Intersectionality is a critical theoretical framework that emphasizes the influence of intersecting systems of oppression on the lived experiences of people marginalized by inequity. Although applications of intersectionality are increasing in public health, this framework is absent in environmental health, which has instead focused on the exposome, a paradigm that considers the totality of an individual’s environmental exposures across the life course. Dr. Ami Zota discussed how integrating intersectionality into the exposome can help advance environmental justice and health equity. She introduced concepts and tools for environmental public health scientists interested in operationalizing this approach. Lastly, she discussed examples of this approach from her transdisciplinary work on racial inequities in uterine fibroids highlighted in her new commentary.
Following Dr. Zota’s presentation, Dr. Camila Alvarez presented her new study, Intersectional environmental justice and population health inequalities: A novel approach. She introduced a novel Eco-Intersectional Multilevel (EIM) modeling approach used to examine intersectionality at the neighborhood-level using data from the EPA's NATA 2014 estimates of cancer risk from air toxics. She highlighted how this approach estimates the interaction effects of environmental health hazards for several neighborhood-level demographics. Dr. Alvarez then discussed how this new methodological approach demonstrates a largely intersectional story of environmental health risk at the national level.
Dr. Rebecca Mandell presented findings from a study that identified intersectionality as a collective action frame (CAF) used by advocates mobilizing at the intersection of the environmental justice and reproductive justice movements to address toxic exposures and reproductive health outcomes in vulnerable communities. Advocates used an intersectionality frame to highlight how intersecting social locations (e.g. gender, race/ethnicity, income) shape risk of toxic exposures; equally prioritize multiple aspects of their identities when mobilizing; develop multi-issue platforms; and form cross-movement collaborations to more powerfully create social change. Understanding an intersectionality frame can help to inform advocacy approaches to promote health and health equity, particularly those focused on policies and structural drivers of health.
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