Table 7.
Proportion of participants at baseline () who were concerned or very concerned about health effects of certain chemicals, stratified by participant race and education.
| Chemical group | (%) concerneda | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black participantsb | non-Black participants | All () | |||
| No bachelor’s degreec () | Bachelor’s degree () | No bachelor’s degree () | Bachelor’s degree () | ||
| Banned pesticides (like DDT) | 35 (92.1) | 17 (70.8) | 26 (83.9) | 30 (71.4) | 108 (80) |
| Pesticides used to kill bugs or weeds in and around homes | 29 (76.3) | 16 (66.7) | 23 (74.2) | 23 (54.8) | 91 (67.4) |
| Older industrial chemicals (like PCBs) | 23 (60.5) | 14 (58.3) | 20 (64.5) | 24 (57.1) | 81 (60) |
| Chemicals that collect in your house dust | 28 (73.7) | 12 (50) | 16 (51.6) | 12 (28.6) | 68 (50.4) |
| Flame retardants in electronic equipment like computers, TVs, printers, and phones | 23 (60.5) | 11 (45.8) | 11 (35.5) | 10 (23.8) | 55 (40.7) |
| Nonstick cookware (like Teflon pans) | 16 (42.1) | 13 (54.2) | 11 (35.5) | 13 (31) | 53 (39.3) |
| Flame retardants in furniture | 23 (60.5) | 10 (41.7) | 6 (19.4) | 11 (26.2) | 50 (37) |
| Chemicals in cosmetics | 19 (50) | 8 (33.3) | 11 (35.5) | 10 (23.8) | 48 (35.6) |
| Stain-resistant clothing and furnishings (such as rugs) | 17 (44.7) | 8 (33.3) | 5 (16.1) | 8 (19) | 38 (28.1) |
| Vinyl products (like shower curtains or flooring) | 18 (47.4) | 7 (29.2) | 6 (19.4) | 6 (14.3) | 37 (27.4) |
| Grease-resistant food packaging | 18 (47.4) | 9 (37.5) | 3 (9.7) | 4 (9.5) | 34 (25.2) |
Note: DDT, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane; PCBs, polychlorinated biphenyls; TV, television.
Percent concerned includes participants who responded that they were concerned or very concerned (versus not at all concerned, slightly concerned, or somewhat concerned).
Self-reported race/ethnicity was categorized as Black if the participant indicated African American/Black as one of her races in answer to a question allowing multiple response categories for race and ethnicity. Non-Black participants indicated that their race was non-Hispanic White, Hispanic, Asian, or mixed race and not Black.
Highest level of education was categorized into “no bachelor’s degree” (high school or less, associate degree, technical or vocational training) or “bachelor’s degree” (bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral, or professional degree).