ABSTRACT
The Asian Pacific Islander (API) population represents a relatively small segment of the US population (3.8% as of 1998 Current Population Survey, US Census). It is a community that is comprised of many different groups, with some having a history of more than 150 years in the US while others are recent immigrants. Considering a 1996 US Census Bureau estimate that 94.2% of the APIs reside within metropolitan areas, too little is known about the impact of urban living and environmental factors on the health status of this population. A cursory examination of health-related articles in various newspapers and scholarly journals indicate that APIs are rarely mentioned. A recent search by the authors in both Medline® and Lexis/Nexis® revealed even less information within the specific area of environmental health. There is virtually nothing written about the environmental health of highly urbanized API immigrant communities, such as Boston Chinatown, the subject of this study.
