A team of environmental health scientists from the University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School is shedding light on the significant health disparities linked to the proximity of semiconductor fabrication plants (SFPs) in central Texas. Their research is a reminder to clinicians to understand their patients’ living conditions and underscores the need for expanded studies in the equitable distribution of industrial facilities and stricter environmental regulations to protect vulnerable communities.
Their study, “Understanding the Role of Pollution Sources in Intracity Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities: Proximity to Semiconductor Facilities, Neighborhood Demographic Characteristics and Asthma-related Emergency Department Visits,” was recently published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and presented as an abstract at the 2025 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) Annual Meeting in San Diego.
The study details how the semiconductor manufacturing industry in central Texas emits various air pollutants and are disproportionately located in neighborhoods with higher populations of Black and Latino residents. This contributes to increased asthma-related emergency department visits in these communities, according to the study’s authors.
The study used distance-adjusted, propensity, score matching to examine the relationship between plant locations, neighborhood demographics and local health data.
Key findings from the study included:
- Disproportionate exposure: SFPs are predominantly situated in census tracts with greater proportions of Black and Latino residents, which often exhibit higher indicators of social vulnerability.
- Health impacts: Controlling for demographic factors, the research demonstrated a clear association between emissions from SFPs and an increase in asthma-related emergency department visits. The closer the proximity to an SFP, the higher the incidence of these health issues.
The groundbreaking study advocates for localized health records data to be utilized in identifying and addressing health impacts and environmental justice issues arising from industrial activities. According to the study’s authors, the research provides crucial insights into the environmental and health challenges faced by marginalized communities in central Texas, calls for immediate action to mitigate the adverse effects of industrial pollution, promotes environmental justice and opens the door to similar studies in other parts of the country.
