  Background Odors are a documented environmental justice challenge in Denver,
Colorado. Complaints are an important modality through which residents express
their concerns. Objective We investigated disparities in environmental justice
related-variables based on home and workplace census block groups
(race/ethnicity, education-levels, renter-occupied housing, median income and
median home values, gentrification) based on locations of odor complaints as
well as that of potentially malodorous facilities. We report key themes
identified in complaints. Methods We obtained odor complaints for 2014-2023,
and the locations of facilities required to submit odor management plans as of
2023 from the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment. We downloaded
residential census block group-level socioeconomic data from the 2016-2020
American Community Survey; and workplace-based socioeconomic data from the
Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics dataset for 2020. We categorized
neighborhoods as gentrified or not based on a typology produced by the Urban
Displacement Project. We assessed exposure to potentially malodorous facilities
and complaints within each census block group and investigated exposure
disparities by comparing distributions of environmental justice-related
variables based on if a facility or a complaint has been made, and census block
group-level odor intensity categories. Results Less privileged census block
groups were significantly disproportionately burdened with potentially
malodorous facilities. Importantly, our study also reveals disparities in the
location of facilities, not just in traditional residence/-based environmental
justice-related variables, but in workplace/-based factors, as well. We did not
observe similar disparities for odor complaints. However, complaints were
significantly higher in gentrified neighborhoods.
