Analyzing Spatial Correlation Between Hazardous Waste Sites and Mortality Rates in Cincinnati, Ohio‪.‬

Introduction Industrial plants routinely produce hazardous waste as part of their production processes. Much of this waste is released into the environment at plant sites or at waste treatment facilities. The improper management of these releases at some industrial sites has resulted in contamination posing a confirmed or potential threat to human health or the environment (Ohio EPA 1997). Sites where substantial amounts of hazardous waste are released, or where environmental degradation has taken place, have become a major concern of environmental planners, especially when they are located near densely populated urban neighbourhoods. These urban sites may not be evenly distributed spatially, but rather, create an uneven pattern of resident exposure. Therefore, assessment of the environmental effects of such sites is inherently geographic and spatial analysis can be used to reveal the pattern. In research terms, the assessment results provide an important step in describing problems and in formulating and testing hypotheses about possible links between environment hazards and quality of life. In policy terms, the results have the potential for directing action to areas of greatest need.