| Serious environmental contamination is not unique to third world countries. Air pollution, such as particulate matter and benzene, has been linked to many diseases, including cancer and heart disease (Hu et al., 2008; Franklin, et al., 2015; Turner, et al., 2017) and an increased incidence of birth defects in Florida (Tanner et al., 2016). It is estimated that 18 million people in the United States drink water that has illegal levels of pollution (Chatterjee, et al., 2017), largely the result of groundwater contamination. Some of the most populous counties in Florida are plagued with toxic releases and chemical spills that affect the air we breathe and the water we drink. Despite the largely agricultural economy, Florida has areas ravaged by industrial pollution, environmental injustices, and poor environmental management. The state ranks as the second highest cancer-incidence state in the country (FL Department of Health, 2017). Other diseases that are potentially linked to environmental toxicants, such as lung and heart disease, are extremely elevated in industrial counties. Technology is available that will allow us to map these instances and develop a better understanding of the environmental challenges of our rapidly growing state. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) can be used to identify environmental contamination, map hotspots of diseases and environmental quality, and protect our finite resources. |
