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D618 – Environmental Health
Task 3 - Risk Assessment
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A1: Human Behavior, Environmental health, and Vulnerable Populations
Greenfield, Michigan, is facing a high-risk environment threatening the public health of
the area following residents’ choice to continue living in the vicinity of a closed-down industrial
landfill owing to socio-economic reasons. Since most of the families are low-income, they
cannot afford to move or install filters at their homes and are therefore forced to stay in one
place, thereby leading to prolonged exposure to the escaping fumes (Michigan Environmental
Council, 2024). Human behavior, such as spending time outdoors or gardening, increases the risk
of soil contamination from the affected landfill to the residents' biological systems
The environmental safety of Greenfield has escalated due to the destruction of the
infrastructure caused by the earthquake that recently occurred in the region damaging the waste
disposal facilities of the landfill. The damage broke the protective cover leading to the release of
volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as xylene into the atmosphere and polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCBs) into groundwater. Such environmental pollution adversely affects the health of
community members through inhalation and skin exposure. As per the SafeWork (2024), the
"chemical odor" reported by community members clearly indicates the crossing of sensory
irritation threshold, suggesting that the environment is no longer capable of sequestering
hazardous industrial waste.
The vulnerable groups in Greenfield mainly comprising elderly people and poor
households will suffer greatly because of such interactions. Elderly people who have retired as
workers in industrial companies could be at higher risk of experiencing adverse effects caused by
newly discharged xylene since they already have vulnerable respiratory and/or hepatic organs
(U.S. EPA, 2024). Moreover, poorer families tend to suffer from "environmental injustice"
because of their low levels of political power and economic capital, resulting in delayed
D618 – Environmental Health
Task 3 - Risk Assessment
, 2
A1: Human Behavior, Environmental health, and Vulnerable Populations
Greenfield, Michigan, is facing a high-risk environment threatening the public health of
the area following residents’ choice to continue living in the vicinity of a closed-down industrial
landfill owing to socio-economic reasons. Since most of the families are low-income, they
cannot afford to move or install filters at their homes and are therefore forced to stay in one
place, thereby leading to prolonged exposure to the escaping fumes (Michigan Environmental
Council, 2024). Human behavior, such as spending time outdoors or gardening, increases the risk
of soil contamination from the affected landfill to the residents' biological systems
The environmental safety of Greenfield has escalated due to the destruction of the
infrastructure caused by the earthquake that recently occurred in the region damaging the waste
disposal facilities of the landfill. The damage broke the protective cover leading to the release of
volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as xylene into the atmosphere and polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCBs) into groundwater. Such environmental pollution adversely affects the health of
community members through inhalation and skin exposure. As per the SafeWork (2024), the
"chemical odor" reported by community members clearly indicates the crossing of sensory
irritation threshold, suggesting that the environment is no longer capable of sequestering
hazardous industrial waste.
The vulnerable groups in Greenfield mainly comprising elderly people and poor
households will suffer greatly because of such interactions. Elderly people who have retired as
workers in industrial companies could be at higher risk of experiencing adverse effects caused by
newly discharged xylene since they already have vulnerable respiratory and/or hepatic organs
(U.S. EPA, 2024). Moreover, poorer families tend to suffer from "environmental injustice"
because of their low levels of political power and economic capital, resulting in delayed
