City of Detroit, Hamtramck, Highland Park, and School of Choice: School Aged Environmental Risk Exposures

This research studies the levels of environmental pollutants related to four different school of choice types in the cities of Detroit, Hamtramck, and Highland Park in 2021. It is hypothesized that public and for-profit charter schools will be located in older buildings and in areas of greater pollution. Indicators of pollution exposure included Superfund and Brownfield sites, location and pounds of Toxic Release Inventory, and mean blood lead levels of the children, which were geospatially joined to a 1-mile buffer surrounding the four school of choice types within the study area. The age of the school buildings was examined to estimate the potential for internal toxic exposures. The spatial relationship between neighborhood racial segregation, poverty, and schools of choice types was also assessed. Within the study area, public and for-profit charter schools and their surroundings exert the potential for greater internal and external pollution exposure to children. For-profit charter schools were significantly the oldest, potentially exposing students to a variety of toxicants. All schools were located in racially segregated and relatively high-poverty neighborhoods, with public and for-profit schools exhibiting the highest poverty percentages. Public policy, such as siting guidelines and school building maintenance, should be used to decrease these potential exposures to hazards and avoid worsening existing inequalities. Addressing them is important to prevent further disadvantage to already vulnerable children.