Purposes and Uses of EJScreen
EJScreen allows users to access high-resolution environmental and demographic information for locations in the United States, and compare their selected locations to the rest of the state, EPA region, or the nation.
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The tool may help users identify areas with:
- People of color and/or low-income populations
- Potential environmental quality issues
- A combination of environmental and demographic indicators that is greater than usual
- Other factors that may be of interest
EJScreen may also be used to support:
- Educational programs
- Grant writing
- Community awareness efforts
- Other purposes
This screening tool and data may be of interest to community residents or other stakeholders as they search for environmental or demographic information. It can also support a wide range of research and policy goals. The public has used EJScreen in many different locations and in many different ways.
EPA is sharing EJScreen with the public:
- to be more transparent about how we consider environmental justice in our work,
- to assist our stakeholders in making informed decisions about pursuing environmental justice and
- to create a common starting point between the agency and the public when looking at issues related to environmental justice.
Screening tools should be used for a "screening-level" look. Screening is a useful first step in understanding or highlighting locations that may be candidates for further review. However, it is essential to remember that screening-level results:
- do not, by themselves, determine the existence or absence of environmental justice concerns in a given location
- they do not provide a risk assessment and
- have other significant limitations.