Increasing Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Ambient Air Pollution-Attributable Morbidity and Mortality in the United States.
Environ Health Perspect
; 132(3): 37002, 2024 Mar.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38445892
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Ambient nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and fine particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5µm (PM2.5) threaten public health in the US, and systemic racism has led to modern-day disparities in the distribution and associated health impacts of these pollutants.OBJECTIVES:
Many studies on environmental injustices related to ambient air pollution focus only on disparities in pollutant concentrations or provide only an assessment of pollution or health disparities at a snapshot in time. In this study, we compare injustices in NO2- and PM2.5-attributable health burdens, considering NO2-attributable health impacts across the entire US; document changing disparities in these health burdens over time (2010-2019); and evaluate how more stringent air quality standards would reduce disparities in health impacts associated with these pollutants.METHODS:
Through a health impact assessment, we quantified census tract-level variations in health outcomes attributable to NO2 and PM2.5 using health impact functions that combine demographic data from the US Census Bureau; two spatially resolved pollutant datasets, which fuse satellite data with physical and statistical models; and epidemiologically derived relative risk estimates and incidence rates from the Global Burden of Disease study.RESULTS:
Despite overall decreases in the public health damages associated with NO2 and PM2.5, racial and ethnic relative disparities in NO2-attributable pediatric asthma and PM2.5-attributable premature mortality have widened in the US during the last decade. Racial relative disparities in PM2.5-attributable premature mortality and NO2-attributable pediatric asthma have increased by 16% and 19%, respectively, between 2010 and 2019. Similarly, ethnic relative disparities in PM2.5-attributable premature mortality have increased by 40% and NO2-attributable pediatric asthma by 10%.DISCUSSION:
Enacting and attaining more stringent air quality standards for both pollutants could preferentially benefit the most marginalized and minoritized communities by greatly reducing racial and ethnic relative disparities in pollution-attributable health burdens in the US. Our methods provide a semi-observational approach to track changes in disparities in air pollution and associated health burdens across the US. https//doi.org/10.1289/EHP11900.
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Contexto em Saúde:
2_ODS3
/
6_ODS3_enfermedades_notrasmisibles
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Asma
/
Poluição do Ar
/
Poluentes Ambientais
Limite:
Child
/
Humans
País/Região como assunto:
America do norte
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Environ Health Perspect
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article