Pollution from freight traffic disproportionately impacts communities of
color across 52 US cities
Low-income and minority neighborhoods in U.S. exposed to 28% more
nitrogen dioxide pollution, study finds

Date:
October 7, 2021
Source:
American Geophysical Union
Summary:
In urban areas across the U.S., low-income neighborhoods and
communities of color experience an average of 28% more nitrogen
dioxide (NO2) pollution than higher-income and majority-white
neighborhoods. The disparity is driven primarily by proximity to
trucking routes on major roadways, where diesel trucks are emitters
of NO2 and other air pollutants.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
In urban areas across the U.S., low-income neighborhoods and communities
of color experience an average of 28% more nitrogen dioxide (NO2)
pollution than higher-income and majority-white neighborhoods. The
disparity is driven primarily by proximity to trucking routes on
major roadways, where diesel trucks are emitters of NO2 and other air pollutants.


========================================================================== Nitrogen dioxide is a common air pollutant that can cause a range of
health problems, such as chronic respiratory illness and asthma. But it
can be difficult to trace.

A new study used high-resolution air pollution data measured with
satellites to track NO2for nearly two years in major cities across the
U.S. The researchers then paired the pollution data with both demographic
data and metrics that analyze the degree of racial segregation in
a community.

Cities with bigger populations tended to have larger disparities in NO2pollution between low-income neighborhoods of color and high-income
white neighborhoods, according to the study. Phoenix, Los Angeles and
Newark, N.J., have the highest NO2inequalities, all with a discrepancy
in NO2 exposure of over 40%.

Both commuter traffic and heavy-duty trucks contribute NO2and other
pollutants, but diesel trucks are the dominant source, contributing
on average up to half of a city's NO2despite being at most 5% of
traffic. Because diesel trucks also emit other harmful gases and
particulates, changes in NO2are also thought to reflect exposure to
other pollutants as well.

The findings are detailed in the AGU journal Geophysical Research
Letters, which publishes high-impact, short-format reports with immediate implications spanning all Earth and space sciences.



==========================================================================
"One of the novel things we looked at was the integration of segregation metrics and air quality. Previously, we had been limited in our ability
to address air pollution inequality, but with improvements in satellite resolution we are now able to get spatially and temporally continuous
data at finer resolutions within cities," said Angelique Demetillo,
an atmospheric chemist at the University of Virginia and lead author of
the study.

Measuring pollutants like NO2is difficult to do at a scale that's useful
to local policymakers. While previous studies have shown disparities in
air quality, the new findings offer near-daily pollution data at small
scales, providing important quantitative information policymakers can
use to guide zoning and public health and that can reflect the lived
experience of community members.

The new study found a 60% drop in heavy trucking on weekends results in
a 40% decrease in air pollution inequality. That can point policymakers
to a clear emissions-reducing target.

"In terms of environmental justice, one of the things we have lacked
is these observations across an entire city that also have temporal
variability that we can use to understand the sources [of pollution],"
said Sally Pusede, an atmospheric chemist at the University of Virginia
who co-authored the study.

"We have these new data and methodologies that continue to show us what
we already know through experience, but in the U.S., it's [quantitative]
data that informs policy," said Regan Patterson, a transportation and
public health expert at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation.



========================================================================== Bigger city, bigger disparity Transitioning to electric heavy-duty trucks
could be one way of reducing pollution exposure in neighborhoods close to highways. California already has a mandate of doing this by 2045. But,
Pusede pointed out, while emissions from diesel trucks are the biggest
driver of exposure inequality, other pollution sources contribute to the problem. "Even if we eliminated emissions from trucking, we would still
see inequalities present because there are other sources of inequality." Discrepancies in exposure to pollution between communities of color
and white communities are well-documented. They often stem from zoning practices that result in communities of color forming in less desirable
areas or infrastructure like highways being built in close proximity to --
or through - - a neighborhood.

Patterson said over the long term, transformative changes are needed to
truly begin to remove NO2 pollution disparity. "How do you rectify the inequities that have literally been built into the environment, where
certain groups are more likely to be adjacent to major roadways?" she
asked.

Both Patterson and Pusede referenced a bill in the new infrastructure
package aimed at physically reconnecting communities by removing freeways
as a necessary step toward equalizing air quality. More immediately,
Demetillo hoped her study and studies like it will help put air-quality information into the hands of community members.

"I see this as just the beginning. There are a lot of potential end-user applications, like people in different cities using this information
to help them make decisions about how to go about their day. For
policymakers, this could be a new way to plan mitigation solutions
or to monitor how well those mitigation strategies are playing out,"
Demetillo said.

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by American_Geophysical_Union. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Mary Angelique G. Demetillo, Colin Harkins, Brian C. McDonald,
Philip S.

Chodrow, Kang Sun, Sally E. Pusede. Space‐Based Observational
Constraints on NO 2 Air Pollution Inequality From Diesel Traffic
in Major US Cities. Geophysical Research Letters, 2021; 48 (17)
DOI: 10.1029/ 2021GL094333 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/10/211007122234.htm

--- up 5 weeks, 8 hours, 25 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)