Air pollution imbalances people of color and low-income in Washington, DC

According to a new study, air pollution-related mortality and health burdens are unequally and unequally borne by people of color and household income and education in Washington, DC.

air pollution Is considered to be a major environmental risk factor for health, and recent efforts have succeeded in reducing the levels of particulate matter (PM2.5) in the air in the DC region.

A new study found that PM2.5-related mortality and health burdens were halved in the Washington, DC region between 2000 and 2018, Health effects Will last.

People living in Districts 5, 7, and 8 in the eastern and southeastern parts of the district are most affected by PM2.5 air pollution.Researchers found in the southeastern district found that baseline morbidity was Chronic obstructive pulmonary diseaseMortality from all causes, up to 9 times higher in coronary heart disease, and more than 30 times higher in asthma emergency department consultations, compared to lung cancer and stroke, northwestern neighborhoods.

In these most affected areas, resident education and employment rates are 10% lower, 10% more residents live in poverty, and median household income is for households in other parts of the city. It is $ 61,000 lower and the average life expectancy of residents is about 10 years less. Expectations. In the top 10 affected neighborhoods, blacks are 54% higher and whites are 44% lower.

The study emphasizes the importance of detailed health and air quality data, allowing researchers to guide future policymaking to address environmental health inequalities and to assess air pollution health elsewhere. We hope it will serve as a model for dealing with it.The study was published in GeoHealthAGU’s journal investigating the crossroads of human and planetary health for a sustainable future.

“I knew that the concentration was higher in the eastern part. [of D.C.], And we knew people were sick in the east, but I don’t know if we could have previously known that they were sick because of pollution. ” Maria Castillo, a senior research author who is a graduate student of the project, said at MIT. “All these calculations, all these concentration-response functions, have been applied, so we can tell people that” air pollution is the cause of some of the morbidity consequences found in this area. ” I think it is very powerful to link the consequences of pollution and health effects. “

According to study co-author Susan Annenberg, an environmental health expert at George Washington University, unequal health outcomes can be attributed to two main factors. First, air pollution levels vary by neighborhood. Infrastructure, such as highways and bus stops, can release significant pollution to the neighborhood and adversely affect the population.

The second factor is personal health, independent of air pollution. Incidence of underlying disease varies permanently across neighborhoods, with shorter life expectancy and higher rates of asthma, health endpoints, and emergency visits in the southeastern neighborhood of DC. These underlying health problems can make residents more vulnerable when exposed to pollutants and increase the level of health consequences associated with air pollutants.

“We can’t think of air pollution alone. When it comes to health risks and environmental justice, we have to think about the overall experience people are experiencing,” Annenberg said. “If people do not have adequate access to quality medical care, that is, if they are exposed and affect their health as a result of their air pollution exposure, they are not receiving the necessary treatment. It can have worse results. “

Focus on high resolution data

Researchers used a new exposure assessment tool to measure the effects of air pollution in the capital. To assess air pollution, Castillo and her co-authors used pollution estimates that combined information from ground-based air monitors. Satellite data Capture some of the spatial differences in pollution levels throughout the city.

For health outcome data, we examined both US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data and administrative morbidity data obtained from the DC Health Department. These data provided more detailed health data on a regional scale.

Researchers have ideological leaders in environmental justice and policy, and can take advantage of DC’s unique position as a city with more detailed health data than other states to apply scalable solutions to other regions. I am aiming to do so.They hope that this study can be used as a model, not just lowering the whole. Air pollution However, create a targeted policy.

“I think one of the strengths of this study is the actual layout of a roadmap that can be run elsewhere,” said Jonathan Levy, an environmental health expert at Boston University who was not involved in the study. Stated. “NS Air quality data What they used is that it is universally available everywhere in the United States … there is a real opportunity to take this kind of approach and make it much wider. “

The study can also be used as a model to ensure that health data that accurately reflects racial diversity drives policymaking. health According to Kelly Crawford, co-author of the study and deputy director of the DC Energy and Environment Department, the disparity in population results has historically not been the case.

“At least do more research that recognizes the inequality and lack of diversity in the dataset … I think that’s the role of government and research in dealing with racism,” Crawford said.