Spatial variability in toxicity indicators used to rank chemical risks.

OBJECTIVES This study used 6 different measures of toxicity to explore spatial and statistical variations in relative risk indicators of Toxic Release Inventory emissions. METHODS Statistical and spatial correlations between the 6 indices were computed for individual South Carolina facilities. RESULTS Although the 6 toxicity indices are not highly correlated in theory, they have more commonality in practice. There was significant spatial variation in the indices by individual facility level. CONCLUSIONS Environmental justice researchers must be cognizant of differences in toxicity indices because the choice of the toxicity measure can alter (statistically and spatially) the results of equity analyses and lead to erroneous conclusions.