In the United States, the ominous threat of ambient nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) continues to cast a cloud over public health, disappointedly is the continued disparity of those who have to shoulder more pollution than others.
A study, published in Environmental Health Perspectives, spanning a decade has unveiled concerning trends in environmental injustices, illuminating the disproportionate burden faced by marginalized communities. Utilizing advanced health impact assessment techniques, researchers meticulously quantified the health outcomes attributable to NO2 and PM2.5 at the census tract level, drawing from a wealth of demographic data, satellite imagery, and epidemiological estimates.
The findings, unveiled with striking clarity, reveal a troubling reality: despite overall reductions in the public health toll linked to these air pollutants, racial and ethnic disparities in NO2-attributable pediatric asthma and PM2.5-attributable premature mortality have widened significantly from 2010 to 2019. Specifically, “racial” relative disparities in PM2.5-attributable premature mortality surged by 16%, while “ethnic” disparities soared by 40% for the same metric. Additionally, NO2-attributable pediatric asthma witnessed a 19% increase in “racial” disparities and a 10% increase in ethnic disparities over the same period.
This sobering revelation underscores the imperative for more stringent air quality standards, which hold the potential to ameliorate the disproportionate impact on marginalized communities.
While there are many aspects of a community that are self-inflicted from within that community, air pollution is not one of them. We have to make sure that all communities across the country (and many would argue the world) receive the benefit of clean air. Clean air is a right and policies must focus on making it clean across the board for everyone.
GH Kerr et al. Increasing racial and ethnic disparities in ambient air pollution-attributable morbidity and mortality in the United States. Environmental Health Perspectives (2024). https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP11900
