"Poor Texas and Louisiana communities, many of them Black, have higher-than-average exposures to 15 of 20 chemicals that the EPA is analyzing, groups in the two states told the agency.

Gulf-area residents from both states are exposed to 77% of the nationwide air, water, and land releases of just one of those 15 chemicals, a flame retardant, a coalition of seven Texas and Louisiana groups told the agency in comments filed late May and early June.

As early as Monday, the EPA is supposed to start releasing 20 final plans describing what people, health concerns, chemical uses, and other issues it will examine as it evaluates the risks of each chemical.

The coalition asked the EPA to identify the Louisiana and Texas coastal communities specifically as “potentially exposed or susceptible subpopulations” whose risks it will examine as part of its 20 chemical assessments."

Pat Rizzuto reports for Bloomberg Environment June 22, 2020. [2]