Hazel Johnson, a resident of a predominantly black housing project in Chicago, calls her neighborhood the “Toxic Doughnut” because it is surrounded by waste dumps and factories that discharge noxious pollution. Alarmed by the illnesses of several family members and neighbors, she canvassed her neighborhood to see if the area’s health problems could be linked to its polluted environment. After discovering an unusually high number of cancers, respiratory diseases, birth defects, and early deaths, Johnson founded the People for Community Recovery (PCR) and began lobbying for improved environmental standards in Chicago’s South Side.

The PCR is one of many organizations charging that sources of toxic waste are disproportionately found in minority neighborhoods. These groups contend that government agencies do not adequately respond to the impact of numerous hazardous facilities in minority communities, thereby contributing to...