Research Guides: Environmental Inequality in Postwar America: Newark Environmental Health

Environmental Health

Air Pollution
Lead Poisoning
Newark Bay
Passaic River

Air Pollution

Remedies for Environmental Injustice: Addressing the Localized Concentration of Air Pollution and Asthma among Newark's Poor: Zachary Aboff. 10, October 2022.; "This analysis investigates the available legal remedies for residents of Newark’s Ironbound and similarly positioned communities that could be used to halt or possibly reverse the concentrating of pollution sources in their neighborhoods."

Daily Satellite Observations of Nitrogen Dioxide Air Pollution Inequality in New York City, New York and Newark, New Jersey: Evaluation and Application: Isabella M. Dressel et al. Environmental Science & Technology 56(22), 2022, pp. 15298-15311; "We statistically analyze daily NO2 inequalities, presenting empirical evidence of the systematic overburdening of communities of color and low-income neighborhoods with polluting sources, regulatory ozone co-benefits, and worsened NO2 inequalities and cumulative NO2 and urban heat burdens with climate change." Rutgers-restricted Access

Air Pollution, Meteorology and Public Health in New Jersey: Case Studies of Newark and the Meadowlands: Dawn Roberts-Semple. Thesis (Ph.D). Newark, N.J., Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, 2012.; "This dissertation adapts an integrated approach to improve understanding about the role of meteorological factors on air pollution concentrations and their cumulative effects on public health in Newark and the Meadowlands, New Jersey."

Environmental Justice Education and Atmospheric Particulate Analysis in Urban Environmental Health Policy Development: Indoor Airborne Particulate Concentrations in Preschools of Asthmatic Children in Newark.: Rita L. Thornton. Thesis (Ph.D), Rutgers University - Newark, and the New Jersey Institute of Technology, 2006.; "This study analyzes the community locations and evaluates literature and other available air pollution data for the target communities in the city of Newark. The study focuses on asthma or reative airway diseases as a target health risk. It also performs data collection on particulate pollutants and levels of trace metals in particulate matter in target communities and schools of preschool children in two of the five Wards of Newark." Available?

Outdoor Aeroallergens, Air Pollutants, and Daily Asthma Hospitalization in Two Urban Areas of New Jersey Rutgers-restricted access: Stella Manchun Tsai. Ph.D. Thesis, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, 2007.; Evaluates the association between ambient aeroallergen and air pollutant concentrations and asthma hospitalization rates in Camden and in Elizabeth/Newark from 1999 to 2002. Available?

"Manganese Pollution in the City Environment and its Relationship to Traffic Density," Rutgers-restricted access: Morris M. Joselow et.al. American Journal of Public Health 68(6), June 1978, 557-560.; "Street soils from various locations...[in Newark] were analyzed for manganese and lead...Highly significant inverse relationships were found between the concentrations of both contaminants and distance from major traffic arteries."

"Benzene, Artificial Leather and Aplastic Anemia: Newark, 1916-1928,": William D. Sharpe. Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine 69(1), January-February 1993, 47-60.

Lead Poisoning

Childhood Lead Poisoning: Newark, New Jersey's Preventable Disease: An Exploratory Study: Gwendolyn G. Grant. (Masters Thesis) Newark State College, 1971. Rutgers-restricted Access

"Lead Poisoning in Newark: The Situation Prior to a Case Finding and Intervention Program,": Ann A. Browder. Journal of the Medical Society of New Jersey 69(2), February 1972, 101-6.; "Assessment of lead poisoning in Newark during the 15 months January 1, 1969 through March 31, 1970 showed that the number of children screened, treated, and followed were far below the number projected at risk of lead poisoning." Available?

"Lead Poisoning: More Than a Medical Problem,"Rutgers-restricted access: D. Jean Schneider and Marvin A. Lavenhar. American Journal of Public Health 76(3), March 1986, 242-244.; Lead paint used in pre-1950 housing is a major source of lead poisoning in children. In 1980 66 percent of Newark's housing stock predated 1950. An examination of the medical records of 236 Newark children treated for lead poisoning between 1977 and 1980 found that the number of cases began to rise after 1976, when a decrease in federal funding resulted in cutbacks in prevention and screening programs.

"Successful Ways to Increase Retention in a Longitudinal Study of Lead-Exposed Children," Rutgers-restricted access: Susan Adubato et. al. Health & Social Work 28(4), November 2003, 312-315.; Looks at the factors that contributed to a 97 percent retention rate over a five-year period in the Treatment of Lead-Exposed Children (TLC) study in Newark.

Part 2: Housing Crisis Causes Health Crisis: Lead Prevention in Newark Proves Almost Impossible.: Judy Peet and Russell Ben-Ali. November 5, 2001.; Part of a Newark Star-Ledger series on lead poisoning.

Newark Sues Lead Pigment Industry: Charges Lead Manufacturers with Knowingly Poisoning Newark Children

December 4, 2001 Press Release

City of Newark v. Lead Industries Association December 2001.

Childhood Lead Poisoning in New Jersey Annual Reports: Essex county continues to have the largest number and percentage of children with elevated blood lead results in the state. The city of Newark has the highest number of children with elevated blood levels.

Childhood Lead Poisoning in New Jersey Annual Report: New Jersey. Department of Health and Senior Services, 19??. Available?

