Society

People of color breathe Denver’s smelliest air

Yvaine Ye — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 15:56:51 +0000

People of color breathe Denver’s smelliest air Yvaine Ye Thu, 03/13/2025 - 09:56

Yvaine Ye

In Denver, people of color and those with lower household incomes are more likely to live in neighborhoods near facilities that emit bad smells, a new ��ƷSM��ӰƬ-led study reported.

For many Denver residents, the city’s crisp mountain air is a perk of living near the Rocky Mountains. But every so often, a gust of wind can carry less welcome scents, like the pungent odor of pet food factories or the skunky smell of marijuana grow houses.

In a paper published Feb. 22 in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology, scientists revealed inequality in exposure to Denver’s odor. The research found that while racial minorities and socioeconomically marginalized communities are more likely to be exposed to bad smells, residents in gentrifying neighborhoods file more odor complaints.

If you experience strong environmental odors:

Submit a complaint to the City and County of Denver by phone at 720-913-1311, or email at 311@denvergov.org.

“Our study suggests that there's potentially an underreporting of odor in certain neighborhoods,” said first author Priyanka deSouza, a researcher with ��ƷSM��ӰƬ’s Institute for Behavioral Science and assistant professor at the University of Colorado Denver. “Some residents in these communities that are disproportionally affected by odor may not feel that their voices are being heard.”

Before 2016, Denver, like many cities across the U.S., used an inefficient and archaic way to address odor issues, according to Shelly Miller, the paper’s senior author and professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at ��ƷSM��ӰƬ.

Traditionally, when the city received complaints about an odor issue, an odor inspector would go to the site and sniff through an odor measuring device, but these inspections often found nothing. Because odor is very transient, by the time the inspector arrived, the smell might be long gone.

A 1938 map illustrates the redlining of neighborhoods in the City and County of Denver. (Credit: Home Owners' Loan Corporation/Wikimedia Commons)

“Odor is a complex issue. It’s very hard to measure, and it’s subjective. You probably smell things differently than I do, but that doesn’t mean what you’re smelling is any less valid than what I’m smelling,” Miller said.

Miller’s previous studies in odor and air quality, as well as concerns from local communities, prompted the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment to update its air pollution control ordinance in 2016. A new rule requires odor emitting facilities, including pet food factories and marijuana growers, to submit odor control plans if they receive five or more complaints within a 30-day period.

“This updated rule is one of the most innovative odor ordinances of all major cities in the U.S. It’s willing to take action based on community complaints,” deSouza said.

The team mapped out all 265 facilities in Denver that had to submit an odor control plan as of 2023. More than 96% of these facilities were marijuana growers, processors and manufacturers. The rest included pet food manufacturing, oil refining and construction.

They found that malodorous facilities are more often located in historically redlined neighborhoods. After the Great Depression, the U.S. government implemented a racist and discriminatory policy that designated neighborhoods with racial and ethnic minority residents as high-risk, or “red” for mortgage lenders.

In Denver, these neighborhoods are located along the city’s two major interstate highways, I-70 and I-25, and still host a higher percentage of people of color. A prior ��ƷSM��ӰƬ study revealed that residents in these historically redlined areas are exposed to higher levels of air pollution.

When the team compared the odor facility map to an odor complaint map, they found that neighborhoods more susceptible to odor did not file more complaints than other neighborhoods. Instead, more complaints per population came from older neighborhoods that are transitioning into more modern, wealthier neighborhoods, like River North in Denver’s city center.

It is unclear why gentrification has led to more odor complaints, but it could be that the more privileged feel more empowered to file complaints, the authors said. New residents could also be more sensitive to the city’s smells compared to long-term residents.

“Given that odor complaints are the primary driver for Denver to take action on odor control, I hope our findings could encourage the city to continue working on rebuilding trust with these communities and empower them to use the tool,” deSouza said.

Beyond the story

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A new study found racial and socioeconomic disparities in where odor-emitting marijuana grow houses and other malodorous factories are located in Denver and in how communities report these issues.

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Ariel view of Denver. (Credit: Jacob/Adobe Stock)

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1 in 15 US adults have been on the scene of a mass shooting

Lisa Marshall — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 20:55:52 +0000

1 in 15 US adults have been on the scene of a mass shooting Lisa Marshall Fri, 03/07/2025 - 13:55

Lisa Marshall

A memorial for victims of the King Soopers shooting in Boulder, which took place on March 22, 2021. (Credit: Glenn Asakawa/��ƷSM��ӰƬ)

About 7% of U.S. adults have been present on the scene of a mass shooting in their lifetime, and more than 2% have been injured during one, according to new ��ƷSM��ӰƬ research.

