Air pollution exposure disparities across US population and income groups

Jbaily, Abdulrahman; Zhou, Xiaodan; Liu, Jie; Lee, Ting‐Hwan; Kamareddine, Leila; Verguet, Stéphane; Dominici, Francesca

doi:10.1038/s41586-021-04190-y

Cited by 358 publications

(219 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…ZIP code level analysis can be limited because it cannot describe each individuals living in those ZIP codes. However, ZIP code level analysis can scale to nontrivial population sizes and has been repeatedly recognized and leveraged in population-scale and local/neighborhood-level research (29,(90)(91)(92)(93)(94)(95). ZIP code level analysis also enables accounting for well-known issues associated with residential segregation and socioeconomic disparities (13,96).…”

Section: Data Set and Study Populationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disparate Impacts on Online Information Access during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Suh

Horvitz

White

et al. 2021

Preprint

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The COVID-19 pandemic has stimulated a staggering increase in online information access, as digital engagement became necessary to meet the demand for health, economic, and educational resources. We pursue insights about inequity in leveraging online information, spanning challenges with access and abilities to effectively seek and use digital information. We observe a widening of digital inequalities through a population-scale study of 55 billion everyday web search interactions during the COVID-19 pandemic across 25,150 US ZIP codes. We observe that ZIP codes with low socioeconomic status (SES) and high racial/ethnic diversity did not leverage health information and pandemic-relevant online resources (e.g., online learning, online food delivery) as much as regions with higher SES and lower levels of diversity. We also show increased shifts in online information access to financial or unemployment assistance for ZIP codes with low SES and high racial/ethnic diversity. These findings demonstrate that the pandemic has exacerbated existing inequalities in online information access and highlight the role of large-scale, anonymized data about online search activities in digital disparities research. The results frame important questions and future research on identifying and targeting interventions for vulnerable subpopulations that could reduce further widening of digital access inequalities and associated downstream outcomes including health, education, and employment.

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Section: Data Set and Study Populationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disparate Impacts on Online Information Access during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Suh

Horvitz

White

et al. 2021

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In general, mitigating greenhouse gas emissions results in positive co-bene ts in PM 2.5 emissions [22][23][24] at the system level, but there is still uncertainty regarding the spatial distribution of these emission reduction bene ts. Some papers have investigated the air pollution exposure disparities across different racial and income groups using a retroactive analysis, nding that low-income, Black, Asian, and Hispanic or Latinx communities were exposed to higher levels of PM 2.5 in the US in 2000, 2014, and 2016 25,26 . While it is valuable to understand the level of historical injustices, countries also need a framework to that evaluates future disparities in air pollution distributions across the nation under different decarbonization plans, in order to mitigate and reduce future inequalities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inequality in energy transitions: Air pollution disparities amidst national decarbonization strategies

Goforth

Nock

2022

Preprint

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Energy transitions and decarbonization require rapid changes to a nation's electricity generation mix. There are many feasible decarbonization pathways for the electricity sector, yet there is vast uncertainty about how these pathways will advance or derail the nation's energy equality goals. We present a framework for investigating how decarbonization pathways, driven by a least-cost paradigm, will impact air pollution inequality across different vulnerability groups in the US (e.g., low-income, high poverty or minority communities). We find that using least-cost optimization capacity expansion models without strict carbon or renewable energy technology mandates will fall short of achieving national energy equality. We find that Black or poor communities have higher co-pollutant concentrations during the energy transition, until a national mandate requires full deployment of renewable or low-carbon technologies. Thus, decisions regarding national decarbonization pathways must have strict mandates for equality outcomes or be driven by an equality-focused paradigm throughout the energy transition.

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“…Importantly, there are pervasive socioeconomic disparities in the burden of air pollution exposure. This year, Jbaily et al 2022, showed that low-income and racial minority communities are exposed to higher levels of air pollution than high socioeconomic status, primarily white, communities. These communities are also subjected to fewer resources and higher levels of psychosocial stress (Earnshaw et al, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social deficits induced by pervasive environmental stressors are prevented by microbial or dopaminergic modulation

Smith

Rendina

Kingsbury

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Environmental toxicant exposure, including air pollution, is increasing worldwide. However, toxicant exposures are not equitably distributed. Rather, low-income and minority communities bear the greatest burden, along with higher levels of psychosocial stress. Both air pollution and maternal stress during pregnancy have been linked to neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism, but biological mechanisms and targets for therapeutic intervention remain poorly understood. We demonstrate that combined prenatal exposure to air pollution (diesel exhaust particles, DEP) and maternal stress (MS) in mice induces social behavior deficits only in male offspring, in line with the male bias in autism. These behavioral deficits are accompanied by changes in microglia and dopaminergic circuits in the brain, along with changes in the structure of the gut epithelium and microbiome. Importantly, DEP/MS-induced social deficits in males are prevented by shifting the gut microbiome by cross-fostering at birth and reversed by chemogenetic activation of the dopamine system.

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Air pollution exposure disparities across US population and income groups

Cited by 358 publications

References 41 publications

Disparate Impacts on Online Information Access during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Disparate Impacts on Online Information Access during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Inequality in energy transitions: Air pollution disparities amidst national decarbonization strategies

Social deficits induced by pervasive environmental stressors are prevented by microbial or dopaminergic modulation

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