higher cancer risks and respiratory hazards from toxic air pollution compared to the state average and a wealthy, predominantly White comparison community. These risks are compounded by the high density of hazardous chemical facilities, Superfund sites, and Brownfields in these areas, particularly in Southbridge. The authors recommend stricter chemical safety regulations, mandatory fenceline monitoring, and the prevention of siting schools near dangerous facilities to mitigate these disproportionate environmental health burdens.

• Residents of seven environmental justice communities in northern New Castle County—Belvedere, Cedar Heights, Dunleith, Marshallton, Newport, Oakmont, and Southbridge—experience substantially higher cancer risks and respiratory hazard indices from toxic air pollution than the general Delaware population and the affluent community of Greenville.
• Among the studied areas, Marshallton exhibits the highest levels of risk, with cancer risks 33% higher and respiratory health hazards 71% higher than those in Greenville.
• Formaldehyde is the primary chemical contributor to cancer risk across most studied communities, while acrolein is the dominant contributor to respiratory hazards, often accounting for 70% or more of the total hazard.
• The community of Southbridge faces extreme cumulative exposure, with 48 Brownfield sites (over half of all Brownfields in Delaware) within a one-mile radius, alongside two RMP facilities, 13 TRI facilities, and four Superfund sites.
• Children in these communities are disproportionately exposed to toxic air pollution at school; for example, students at Kuumba Academy Charter School near Southbridge face cancer risks nearly three times and respiratory hazards more than three times higher than those at schools in Greenville.
• Historical systemic discrimination, including segregated housing patterns and the construction of homes on filled marshes using substandard materials, has contributed to the current vulnerability of these legacy communities.
• The report recommends that the EPA enforce the Risk Management Program to require the adoption of inherently safer chemicals and technologies and that the state amend the Coastal Zone Act to include an environmental justice analysis.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2017). Environmental Justice for Delaware. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2017/10/ej-for-de-report-ucs-2017.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Environmental Justice for Delaware. 2017. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2017/10/ej-for-de-report-ucs-2017.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Environmental Justice for Delaware |date=October 2017 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2017/10/ej-for-de-report-ucs-2017.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2017environmental, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Environmental Justice for Delaware}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2017}, month = oct, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2017/10/ej-for-de-report-ucs-2017.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }