Integrating community engagement into air toxics research in fenceline communities

Communities near industrial pollution sources are commonly called fenceline communities, and residents may be exposed to air toxics emitted by nearby facilities [ 1 ]. In the United States, polluting industries are more likely to be located in low-income communities of color, and national data show that Black and Latinx populations live disproportionately close to industrial facilities [ 1 , 2 ]. Frueh et al. investigated the spatial distributions and potential sources of a broader suite of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in a Philadelphia fenceline community, enabling a better understanding of potential environmental exposures and health risks during industrial land-use transitions [ 3 ]. Although benzene concentrations were low overall, the study identified spatial variation in benzene and other hazardous VOCs across the monitoring area, including among sites at different distances from a former refinery [ 3 ].