Inequalities in air pollution exposure are increasing in the United States

Jbaily, A.; Zhou, X.; Liu, J.; Lee, T.-H.; Verguet, S.; Dominici, F.

Exposure to ambient air pollution contributes substantially to the global burden of disease, and in 2015, ambient exposure to PM2.5 (fine particles with a mass median aerodynamic diameter of less than 2.5 m) was the fifth-ranking risk factor of mortality globally. We analyzed data from the US zip code tabulation areas (N=32047) for 2000-2016 and found strong evidence of inequalities in exposure to PM2.5 among both racial/ethnic and income groups. Most alarming, we found that these inequalities have been increasing over time. From 2010 to 2016 inequalities in the exposure to PM2.5 levels above 8 g/m3 across racial/ethnic, and income groups increased by factors of 1.6 and 4.0 respectively. As shown in our powerful map visualizations, these results indicate that air pollution regulations must not only decrease PM2.5 concentration levels nationwide but also prioritize reducing environmental injustice across the US.