The prevalence of environmental racism is evident in the inconsistent levels of lead poisoning throughout various populations in New York City. The imbalance of lead poisoning can also be seen by looking at rates by neighborhood. Half of child lead poisoning cases occurred in children living in just 9 of 42 NYC neighborhoods. For example, 86% of the children affected by lead poisoning were Asian, black, or Hispanic. Asian and Hispanic children were particularly over-represented in having a blood lead level at which care coordination and environmental intervention must be initiated. Although Hispanic children account for 33% of the children in NYC, they made up 37% of lead blood level cases requiring intervention for 2009. Asian children were the most over represented, accounting for 27% of the lead blood level cases, despite only being 11% of the total child population. On the other hand, white children experienced lead poisoning at much lower rates. Although they comprised 27% of the children in NYC, they only represented 11% of lead poisoning cases. The discrepancy of lead poisoning between white people and people of color also extends to pregnant women, with 94% of pregnant women with blood lead poisoning being foreign-born, mostly from Mexico, Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan.

The effects of lead poisoning are dramatic, even at lower blood levels. In children, consistent exposure to lead may result in intellectual disabilities, abdominal problems, slowed growth, and behavioral issues. Pregnant women may experience miscarriage or premature birth due to lead exposure. Unfortunately, the majority of people who suffer from these consequences are low-income Asian and Hispanic children in unsafe living conditions. In addition to lead poisoning in NYC, other recent examples of environmental racism include the Flint, Michigan water crisis, which primarily affects black people, and the Dakota Access Pipeline, which threatens water quality on the Standing Rock Sioux reservation.