PhenSar-2018

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DISCIPLINES AND MODELS OF HEALTH OF FENCELINE: A COMPANY TOWN DIVIDED 1 Disciplines and Models of Health of Fenceline: A Company Town Divided Sarah Phen University of Toronto Scarborough Student number: 1004115290 Introduction

DISCIPLINES AND MODELS OF HEALTH OF FENCELINE: A COMPANY TOWN DIVIDED 2 The 2002 documentary, Fenceline: A Company Town Divided , directed by Slawomir Grünberg & produced by Jane Greenberg, gives viewers an inside look at the Diamond and Norco communities. The residents have fought against the gas company, Shell, that has produced harmful gases in their community for years . The primary focus is on Norco, where the residents have higher rates of health conditions, such as cancer, and engage in ongoing talks with Shell to reduce the emissions and move into an area with cleaner air. This is certainly not a one- dimensional issue as it seeks input from environmental researchers as well as experts from the social science field. Fenceline: A Company Town Divided presents the effects of chemical air pollutants on the well-being of the Diamond and Norco communities through the ecological model of health and health geography by encouraging reduction of gas emissions and relocation. Moreover, the social model of health and sociology perspectives would emphasize the lower quality of life faced by the Diamond neighbourhood, where people are disproportionately affected by the chemicals. Summary of the Film The central argument of Fenceline: A Company Town Divided is that pollution from industrial facilities can have severe detrimental impacts on people’s health, so companies and communities must cooperate in order to avoid such consequences. For instance, the film emphasizes the importance of this issue by showing the Diamond community actively searching for evidence of hazardous levels of chemicals in the air because they have numerous cases of asthma and cancer. As well, the documentary shows the people of Diamond taking the initiative to meet with representatives from the gas company, Shell, in order to negotiate a deal to relocate the people to a safer area. Overall, the film offers viewers a look at the health of a neighbourhood through the ecological model of health and suggests solving the issue through

DISCIPLINES AND MODELS OF HEALTH OF FENCELINE: A COMPANY TOWN DIVIDED 3 working with the polluting company to reduce the negative effects they have on the environment and the surrounding communities. Critical Reflection on the Film: Health Geography and the Ecological Model of Health How this View Shapes the Problem Presented The principal discipline focused on in this film is health geography which explores how environmental factors and location play a role in the health and wellness of people (Dummer, 2008). Health geography is the primary view of looking at the health issues since the predicament presented is that the Diamond community is located next to the Shell factory, which is releasing harmful chemicals into the air. The film also exemplifies the ecological model of health, the view of wellbeing that revolves around the environment and the people in it affecting each other (Moeller, 2009). This model of health is evident in that the movie shows how the environment of the Diamond and Norco communities is affecting their health. This film pinpoints the issue as the toxic air and water created by the Shell factory in the area as the chemicals gradually bioaccumulate in the people’s systems over time until they start to cause serious health issues. Therefore, the problem that needs to be tackled is finding a way to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions and move the people of the Diamond community to a healthier environment. Tackling the problem of moving the Diamond residents is especially important to health geography because this subject is concerned with spatial organization and the patterns of disease (Dummer, 2008). In this way, health geography is related to the study of epidemiology because it is about discovering how the location of people is connected to the sources of diseases, which is exactly how the people of Diamond are tackling their health issues (Dummer, 2008). How the Discipline & Model of Health Inform the Examples in the Film

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DISCIPLINES AND MODELS OF HEALTH OF FENCELINE: A COMPANY TOWN DIVIDED 4 The ecological model of health and the discipline of health geography inform the examples presented in the documentary in that it connects to the ways in which the community engages in identifying and solving the health issues of asthma and cancer in the community. One particularly alarming example is that the children of Diamond are being exposed to hazardous chemicals, such as benzene, and as a result, there is a high rate of asthma among youth of 35% ( Grünberg & Greenberg, 2002). Identifying the cause as originating from the environmental conditions of the area makes it a view from the ecological model of health. Furthermore, benzene levels were above the approved legal levels and this chemical can cause cancer ( Grünberg & Greenberg, 2002). The effects of benzene were further realized when the residents of the Diamond community reported numerous cases of people dying early due to cancer. Thus, the ecological model of health was prominent as emphasis was placed on how air pollution in the environment relates to the health of the people living with the toxic chemicals (Moeller, 2009). Another significant example is that an organization called the Bucket Brigade collects and sends air samples to get analyzed because they are trying to prove to Shell that there are indeed hazardous levels of chemicals in the air. This demonstrates the ecological model of health due to the need to research and alter the environment so as to transform the location for the benefit of good health (Moeller, 2009). How this Perspective Shapes the Methods of Solving the Problem Looking at this issue from an ecological model of health and health geography standpoint, the film suggests that the issue can be addressed by educating the inhabitants of the Diamond community. They were taught about how the chemicals, which were being ingested from the air, and seafood were damaging their health. This is evidence of the ecological model of health because the Diamond community was learning about how their environment was impacting their

