Minorities in the US breathe in more air pollution caused by white people

Black and Hispanic people are disproportionately exposed to air pollution caused mainly by the consumer behaviours of white people in the US, according to a new study. Researchers call this “pollution inequity” (inequity is about unfair, avoidable differences and so it’s different to inequality which can simply describe uneven results).

Air pollution exposure matters; it is the largest environmental health risk factor in the US, adding up to about 100,00 deaths each year. In March, Christopher W Tessum and his colleagues of engineers and economists tried to quantify these differences in a study that was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

'Asthma alley': why minorities bear burden of pollution inequity caused by white people Read more

Many analyses of environmental impact will concentrate on who inhales pollution (poorer communities, often located near coal-fired power plants) or else emitters (the power plants or factories themselves) rather than looking at the individual consumers who demand the products that result in the emissions. This study took a different approach by studying personal consumption – everything from agriculture consumption to the use of diesel vehicles.

The team found that white people and those of other races experience about 17% less air pollution exposure than is caused by their consumption. But black and Hispanic people inhale 56% and 63% excess exposure, respectively, relative to their consumption.

The researchers measured fine particulate matter (described as PM2.5), which are tiny particles narrower than a human hair that can be easily inhaled and get lodged deep into the lungs. The particles can cause cardiovascular problems, aggravate pre-existing conditions like asthma and increase mortality from things such as cancer, strokes and heart disease.

In recent years, these emissions in the US have fallen thanks in part to clean air rules, but the inequities remain.