Description/Abstract
Nearly all (99%) farmed animals in the U.S. come from Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs). CAFOs are industrial agriculture facilities defined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as operations where animals are raised in confinement and meet animal size and waste material thresholds. Communities located near CAFOs, which tend to have high shares of low-income and racial/ethnic minority residents, are at risk of exposure to CAFO-related air and water pollutants. This brief summarizes the health risks for communities located near CAFOs. Additionally, it calls for government regulations that improve transparency, management, and consumer empowerment.
Document Type
Issue Brief
Keywords
Industrial animal agriculture, concentrated animal feeding operations, pollution
Disciplines
Agriculture | Environmental Public Health | Public Health | Race and Ethnicity
Date
3-19-2024
Language
English
Acknowledgements
The author thanks Alexandra Punch, Emily Graham, Alyssa Kirk, and Shannon Monnat for edits of previous drafts of this brief.
Recommended Citation
Zepeda, Mariana. (2024). A Fork in the Road: Uncovering the Impact of Industrial Agriculture on the Physical Health of Communities of Color. Lerner Center Population Health Research Brief Series. Issue Brief #67. Accessed at: https://surface.syr.edu/lerner/247/
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
