Spatial Decomposition of Air Pollution Concentrations Highlights Historical Causes for Current Exposure Disparities in the United States

Abstract

Racial–ethnic disparities in exposure to air pollution in the United States (US) are well documented. Studies on the causes of these disparities highlight unequal systems of power and longstanding systemic racismfor example, redlining, white flight, and racial covenantswhich reinforced racial segregation and wealth gaps and which concentrated polluting land uses in communities of color. Our analysis is based on empirical estimates of ambient concentrations for two important pollutants (NO2 and PM2.5). We show that spatially decomposed concentrations can be used to infer and quantify types of root causes for local- to national-scale disparities. Urban-scale segregation is important yet reflects less than half of the overall national disparities. Other historical causes of national exposure disparities include those that led current populations of Black, Asian, and Hispanic Americans to live in larger cities; those outcomes are consistent with, for example, greater economic opportunity in large cities, land-takings from non-White farmers, and racism in homesteading and between-state migration. Our results suggest that contemporary national exposure disparities in the US reflect a broad set of historical local- to national-scale mechanismsincluding racist laws and actions that include, but also extend beyond, urban-scale aspectsand offer a first attempt to quantify their relative importance.

Ambient NO2 Air Pollution and Public Schools in the United States: Relationships with Urbanicity, Race–Ethnicity, and Income

“…23 Here we find evidence that this phenomenon exists for at-school NO 2 levels in large UAs, accounting for one-quarter of all students enrolled in public schools. Disparities in air pollution exposure by race−ethnicity have many underlying causes, 44 including racist urban planning that results in pollution sources being more likely to be located in black and brown communities. 45 Some causes, such as redlining, 46,47 reflect decisions made many decades ago.…”

“…Disparities in air pollution exposure by race–ethnicity have many underlying causes, including racist urban planning that results in pollution sources being more likely to be located in black and brown communities . Some causes, such as redlining, , reflect decisions made many decades ago.…”

Cooking emissions are a major source of racial-ethnic air pollution exposure disparities in the United States

“…redlining, eminent domain for freeway/industrial siting, etc) created the foundation for many of these systemic disparities [38,39]. Since the problem is systematic and structured [13,40], solving these aspects will require systematic and targeted intervention. For instance, emission sources are often located in close proximity to neighborhoods with a higher percentage of POC.…”

Historical Redlining Is Associated with Disparities in Environmental Quality across California

“…While no differences were found between redlined and nonredlined neighborhoods for certain environmental hazards, disparities may still exist. For instance, within the United States, racial–ethnic disparities for air pollution, , chemical toxins, and water quality still persist. Within California, recent research has shown that racially marginalized communities throughout California continue to face disproportionate exposure to oil and gas wells and the associated disturbances, higher levels of water contamination, and lower reductions in PM 2.5 .…”