The study, published March 7 in the journal JAMA Network Open, also found that younger generations were significantly more likely to have been exposed than their parents or grandparents were.

Generation Z—adults born after 1996—were at greatest risk.

“This study confirms that mass shootings are not isolated tragedies but rather a reality that reaches a substantial portion of the population, with profound physical and psychological consequences,” said senior author David Pyrooz, a professor of sociology and criminologist in the Institute for Behavioral Science at ��ƷSM��ӰƬ. “They also highlight the need for interventions and support for the most affected groups.”

A ripple effect

For the study, Pyrooz and his colleagues surveyed a nationally representative sample of 10,000 adults in January 2024. (The researchers chose January because the month tends to see a lull in mass shootings.) They asked a series of questions, including: “Have you personally ever been physically present on the scene of a mass shooting in your lifetime?”

The group defined “mass shooting” as a gun-related crime where four or more people were shot in a public space. The researchers defined “physically present” as “in the immediate vicinity of where the shooting occurred at the time it occurred, such that bullets were fired in your direction, you could see the shooter, or you could hear the gunfire.”

Just under 7% of respondents answered yes. Just over 2% of respondents said they had been injured, which not only includes having been shot, but also hit by shrapnel, trampled by people fleeing the scene or other injuries.

“We are talking about one out of every 15 people in the United States,” said Pyrooz. “These are really high numbers for this seemingly unique and small subset of gun violence,” said Pyrooz.

While these numbers might seem high, Pyrooz said he was not surprised by the survey results. A single mass shooting can impact far more people than many realize.

For instance, during the 2017 shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Music festival in Las Vegas, the shooter killed 60 people and wounded 413 others. But another 454 people were injured during the ensuing panic as people fled to safety. In all, there were about 22,000 people at the concert—plus onlookers from surrounding hotels on the Las Vegas strip.

“That translates to about one out of every 11,000 Americans who were on the scene of that shooting alone,” said Pyrooz. “Continue that to other events that have occurred around the country and the numbers, unfortunately, add up.”

The ‘mass shooting generation’

Black people and males were more likely to have witnessed a mass shooting.

More than half of the respondents who had been present during a mass shooting said it happened in the last decade—a finding that reaffirms the notion that younger generations are experiencing a cultural phenomenon their parents didn’t have to deal with.

“Our findings lend credence to the idea of a ‘mass shooting generation,’” said Pyrooz. “People who grew up in the aftermath of Columbine have these unique experiences that are really distinguishable from the older population.”

Three-quarters of the respondents experienced mass shootings in their local communities—in places like bars or restaurants, schools, shopping outlets and synagogues.

More than one-third of mass shooting happened in neighborhoods.

"These are primarily shootings that occur between gangs or crews, and related actions, which occur in parking lots, yards, porches or other residential locations," said Pyrooz. "It's the type of mass shooting that completely escapes media attention."

The income and education level of respondents had no measurable impact on their chances of being present, or injured, at a mass shooting.

The aftermath

The study did not quantify how mass shootings impact mental health, but Pyrooz and his colleagues are publishing a forthcoming paper that will.

It found that about three-quarters of those who were present at the scene of a mass shooting but uninjured still experienced psychological distress, including fear, anxiety and depression. (For comparison, about 20% of people in the general population report these symptoms.)

Pyrooz hopes the ongoing research will help fill a research gap around the public health impacts of the relatively new, and understudied, phenomenon of mass shootings. He also hopes it will underscore the need to support programs aimed at reducing gun violence, and bolster supporting those suffering lingering effects from exposure.

He can still remember the sound of the sirens from the March 22, 2021, mass shooting at a King Soopers just miles from his office in Boulder.

He wasn’t personally exposed but knows what a toll it took on his own community.

“It’s not a question of if one will occur in your community anymore but when,” he said. “We need to have stronger systems in place to care for people in the aftermath of this tragic violence.”

��ƷSM��ӰƬ criminologist David Pyrooz calls for more mental health support for people who have been exposed to gun violence.

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What's going on with the United States, Russia and Ukraine?

