PM<sub>2.5</sub> polluters disproportionately and systemically affect people of color in the United States.
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 33910895.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1126/sciadv.abf4491 and PMC identifier 11426197.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Racial-ethnic minorities in the United States are exposed to disproportionately high levels of ambient fine particulate air pollution (PM<sub>2.5</sub>), the largest environmental cause of human mortality. However, it is unknown which emission sources drive this disparity and whether differences exist by emission sector, geography, or demographics. Quantifying the PM<sub>2.5</sub> exposure caused by each emitter type, we show that nearly all major emission categories-consistently across states, urban and rural areas, income levels, and exposure levels-contribute to the systemic PM<sub>2.5</sub> exposure disparity experienced by people of color. We identify the most inequitable emission source types by state and city, thereby highlighting potential opportunities for addressing this persistent environmental inequity.