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new Gallup poll has found that Black Americans are significantly more likely to report concerns regarding environmental pollution and contamination than White Americans.
The study focused on Americans’ opinions regarding four different types of environmental pollution: toxic building materials, land and soil contamination, drinking water contamination, and air pollution. Across all four topics, Black Americans expressed the most concern regarding their potential exposure, while White Americans expressed the lowest levels of concern. Some 53 percent of Black respondents and 35 percent of White respondents reported concern regarding air pollution. The percentage differences in level of concern for drinking water pollution, land pollution, and toxic building materials were 20 points, 16 points, and 19 points higher for Black Americans than for White Americans.
Additionally, the study revealed Black Americans are twice as likely as White Americans to temporarily relocate due to environmental pollution. However, 52 percent of Black respondents stated they could not afford to relocate, compared to 45 percent of White respondents. According to the poll, 4 million Black Americans have relocated temporarily, and 2 million have relocated permanently, due to pollution concerns in the last 12 months alone.
