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TOXICITY 2: The Violence of Thresholds in Philadelphia

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  • Tathagat Bhatia

Abstract

In this essay I explore how regulatory standards for lead—which are designed to ensure the quality of drinking water—permit toxic harm to befall Philadelphia's residents, especially communities of color. The bureaucratic practices of the city's water department, I argue, render knowledge about toxic harm and risk both materially and legally illegible—not always despite, but also because of these standards. A class‐action lawsuit filed against the City of Philadelphia over concerns about lead in the residents’ water supply is used to contextualize and explicate a predominant approach to environmental protection that is centered on creating standards to regulate toxic substances. As the case of Philadelphia shows, such an approach is prone to failure because ultimately the harm caused by a pollutant is only secondary to empirical questions about whether actionable thresholds are crossed and protocols breached.

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  • Tathagat Bhatia, 2022. "TOXICITY 2: The Violence of Thresholds in Philadelphia," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(4), pages 698-710, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:ijurrs:v:46:y:2022:i:4:p:698-710
    DOI: 10.1111/1468-2427.13094
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Pranjal Deekshit & Simran Sumbre, 2022. "AFTER THE RIGHT TO WATER: Rethinking the State and Justice in Mumbai," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(4), pages 711-720, July.
    2. Lalitha Kamath & Anushri Tiwari, 2022. "Ambivalent Governance And Slow Violence In Mumbai'S Mithi River," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(4), pages 674-686, July.
    3. Nikhil Anand, 2022. "TOXICITY 1: On Ambiguity and Sewage in Mumbai's Urban Sea," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(4), pages 687-697, July.
    4. Scott N. Markley & Taylor J. Hafley & Coleman A. Allums & Steven R. Holloway & Hee Cheol Chung, 2020. "The Limits of Homeownership: Racial Capitalism, Black Wealth, and the Appreciation Gap in Atlanta," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(2), pages 310-328, March.
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    1. Nikhil Anand, 2022. "TOXICITY 1: On Ambiguity and Sewage in Mumbai's Urban Sea," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(4), pages 687-697, July.
    2. Lalitha Kamath & Anushri Tiwari, 2022. "Ambivalent Governance And Slow Violence In Mumbai'S Mithi River," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(4), pages 674-686, July.
    3. Nikhil Anand & Bethany Wiggin & Lalitha Kamath & Pranjal Deekshit, 2022. "ENDURING HARM: Unlikely Comparisons, Slow Violence and the Administration of Urban Injustice," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(4), pages 651-659, July.
    4. Malini Ranganathan, 2022. "CODA: The Racial Ecologies of Urban Wetlands," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(4), pages 721-724, July.

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