The Polluter Next Door: The Mental and Emotional Impact of Industrial Pollution on Fenceline Communities
September 29, 2025
Published September 2025 | By Laura M. Dagley, BSN, RN
Millions of Americans live in fenceline communities—neighborhoods situated beside refineries, petrochemical plants, gas wells, and other industrial sites. For these residents, daily life is marked by toxic air, unsafe water, constant noise, and diminished property values. Beyond physical illness, the cumulative burden includes anxiety, depression, chronic stress, and cognitive decline.
This new report from Physicians for Social Responsibility Pennsylvania (PSR PA) documents the mental and emotional toll of industrial pollution and how these harms disproportionately fall on low-income communities and communities of color, reflecting systemic environmental racism and classism.
Through research, case studies, and personal testimonies, The Polluter Next Door sheds light on:
- The interconnected effects of air, water, noise, and light pollution on health.
- The ways environmental stress compounds existing health inequities.
- Community voices from Pennsylvania living in the shadow of industry.
- The critical role of healthcare providers in recognizing environmental determinants of health and validating patients’ lived experiences.
About the Author
The report was written by Laura M. Dagley, BSN, RN, former PSR PA staff member and current member of the Allegheny County Board of Health.
