Oral

The United States relies heavily on domestic seaports to import and export goods as a substantial part of the nation’s economy. The number of cargo containers moved by ship in the United States increased by more than 100% between 1990 and 2001 and the US Customs Service reports that the volume of imported cargo moving through US ports is expected to triple by the year 2020. With the current and projected expansion in port-related activities and goods movement nationally and internationally, environmental pollution and public health issues are receiving more attention. The purpose of this session is to provide an overview of how the goods movement acts as a major driver of the built environment in communities across the country and contributes to environmental injustice and public health problems. In this session, we will discuss air quality and health issues related to goods movement particularly ship traffic, highways and diesel truck traffic, and railways/railyards in the state of California and nationally. Information will be presented on the impact of goods movement related emissions on air pollution levels (diesel soot, particulate matter, VOCs, NOx, SOx), climate change, and health (asthma, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and infant mortality). The session will detail community-driven activism and research, partnerships, non-profit actions, policy initiatives, government activities and other efforts to address how goods movement particularly ports play a large role in producing built environment conditions that create environmental injustice and negatively impact the quality of life and public health in port and other goods movement communities.

Session Objectives: 1. To list the types of goods movement that cause environmental injustice and public health problems in California and nationally 2. To describe air pollution emissions due to goods movement activities 3. To discuss community and policy perspectives associated with goods movement in California and nationally