  Global sea-level rise causes increasing threats of coastal flood and
subsequent pollutant dispersion. However, there are still few studies on the
disparity arising from such threats and the extent to which different
communities could be exposed to flood-induced pollution dispersion from toxic
sites under future sea level rise. To address this gap, this study selects
Texas (a U.S. state with a large number of toxic sites and significant flood
hazards) as the study area and investigates impacts of flood-induced pollutant
dispersion on different communities under current (2018) and future (2050)
flood hazard scenarios.The results show, currently, north coastline in Texas
bears higher threats and vulnerable communities (i.e., low income, minorities
and unemployed) are disproportionally exposed to these threats. In addition,
the future sea-level rise and the exacerbated flood hazards will put additional
threats on more (about 10%) Texas residents, among which vulnerable communities
will still be disproportionately exposed to the increased threats. Our study
reveals the facts that potential coastal pollutant dispersion will further
aggravate the environmental injustice issues at the intersection of toxic sites
and flood hazards for vulnerable populations and exacerbate risk inequalities.
Given the dire impacts of flood-induced pollution dispersion on public health,
the findings have important implications for specific actions from the policy
makers to mitigate the inequitable risks.
