Historical redlining and toxic pollution linked to child firearm injuries in Jacksonville

Historical environmental contamination and redlining policies in Jacksonville, Florida, are linked to current physical and mental health issues as well as high rates of firearm injuries among children, KFF Health News and 104.5 WOKV reported. A former 250-acre landfill site known as Brown's Dump sits in a county affected by high rates of child firearm injuries. [1][2]

The city of Jacksonville operated the Brown's Dump landfill from the late 1940s until the mid-1950s, according to KFF Health News. During this period, the city heaped toxic ash at the site, which later became the location of a now boarded-up elementary school named after educator and civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune. [1]

Redlining is a discriminatory practice in the United States where financial services, credit, insurance, and healthcare are withheld from neighborhoods with significant numbers of racial and ethnic minorities, particularly African Americans. KFF Health News reported that the landfill emerged during this era of systemic racism that divided American cities. [1][4]

Poisons from the Brown's Dump site seeped into the surrounding community, affecting the health of local residents over several decades, according to KFF Health News. Researchers and public health officials view the resulting health harms and elevated rates of gun violence among children as overlapping public health crises rooted in this history. [1]