DISCIPLINES AND MODELS OF HEALTH OF FENCELINE: A COMPANY TOWN DIVIDED 5 health. Additionally, the discipline of health geography is evident in that one of the proposed solutions to the health conditions is moving the Diamond community to another area where the air is cleaner. This solution is centred on the health geography perspective since the issue lies in the location of the community and its relation to the risk factor of air pollution from the factory (Dummer, 2008). Additionally, the ecological model of health places importance on the chemical environment and this refers to the toxins outdoors and within homes, as well as the contaminants produced by industrial processes (Moeller, 2009). A solution stemming from this view is that the government’s chemical regulations require Shell to reduce emissions of the chemical Dioxin Furans and Shell promises to reduce their emissions down to the legally accepted levels ( Grünberg & Greenberg, 2002). Finally, the film addresses the concern about air pollution with the principle of environmental justice – developing environmental laws that address people of all different backgrounds and socioeconomic status in a just manner (Moeller, 2009). One of the goals of this view is to ensure that all people have the right to live in a harmless environment (Moeller, 2009). This aim was particularly touched upon in the film when Shell was providing incentives to encourage people to move out of certain streets, which would help the residents to live elsewhere for the sake of their health. Alternate Understanding: Sociology and the Social Model of Health How this View Would Shape the Problem Presented The social model of health is a point of view that looks at how health is comprised of macro- level factors of health, including political, economic, ecological, and cultural aspects (Warwick- Booth, Cross, & Lowcock, 2012). This is further connected to sociology — the discipline that looks at interactions in society and analyzes the daily lives of humans (Warwick-Booth et al., 2012). In relation to the social viewpoint, a considerable problem brought to light by the film is

DISCIPLINES AND MODELS OF HEALTH OF FENCELINE: A COMPANY TOWN DIVIDED 6 that the people of the Diamond community are excessively affected by the pollution from the Shell facilities, while the Norco residents appear to be living long, healthy lives. The ecological model of health would look at the role of chemical pollution, whereas the social model would examine the social factors that could play a role in this issue. The characteristics of the Diamond community that the sociological perspective would place the spotlight on include their poor economic situation and the fact that very few of them worked with Shell . This relates to the Marxist theory, which is a conflict theory that is centred on how inequalities among classes impact society (Warwick-Booth et al., 2012). Since the Diamond residents are in the lower class, they may not have sufficient money to purchase the healthcare insurance, medicine and other resources that contribute to good health. Another aspect of the social model is that focus is placed on the social factors and so, the film looks at more macro-level influences as opposed to micro-level aspects (Warwick-Booth et al., 2012). Due to this, the issues discussed in the film would not be centred on the individual, but rather, the economic situation, lack of education and colonialism that led to the noticeably greater number of cases of asthma and cancer in the Diamond community. The documentary would also look at colonialism and their ancestors who were slaves because these made it more difficult for African Americans to settle. Clearly, the social justice issue here is that groups of people who inhabit such low-income areas are often affected more deeply by the pollution in the environment (Moeller, 2009). If the film were based on the sociology, another one of the main issues presented would be that the Norco community cannot afford to purchase homes that are in a chemical-free environment because they would end up in debt. How the Discipline & Model of Health Would Inform the Examples in the Film

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DISCIPLINES AND MODELS OF HEALTH OF FENCELINE: A COMPANY TOWN DIVIDED 7 Sociology and the social model of health would change the documentary in that additional examples and emphasis would be placed on the inequities of the Diamond neighbourhood as well as how these contribute to the residents' health. First of all, the Diamond community knew many people who died early due to cancer, while Norco’s residents stated that very few people died of cancer there and they tended to live considerably long lives. The social perspective would cause the film to mention how the Diamond community may have faced more adversity due to social factors. One example is that the movie might show sociologists explaining why many Caucasian people in Norco were employed by Shell for much of their lives, while the African-American people of Diamond rarely found employment at Shell. Such an issue would be of interest to sociologists because it involves investigating how ethnicity and social classes are involved in determining people’s health (Warwick-Booth et al., 2012). The movie would have also shown interviews of Diamond residents talking about how this lack of employment makes it more difficult to purchase health insurance, nutritious foods and other components required to maintain good health. This relates to the concept of symbolic interactionism in that it seeks to understand social aspects from the experiences of individuals; moreover, this can also be phrased as lay perspectives (Warwick-Booth et al., 2012). Moving on, the film would likely remove the interviews with the environmental researcher and replace them with interviews of a sociologist. They could possibly elaborate on statistics about poverty and the history of slavery in Diamond in addition to how these play a role as social determinants of health. This type of evidence connects to the concept of political economy because it encourages finding solutions to inequities, especially those involving social classes (Warwick-Booth et al., 2012). All in all, since the towns are quite close together, but have major differences in health, a social model of