Jennifer Soules — Thu, 27 Feb 2025 21:29:56 +0000

What's going on with the United States, Russia and Ukraine? Jennifer Soules Thu, 02/27/2025 - 14:29

Jennifer Soules , Nicholas Goda

Editor's Note: This interview was conducted before Presidents Zelenskyy and Trump met at the White House and before Trump paused U.S. military aid to Ukraine.

President Donald Trump says negotiations to bring peace between Ukraine and Russia are moving along quickly. In a break from United States foreign policy precedent, however, Ukraine is not involved in said talks, sparking outrage in Ukraine and across Europe.

Now, a possible mineral deal between the U.S. and Ukraine may be on the table, with vague details of what it includes and when and how it may be signed.

Sarah Wilson Sokhey is an associate professor at the ��ƷSM��ӰƬ who specializes in comparative politics and political economy in post-communist Central and Eastern European countries. She sat down with ��ƷSM��ӰƬ Today to give her take on the evolving relationships between the United States, Russia, Ukraine and Europe.

What’s going on with the relationships between the United States, Ukraine and Russia?

There's recently been a huge shift in the US foreign policy with the new Trump administration, given that the previous policy was to isolate Russia for its war of aggression against Ukraine. One of the big things is that Russia and the United States have recently met. I can’t overstate how huge of a reversal it is on foreign policy, that the U.S. would be having talks about peace in a country without that country present, as if it’s not an independent country. That's a very imperialist kind of model where the big countries decide what happens to the smaller countries.

Also, the United Nations recently voted on a resolution about peace in Ukraine and the United States allied itself with Russia, North Korea, Belarus—countries that did not vote with a majority-approved U.N. resolution to end the conflict in Ukraine, affirm that Russia was to blame and declare Russian troops should leave Ukraine immediately.

It's really a huge about-face in U.S. foreign policy. It’s hard to overstate the implications of that for the world. It also means the United States does not align itself with Europe anymore, and that's unprecedented in recent times.

Sarah Wilson Sokhey

How did we get here?

The war started in 2014 with the territorial invasion. The full scale invasion was three years ago. For many Ukrainians, this hasn’t just been three years for them, this is more than a decade of fighting, although certainly the full scale invasion massively escalated the war.

What we’re hearing from President Trump now is a repetition of Russian propaganda that has been out in the world for as long as Putin has been saying it. But now we see the American president repeating Russian propaganda and Putin's lies about Ukraine. Putin said that Zelenskyy was a dictator, for example, a false claim recently repeated by Trump. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy won by an overwhelming majority in 2019. He had the largest winning majority of any Ukrainian president when he won. He would have been up for reelection in 2024, but they're under wartime and cannot hold elections. The notion that Russia is blaming Ukraine for not having elections while Russia is bombing Ukraine is just mind boggling. A close colleague of mine sent video from the past weekend of the extended overnight drone attacks in Kyiv. These are not conditions under which elections can be held.

Furthermore, reliable polling data from the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology shows that Zelenskyy currently has a 57% approval rating and that the majority of Ukrainians agree that now is not the time to hold elections.

How does Europe factor into all of this?

Ukraine is in a very precarious and tough situation now and leaning heavily on its European allies. And Europe has been rallying to that call. The United Kingdom, which of course is not a European Union member, has been a firm supporter of Ukraine. The EU is still a firm supporter of Ukraine as well, but we’re also seeing how daunting of a task it is for Europe to take on more in the absence of U.S. support for Ukraine.

The Trump administration's actions will have a devastating effect on relations with Europe. It will likely take decades to rebuild trust between the United States and European allies. I think we're only seeing the beginning of the implications of cutting ties and cutting allyship with European powers.

What do you think President Trump gets out of aligning himself with Russia and Putin?

Trump and the Trump administration appear to be primarily and solely motivated by power, wealth and a transactional kind of politics.

So, what wealth and power can he get out of siding with Russia when the rest of the world are saying they're the aggressors?

There's probably a lot of potential opportunities Trump sees. Perhaps there could be business deals and trade agreements with Russia. In the recent talks between the U.S. and Russia, there were talks about renewing economic cooperation and economic ties.

In a larger sense, it could be influence over certain territories of the world. It's likely, or possible at least, that the Trump administration sees allying itself with Russia as a potential leverage point it can use with other countries. Essentially signaling the U.S. will not promise on any ideological grounds that we are your allies; that's something that has to be continually negotiated.

