Evaluating the Environmental Justice Dimensions of Odor in Denver, Colorado

TL;DR

This study examines environmental justice disparities related to odors in Denver, analyzing the distribution of malodorous facilities and complaints across neighborhoods with different socioeconomic characteristics.

Contribution

It uniquely compares residential and workplace socioeconomic factors and their association with odor complaints and facility locations in an urban setting.

Findings

Malodorous facilities are disproportionately located in less privileged neighborhoods.

Disparities exist in workplace socioeconomic variables related to odor exposure.

Odor complaints are more frequent in gentrified neighborhoods.

Abstract

Background Odors are a documented environmental justice challenge in Denver, Colorado. Complaints are an important modality through which residents express their concerns. Objective We investigated disparities in environmental justice related-variables based on home and workplace census block groups (race/ethnicity, education-levels, renter-occupied housing, median income and median home values, gentrification) based on locations of odor complaints as well as that of potentially malodorous facilities. We report key themes identified in complaints. Methods We obtained odor complaints for 2014-2023, and the locations of facilities required to submit odor management plans as of 2023 from the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment. We downloaded residential census block group-level socioeconomic data from the 2016-2020 American Community Survey; and workplace-based socioeconomic data from the Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics dataset for 2020. We categorized neighborhoods as gentrified or not based on a typology produced by the Urban Displacement Project. We assessed exposure to potentially malodorous facilities and complaints within each census block group and investigated exposure disparities by comparing distributions of environmental justice-related variables based on if a facility or a complaint has been made, and census block group-level odor intensity categories. Results Less privileged census block groups were significantly disproportionately burdened with potentially malodorous facilities. Importantly, our study also reveals disparities in the location of facilities, not just in traditional residence/-based environmental justice-related variables, but in workplace/-based factors, as well. We did not observe similar disparities for odor complaints. However, complaints were significantly higher in gentrified neighborhoods.