DISCIPLINES AND MODELS OF HEALTH OF FENCELINE: A COMPANY TOWN DIVIDED 8 health would look at social variables that shape each community’s ability to maintain their health. How this Perspective Would Shape the Methods of Solving the Problem The social model of health would look at this issue in a way that seeks to resolve the inequities, or in other words, inequalities that are unjust (Warwick-Booth et al., 2012). For instance, the film would not have focused on reducing emissions of chemicals. This would be replaced with more time devoted to explaining how Shell was offering incentives to people living on certain streets to sell their homes, which demonstrates the higher classes working with people of the lower clas. Sociologists may classify this example as a material and structural characteristic because it shows that inequalities stem from differences in material possessions, especially lack of money (Warwick-Booth et al., 2012). Other examples that would be stressed in the film are the problem of them having a 50% rate of finishing high school and the solution of the Diamond residents being educated about the effects of the chemicals (Grünberg & Greenberg, 2002). Furthermore, one more important solution that the social perspective would place more focus on is when the field person from Shell came to Norco to discuss the purchase package program, which got upgraded so that the people of Diamond could relocate without going into debt. This goes to shows that those of higher status at Shell had power over whether the lower-class Diamond community would be able to move elsewhere. This relates back to Marxist theory again because it focuses on inequalities between the classes in terms of wealth and control (Warwick-Booth et al., 2012). The crucial social aspect of this solution is that it does not address micro-level factors, such as the lifestyle or biological factors of the Diamond community. Rather, it seeks to remove the larger social barrier of the poor economic situation of the Diamond neighbourhood.

DISCIPLINES AND MODELS OF HEALTH OF FENCELINE: A COMPANY TOWN DIVIDED 9 Conclusion Fenceline: A Company Town Divided promotes lowering greenhouse gas emissions due to its major effects on people’s health in the Diamond and Norco communities. In this way, the film demonstrates the ecological model of health and health geography. This model and discipline are further shown through the solutions, of which include relocating the Diamond residents to a place where the air is free of toxic chemicals. On the other hand, if the social model of health and sociology perspectives were utilized, the movie would have emphasized the social classes, lack of good jobs, lower education levels, and colonialism as the main factors of health. This was especially observed through educating the Diamond community about the chemicals’ effects and the effort to move the residents without putting them in debt. With all this considered, drawing knowledge from multiple disciplines and models of health proves to be a useful way of examining this dilemma as well as other health problems because it allows people to identify causes from various factors. This in turn, leads to more diverse solutions that further aid in reducing the issue and meeting people’s different needs, including biological, social and environmental requirements as well as other categories of concern. Through collaboration of people from their respective fields, people can drive change in these conditions for the betterment of health.

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DISCIPLINES AND MODELS OF HEALTH OF FENCELINE: A COMPANY TOWN DIVIDED 10 References Dummer, T.J.B. (2008). Health geography: supporting public health policy and planning. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 178 (9), 1177 . Retrieved from https://portal.utoronto.ca/bbcswebdav/pid-6444999-dt-content-rid- 42143904_2/courses/Winter-2018-HLTA02H3-S-LEC01/Drummer-2008%20- %20Health%20Geography%281%29.pdf Greenberg, J. (Producer), & Grünberg, S. (Director). (2002) Fenceline: A Company Town Divided (Motion Picture). United States: Alexander Street Press. Moeller, D.W. (2009). The Scope. Environmental Health. Retrieved from https://portal.utoronto.ca/bbcswebdav/pid-6444999-dt-content-rid- 42316783_2/courses/Winter-2018-HLTA02H3-S-LEC01/Moeller%202009%20- %20Environmental%20Health.pdf Warwick-Booth, L., Cross, R., & Lowcock, D. (2012). Sociology and Health. Contemporary Health Studies An Introduction (87, 91, 94, 102). Malden, MA: Polity Press.

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