(The Center Square) – An advocacy group made up of physicians is drawing attention to the consequences of industry beyond the known impact to property values and physical health.
In a new report, Physicians for Social Responsibility say that “fenceline communities” who live adjacent to high-polluting industries like factories, fracking, mining and processing plants are vulnerable to severe mental health challenges.
The group notably took a stand against Gov. Josh Shapiro’s Lightning Plan, which aims to foster energy production by streamlining new projects through a central board rather than maintain local control of development decisions. They highlighted environmental justice zones in which the community members most impacted already feel left out of the conversation.
“For too long, polluting industries have built their operations in low-income, rural, and Black and brown communities without any care for the health or peace of the people who live there,” said Physicians for Social Responsibility Executive Director Tonyehn Verkitus. “The list of health problems is extensive and well documented, but research into their mental and emotional toll remains in its early stages.”
Verkitus said the “psychological threat is real and persistent,” a troubling conclusion in a state that is already facing what many professionals have dubbed a mental health crisis. Consistent with many of the state’s challenges, staffing shortages blunt legislative responses, and the problems are exacerbated in both rural and urban low-income communities.
“Living under a constant threat – from chemical spills to invisible pollution – creates chronic stress that damages the brain, weakens the immune system, and worsens existing health conditions,” reads the report, written by Laura M. Dagley. She’s a registered nurse. “At the same time, limited access to medical care and political power leaves many residents with few options for protection or recourse.”
The report emphasized that healthy choices alone, like the oft-touted advice to eat healthy and exercise to avoid several of the nation’s most pressing health problems, is not enough to stave off the consequences of environmental pollution.
“A person cannot choose to eat healthier foods if they are unavailable or unaffordable, just as they cannot choose to breathe clean air if the air where they live is polluted,” writes Dagley.
The report physiological causes of mental health problems brought on by pollution like the presence of nitrogen oxides in the air. Researchers say that the chemicals move through the bloodstream ultimately creating inflammation in the central nervous system, which leads to mood dysregulation and cognitive issues.
They also noted the impact on brain structure and development, particularly in young children and adolescents. Studies cited indicate dramatic increases in personality disorders, schizophrenia, major depression, and bipolar disorder in populations with long-term exposure to air pollution.
The data reflects what has become a point of growing public fascination and concern. A recent book by Pulitzer Prize winning author Caroline Fraser, “Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers,” posits that the 1970s and ’80s wave of serial killings can be in part traced back to lead and arsenic pollution in the Pacific Northwest.
Climate anxiety, economic worry, and stress are other factors that weigh on the minds of those living in fenceline communities, the report says. Stress impacts cardiovascular health, immune function, sleep, digestion, and several other functions in the body.
Included in the report are several areas of environmental concern specific to Pennsylvania, including the mention of western Pennsylvania being home to some of the worst air pollution levels in the U.S. The report notes that many residents live in fear of major disasters like the recent U.S. Steel explosion in Clairton, the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, or the infamous breakdown at Three Mile Island.
Pennsylvania does not monitor or regulate the use of private water wells, leaving many homes unaware of their exposure to chemical pollution through groundwater. The commonwealth is also home to thousands of orphan wells which release toxic gas into the air.
