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In 2024, The Environmental Equity Information Institute (E2I2) conducted analyses of available data on behalf of Healthy Communities of Augusta and the Savannah Riverkeeper to understand the existing environmental and social demographic conditions of Augusta, Georgia zip codes: 30901, 30904, 30906, 30909, 30815, 30813, 30809.
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The Report's Key Findings:
#1 |
Communities residing in zip codes 30901, 30815, 30904, 30909, and 30906 are environmentally and socially “disadvantaged.”
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#2 |
The main pollutant of concern for all seven zip codes in this study is particulate matter (PM)2.5.
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#3 |
30901, 30904, and 30906 are exposed to higher levels of pollutants compared to the other zip codes. These zip codes are also where most Toxics Release Inventory facilities are concentrated.
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#4 |
The groups of people living in zip codes 30901, 30815, 30904, and 30906 have demographic characteristics that are associated with historic discrimination that results in greater exposure to environmental hazards.
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#5 |
Disadvantaged zip codes 30901 and 30906 have the most greenhouse gas reporting and TRI reporting facilities of the seven sip codes. 30906 has five TRI reporting facilities emitting hazardous air pollutants and two greenhouse gas reporting facilities. 30901 has five TRI reporting facilities emitting hazardous air pollutants and one greenhouse gas reporting facilities
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#6 |
Graphic Packing International, PCS Nitrogen Fertilizer, and Solvay Specialty Polymers are the biggest air polluters emitting a combined 1,326,791 pounds of hazardous air pollutants into the air of 30901 and 30906 each year.
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The table below presents 2023 data for EPA’s 188 Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPS) that are reported for Augusta by the Toxics Release Inventory Reporting Program. The EPA determines HAPS based on their potential to cause serious health effects or adverse environmental impacts. The pollutants on the HAPS list are known or suspected to cause cancer, reproductive effects, birth defects, and other serious health issues.
The list of all 188 HAPS can be found at the following website: https://www.epa.gov/haps/initial-list-hazardous-air-pollutants-modifications .
The list of all 188 HAPS can be found at the following website: https://www.epa.gov/haps/initial-list-hazardous-air-pollutants-modifications .
The following table provides 2023 data on all chemical air emissions in Augusta reported by the Toxics Release Inventory Reporting Program. Even though some of these pollutants are not categorized as HAPS, they can still be associated with adverse health effects. For example, ammonia exposure can include respiratory effects and burning and irritation of the eyes. Long-term exposure to high concentrations of ammonia includes chronic cough and recurrent bronchial infections, lung fibrosis, cataracts, and glaucoma.
Next Steps
E2I2 concluded their report with three recommendations
on how we as a community can address and remedy the
environmental burdens in our at-risk communities.
on how we as a community can address and remedy the
environmental burdens in our at-risk communities.
Recommendation #1 |
Research is needed to analyze health impacts for the residents in the environmentally burdened zip codes.
Exposure to harmful environmental pollutants is linked to many chronic diseases, cancer, poor maternal and infant health outcomes, childhood development delays, and neurological problems. We recommend collaborating with the Richmond County Health Department to access and analyze local level health data to understand disease prevalence and health disparities. The research will also identify if additional, local level data need collecting. |
Recommendation #2 |
Conduct additional community-based, real-time monitoring of Augusta’s air, water, and soil to fill gaps in environmental data reporting.
EPA data represents an annual average and does not inform communities of daily, monthly, or seasonal fluctuations. Additionally, TRI only collects data on facilities with emissions over a certain threshold. Therefore, it is difficult to know the contributions to emissions by smaller facilities, which do not provide data to the TRI Program. Local level monitoring could provide informative data and trends to better understand the environmental conditions and inform solutions. Importantly, real-time data will allow residents to develop evidence-based solutions to protect health on days when pollution limits exceed recommended levels. |
Recommendation #3
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To address the identified environmental burdens, have Richmond County agencies prioritize remediation and mitigation efforts.
These efforts may include focusing on the most at-risk communities based on proximity to pollution sources, and/or based on health outcomes data. Efforts should also prioritize the most vulnerable groups, for example young children. Remediation and mitigation efforts might include:
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