It looks like Presidents Zelenskyy and Trump are working on a raw materials deal. What kind of impact could a deal like that have?

There was a deal previously proposed that Zelenskyy strongly rejected, where the U.S. would get an enormous portion of Ukraine's mineral wealth from the country. And this goes to the transactional nature of how the Trump administration is doing business. Zelenskyy had initially hoped to meet with President Trump, which was rejected, all while Zelenskyy has generally been pretty respectful of President Trump, despite the challenging situation.

On Wednesday (Feb. 26) it was announced that some agreement had been reached about Ukraine sharing its mineral wealth with the US although not all of the details have been released, and both sides are claiming to have gotten a good deal (or for Ukraine, at least a better deal) in this version of the agreement. This may be useful for Ukraine if it keeps the lines of communication and negotiation open with the Trump administration.

How does this end for both sides, Russia and Ukraine?

Russia's goals are not realistic—there cannot be a total domination of Ukraine. Russia and Putin have already failed in their main objective to control Ukraine. Russia has been using its full military force for three years and has still had to turn to North Korean weapons and North Korean soldiers to keep even waging battle. On Thursday, Feb. 27th, it was announced that even more North Korean troops are being sent to Russia.

For Ukraine, independence, freedom and peace are absolutely possible as long as they have the support of Europe and, ideally, the support of the United States.

What would you like the public to know about this?

Amid all of this, it will be very important for the public to use reliable news sources. Sources like the BBC and The Guardian are doing an excellent job reporting on Ukraine and fact-checking erroneous statements about the war. It’s vital the world pay attention to this war that has consequences for all of us.

I recommend the following recent coverage:

��ƷSM��ӰƬ Today regularly publishes Q&As with our faculty members weighing in on news topics through the lens of their scholarly expertise and research/creative work. The responses here reflect the knowledge and interpretations of the expert and should not be considered the university position on the issue. All publication content is subject to edits for clarity, brevity and university style guidelines.

The United States and Russia's ongoing talks about peace between Russia and Ukraine have excluded one major player—Ukraine.

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Counting hidden deaths at the US’s most dangerous border crossing

Megan Maneval — Thu, 27 Feb 2025 21:07:04 +0000

Counting hidden deaths at the US’s most dangerous border crossing Megan Maneval Thu, 02/27/2025 - 14:07

Colorado Arts and Sciences Magazine

��ƷSM��ӰƬ doctoral candidate Chilton Tippin is working to document migrant mortality in El Paso.

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Nationalism and diplomacy are inherent to international sporting events

Megan Maneval — Tue, 25 Feb 2025 21:00:53 +0000

Nationalism and diplomacy are inherent to international sporting events Megan Maneval Tue, 02/25/2025 - 14:00

Colorado Arts and Sciences Magazine

The current International Cricket Council Champions Tournament highlights how national rivalries and geopolitical tensions can meet on playing fields.

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That iconic flag-raising on Iwo Jima? CU professor, then a Marine, saw it happen

Elizabeth Lock — Mon, 24 Feb 2025 20:34:16 +0000

That iconic flag-raising on Iwo Jima? CU professor, then a Marine, saw it happen Elizabeth Lock Mon, 02/24/2025 - 13:34

��ƷSM��ӰƬ distinguished professor and Marine veteran Richard Jessor reflects on what the planting of the United States flag on Mount Suribachi 80 years ago meant for the country and for him personally.

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Society

People of color breathe Denver’s smelliest air

Related Articles

1 in 15 US adults have been on the scene of a mass shooting

A ripple effect

The ‘mass shooting generation’

The aftermath

Related Articles

What's going on with the United States, Russia and Ukraine?

What’s going on with the relationships between the United States, Ukraine and Russia?

How did we get here?

How does Europe factor into all of this?

What do you think President Trump gets out of aligning himself with Russia and Putin?

So, what wealth and power can he get out of siding with Russia when the rest of the world are saying they're the aggressors?

It looks like Presidents Zelenskyy and Trump are working on a raw materials deal. What kind of impact could a deal like that have?

How does this end for both sides, Russia and Ukraine?

What would you like the public to know about this?

Related Articles

Counting hidden deaths at the US’s most dangerous border crossing

Related Articles

Nationalism and diplomacy are inherent to international sporting events

Related Articles

That iconic flag-raising on Iwo Jima? CU professor, then a Marine, saw it happen

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