The high rate of childhood asthma is one of the more serious health issues in the Bronx. The hospitalization rate for asthma among children in the Bronx is 1,000 times higher than that for New York State as a whole (New York City Department of Health "Asthma Facts," 1999). Although many health researchers and governmental agencies have been exploring possible reasons for the Bronx having one of the highest rates of childhood asthma in the country, no conclusive explanation has been established. Reasons offered by various authorities include indoor air pollution, cockroach dust, household pesticide use, parents who smoke, and/or a genetic pre-disposition to asthma among certain racial and ethnic groups.

This student project, completed in GEP 205: Principles of Geographic Information Science, looks at the distribution of hospitalizations for asthma and the distribution of Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) facilities in the Bronx. TRI facilities are those that manufacture more than 25,000 pounds or use more than 10,000 pounds per year of certain toxic chemicals listed by the federal government. Many TRI facilities emit thousands of pounds of toxic substances to the atmosphere, to water, or to land in the Bronx. (See TRI Project) As can be seen in the maps, areas with a high incidence of asthma hospitalization are also typically the areas where TRI facilities are concentrated. However, cause and effect are not established by this analysis, only that there is a spatial correspondence, indicating the need for further research, and offering possible direction for such study.

Other student and faculty research into this phenomena is on-going, and includes the examination of high-volume vehicular traffic routes, manufacturing zones, and the locations of specific noxious facilities, and their spatial correspondence to areas known to have high asthma rates. This page will be updated as the work progresses.

Instructor:
Dr. Juliana Maantay