Newark Bay

"Wartime Mobilization and the Newark Bay Home Front Environment: A Case Study Revealing Opportunity for Federal Leadership in Resolving Mega Site Problems" Rutgers-restricted access: Michael Reis. Environmental Claims Journal 18(4), December 2006, pp. 293-320.

Effect of Changes in Sediment and Contaminant Loads in Newark Bay on Future Disposal of Dredged Sediments Rutgers-restricted access: Thomas H. Wakeman. D.E.S. Thesis, Columbia University, 2006. Available?

"Sources of Pollution and Sediment Contamination in Newark Bay, New Jersey," Rutgers-restricted access: David W. Crawford, Nancy L. Bonnevie, and Richard J. Wenning. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 30, February 1995, 85-100.; Reviews the literature and data on chemicals and water quality stressors throughout the Newark Bay estuary. Looks at the historical and current sources of pollution.

"Fishing in Urban New Jersey: Ethnicity Affects Information Sources, Perception, and Compliance," Rutgers-restricted access: Joanna Burger et.al., Risk Analysis 19(2), April 1999, 217-229; "Examines fishing behavior, sources of information, perceptions, and compliance with fishing advisories as a function of ethnicity for people fishing in the NewarkBay Complex."

"Consumption Patterns and Risk Assessment of Crab Consumers From the Newark Bay Complex, New Jersey, USA": Kerry Kirk Pflugh et al. The Science of the Total Environment 409 (21), 2011, pp. 4536-4544. Rutgers-restricted Access

Concentration and Loads of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey.: Timothy P. Wilson and Jennifer L. Bonin. Prepared for the New Jersey Toxics Reduction Workplan for NY-NJ Harbor Ambient Monitoring of Loading to Major Tributaries at Head-of-Tide Study I-C. Scientific Investigations Report 2007-5059. Reston, Virginia, U.S. Geological Survey, 2007.

"Geochemical and Hydrological Study of Coastal Groundwater Discharging to an Urban Estuary in Northern New Jersey.": Hun Bok Jung. Environmental Earth Sciences 79(6) March, 2020.; "In summer 2017 and 2018, groundwater (n = 39) and sediment (n = 13) samples were collected at depths of 20–175 cm from a sandy coastal aquifer in addition to surface water samples (n = 10) along the Newark Bay, a highly urbanized estuary."

Passaic River

American River: 2021 documentary produced and directed by Scott Morris. Based on Mary Bruno’s 2012 book, An American River: From Paradise to Superfund. Rutgers-restricted Access

A Common Tragedy: History of an Urban River.: Timothy J. Iannuzzi et. al. Amherst, Mass., Amherst Scientific Publishers, 2002. Available?

An American River: From Paradise to Superfund; Afloat on New Jersey's Passaic: Mary Bruno. Vashon, Washington, DeWitt Press, 2012. Available?

Passaic River Litigation: Reference and Studies: Investigations: Links to a large number of enviromental reports relating to the Passaic River.

Characterization and Assessment of Contaminated Sediments in Lower Passaic River, New Jersey Rutgers-restricted access: Victor Udoka Onwueme. Thesis (D.Env.M.), Montclair State University, 2008. Available?

Effect of water quality model uncertainty on the Passaic total maximum daily load and water quality trading program for total phosphorus.: Josef Sy Kardos. Thesis (Ph.D.), Rutgers University, 2009.

Diversity of Biodegradative Gene Populations in Aquatic Sediments Examined by Gene-targeted Metagenomics: Elyse Anne Rodgers-Vieira. Thesis (Ph.D), Rutgers The State University of New Jersey - New Brunswick and University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, 2012.; "The Passaic River in Newark, New Jersey has a long history of industrial pollution making it an ideal site to study monooxygenase diversity. 16S rRNA and alkane monooxgyenase gene populations were analyzed by pyrosequencing to determine if sampling location on the river influenced the microbial community and if triplicate enrichments yield comparable results...Sediments from rivers and streams in Central Asia were compared to determine if novel alkane monooxygenase families could be found in a largely unstudied geographic region." Available?

"The Pollution Problem of the Passaic River,": Daniel Jacobson. Proceedings of the New Jersey Historical Society 76(3), July 1958, 186-198.; Traces the gradual pollution of Newark's water supply in the 19th century. Available?

"The Passaic Valley Trunk Sewer,": Stuart Galishoff. New Jersey History 88(4), Winter 1970, 197-214. Reprinted in Safeguarding the Public Health: Newark, 1895-1918. Westport, Conn., 1975, pp. 54-67.; The Passaic river, which for many years served both as a water supply and major recreational site for Newark and the surrounding area, by the latter part of the 19th century had been polluted to the point that it "had the characteristics of an open sewer." Traces efforts to mitigate the pollution, culminiating in the opening of the Passaic Valley Trunk Sewer in 1924. Available?

Superfund Site: Diamond Alkali Company

Why There is Agent Orange in Newark: RT America news video.

Superfund Site: Diamond Alkali Co., Newark, NJ: In the 1950s and 1960s, the Diamond Alkali Company manufactured agricultural chemicals, including the herbicides used in the defoliant known as “Agent Orange” on Lister Avenue in Newark. A by-product of these manufacturing processes was 2,3,7,8-TCDD (dioxin), an extremely toxic chemical.