Cancer risks from exposure to vehicular air pollution: a household level analysis of intra-ethnic heterogeneity in Miami,Florida

Quantitative environmental justice (EJ) research has relied on aggregated data from census units to determine disproportionate hazard exposure. Additionally, variables typically used to analyze ethnic inequities in exposure (e.g., percent Hispanic) are too broad and assume a degree of homogeneity that may not exist, given the diversity of ethnic minority populations. We address these limitations through a study that utilizes primary household level survey data and cancer risk estimates from the National-Scale Air Toxics Assessment (NATA) to analyze intra-ethnic inequities in exposure to vehicular air pollutants in the Miami metropolitan area, Florida. Our analysis disaggregates the Hispanic category based on five characteristics (language proficiency, U.S. citizenship, nativity, unemployment status, and national origin) and finds that risk burdens are significantly higher for Hispanic respondents who are foreign-born, unemployed, and of Cuban origin. Findings highlight the advantages of downscaling EJ analyses to the household level and considering intra-ethnic heterogeneity in EJ research and policy.     

新疆草地气候生产潜力变化特征及对气候响应的预测研究

基于新疆地区52个气象站点1959-2008年逐月气温、降水资料,利用Miami模型和Thornthwaite Memorial模型、线性趋势线、ArcGIS反距离权重插值等方法,对新疆草地生产潜力的时空变化特征进行分析。结果表明,近50 a来,新疆草地温度、降水、蒸散生产潜力均表现为显著增加,且四季和生长季各生产潜力也呈线性增加,夏季和生长季增幅最大,其次,草地生产潜力以及增幅均表现为北疆高于南疆,基本为由南向北递增,并和多年平均降水量变化一致。其中,水分条件是影响新疆草地生产潜力的主导因素。根据二元一次线性回归方程计算得出,年平均气温每升高/降低1 ℃,草地的年气候生产力增加/减少17.309 kg·hm-2·a-1,年降水量每增加/减少1 mm,草地的年气候生产力增加/减少24.392 kg·hm-2·a-1。     

CHANGES IN ETHNIC SOLIDARITY IN CUBAN MIAMI*

ABSTRACT. Many people describe the Cuban community in Miami as a prime example of ethnic solidarity; others see it as internally divided. This study argues that the contradiction can be resolved when ethnic solidarity is seen as encompassing various components and when changes in cohesiveness in response to external and internal influences on the ethnic community are taken into account. These influences include the context of reception in the United States and the relationship between established Cubans and more recent immigrants. We need to refine our understanding of what constitutes ethnic solidarity, how it changes over time, and what role it plays, both within the community in general and within the ethnic‐enclave economy in particular     

Occurrence of IRGAROL 1051 in coastal waters from Biscayne Bay,Florida, USA

Surface water samples from marinas, commercial ports and open bay areas collected from Biscayne Bay and the Miami River, Florida, USA, were analyzed for the occurrence of IRGAROL 1051 by GC/MS. The anifouling boosting herbicide was found in 80% (46/57) of the samples collected between March 1999 and September 2000. Concentrations within the bay range between non-detected (<1 ppt) and 61 ppt (ng/L) and were generally low compared with levels reported in European or Japanese waters. Aside from the elevated concentrations observed along the Miami River South Fork (61 ppt), the highest concentrations observed in the bay corresponded to marinas with high density of pleasure craft and restricted water circulation. In contrast, occurrence of IRGAROL 1051 along the commercial port or the cruise line terminal was generally lower (<1-2.2 ppt). Concentrations around Coconut Grove Marina were consistently higher (5-12 ppt) than the rest of the bay waters during the whole period of time surveyed.     

Remaking South Beach: metropolitan gayborhood trajectories under homonormative entrepreneurialism

This paper contributes to research on metropolitan gayborhood trajectories and homonormative urban entrepreneurialism by assessing a South Florida case study. We probe allegations of gay men being displaced from South Beach and the opposing narrative of a sexually diverse city with undiminished appeal. To that end, we present expert informant interviews, participant observation, media archives, and census data showing that the remade gayborhood coexists and competes with other, more affordable LGBT nodes. While socioeconomic, demographic and cultural characteristics differentiate these clusters, exploratory spatial data analysis indicates that the majority of metropolitan same-sex households reside elsewhere. We acknowledge Miami Beach’s recent pro-equality efforts, yet argue that homonormative politics conditions them. Public–private actions adopt corporate formats, prioritizing tourist-oriented initiatives and spectacular events that promote nonthreatening, market-friendly forms of sexual dissidence. The conclusion discusses implications for queer community-building in metropolitan regions fragmented by socio-spatial inequality and competitive city-marketing catering to heterogeneous yet exclusive global audiences.     

THE MAGNETISM OF MIAMI: SEGMENTED PATHS IN CUBAN MIGRATION*

ABSTRACT. Miami is the primate city in a system of urban settlements that make up a Cuban ethnic archipelago in the United States. The city is also a national magnet, attracting Cuban migrants from metropolitan regions across the archipelago. Four large secondary cores of Cubans outside Florida serve as major “feeders” to the Miami enclave: northern New Jersey, New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Currents of migration to Miami are especially strong among older, foreign-born, and disadvantaged Cubans, an indication of segmented paths in Cuban assimilation. Although concentration in Metropolitan Miami has been the Cuban story over the past three decades, processes of deconcentration now may well be under way.     

Heavy metal content in relation to particle size and organic content of surficial sediments in Miami River and transport potential

Transport of contaminants in Miami River (Florida, USA) sediments with river currents is a concern due to their potential impact in areas that are away from the potential sources. Accumulation profiles of five metals (As, Cd, Hg, Zn, Pb) in the surficial sediments of the Miami River were evaluated in relation to grain size (from less than 0.075 mm to 6.3 mm) and organic content. Surficial sediment samples were collected along the river basin as well as in bay waters. Fine sediments ( o 0.106 mm) contained more than 10 times the levels of Cd and Hg and more than 6 times the levels of arsenic in comparison to the sediments that are larger than 0.850 mm. Zn and Pb levels were more than 10 times in the fine sediments ( o 0.106 mm) in comparison to those that were larger than 4.750 mm. Cd, Hg, and Zn levels had sig-nificant correlation with the total organic carbon content of the sediments. This indicates that Cd, Hg, and Zn in fine sediments have the potential to be metabolized in addition to potential to be mobilized with river currents. Analysis of the Gibbs settling velocities of particles showed that particles smaller than 0.5 mm can be transported with the river currents. The levels of heavy metal in fine sediments ( o 0.425 mm) along the river bed showed that fine particles had tendency to be mobilized and accu-mulate at locations where the rivers currents are low and carried out to the bay.