Leevin T. Camacho

References and Notes Information & Authors Metrics & Citations Check Access References Figures Tables Media Share Access the full article View all access options to continue reading this article. CHECK ACCESS References and Notes 1 M. J. Lawrence, H. L. Stemberger, A. J. Zolderdo, D. P. Struthers, S. J. Cooke, Environ. Rev. 23, 443 (2015). Crossref Web of Science Google Scholar 2 T. E. Marler, A. Moore, J. Environ. Sci. Eng. 5, 1198 (2011). Google Scholar 3 R. A. Turalba, D. Willmott, Z. C.

Karl A. Racine and Leevin T. Camacho What do American citizens living in Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa all have in common? They lack equal access to federal social safety net programs, like Social Security and food stamps that lift families and children out of poverty. By now, you’re thinking that there must be a good explanation for why 3.5 million American citizens – 98% of whom are ethnic minorities – are excluded from these benefits.

Environmental justice and public health groups are demanding that the federal government update regulations and expand efforts to protect young children from lead poisoning, which can cause irreversible cognitive and behavioral problems and tends to be more common in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color.