Air Pollution - Place Matters

Taken outside of McGlynn Middle School in Medford, MA

Earlier this month, the Chinese cities of Shanghai and Nanjing had such high levels of air pollution that schools cancelled classes and people were warned to stay inside.  The reason this made the US news was not because the levels of pollution were higher than China has seen before, but, in my opinion, because unlike the other cities that have experienced even higher pollution levels, most of us have heard of Shanghai.  Multiple cities in China have experienced pollution levels so high, they were off the 0 to 500 scale that China uses to measure them.  

The Health Effects of Air Pollution

The United States does not have the level of pollution that China has anymore (our pollution levels have improved as we have lessened our reliance on coal for energy and instituted environmental protection policies among other things).  However, 42% of Americans still live in areas with pollution levels are high enough to cause health issues. Some of the health risks from ozone and particulate matter pollution (the two most common) are:

1.) Premature Death: Research has shown that breathing even small amounts of ozone can shorten life.  Spikes in particle pollution can sometimes kill on the day they happen.

2.) Short Term/Immediate Breathing Problems: As the people of Shanghai learned this month, large amounts of pollution can make breathing noticeably more difficult.

3.) Cardiovascular Issues: These include arrhythmia and heart attack

4.) Asthma: Not only can pollution exacerbate asthma that is already present, but it also can cause asthma.

5.) Low Birth Weight: Children born in communities with higher pollution levels are more likely to have low birth weight as well as decreased lung function.

6.) Cancer: People who are exposed to high levels of particle pollution have a higher risk of developing lung cancer.

Place Matters: Who Is Affected?

It is not surprising that where we live dictates how much air pollution we are exposed to.  There are two types of areas where air pollution is higher than others.  The first is pretty obvious - industrial areas.  Industry requires energy often from coal or petroleum products which produce various pollutants.  In developed countries, we have decreased this type of pollution as technology has improved and environmental regulations have been set; however, in developing countries like China, the environment often loses out to economic concerns (just like it did in the US during the industrial revolution).  Because developing countries are by definition less wealthy than developed countries, poorer people around the world are exposed to greater pollution.  The second type of area that has higher pollution, especially in the US, is agricultural.  This may seem strange but the use of high powered machinery to farm often kicks up particulate matter and uses combustion engines that produce pollution.  Spraying pesticides and fertilizers on farmland also harm air quality.

If where we live affects our exposure to air pollution, we have to ask ourselves who lives in the worst places for air quality?  The answer is not surprising - the cities with the worst air pollution in the US also tend to have more people of color than the national average.  Below are two tables that compare the demographics of the US with the 11 cities with the worst air pollution - the first table has the 6 cities in California that made the list, the second contains the rest. (2010 Census Quick Facts)

Race / Ethnicity	US	Bakersfield, CA	Visalia, CA	Los Angeles, CA	Hanford, CA	Fresno, CA	Modesto, CA
White	72.4 %	56.8%	64.5%	49.8%	62.5%	49.6%	65%
African American	12.6 %	8.2%	2.1%	9.6%	4.9%	8.3%	4.2%
American Indian or Alaska Native	0.9 %	1.5%	1.4%	0.7%	1.3%	1.7%	1.2%
Asian American	4.8 %	6.2%	5.4%	11.3%	4.3%	12.6%	6.7%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander	0.2 %	0.1%	0.1%	0.1%	0.1%	0.2%	1%
Two or more races	2.9 %	4.9%	4.6%	4.6%	5.4%	5%	6.3%
Hispanic or Latino	16.4 %	45.5%	46%	48.5%	47.1%	46.9%	35.5%

Race / Ethnicity	US	Phoenix, AZ	Pittsburgh, PA	Birmingham, AL	Cincinnati, OH	Louisville, KY
White	72.4 %	65.9%	66%	22.3%	49.3%	70.6%
African American	12.6 %	6.5%	26.1%	73.4%	44.8%	22.9%
American Indian or Alaska Native	0.9 %	2.2%	0.2%	0.2%	0.3%	0.3%
Asian American	4.8 %	3.2%	4.4%	1%	1.8%	2.2%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander	0.2 %	0.2%	0%	0%	0.1%	0.1%
Two or more races	2.9 %	3.6%	2.5%	1%	2.5%	2.3%
Hispanic or Latino	16.4 %	40.8%	2.3%	3.6%	2.8%	4.5%

Conclusion

The highlighted cells are showing when a city has a higher percentage of people in a certain race or ethnicity.  As you can see, in many of these cities, the difference in population is dramatic.  This data shows that at the city level, there are disparities in air pollution exposure, but there is also some evidence that within cities there are disparities that even further target communities of color.  Generally, when new highways, truck routes, industries or other potentially harmful additions are planned, they are put in or near low income neighborhoods of color because they have less political power to fight against it.  Also, areas that have higher air pollution also tend to have lower housing prices.  To learn more about these disparities, check out the State of Health Website here.