The History and Impact of Environmental Racism Regarding Air Pollution and a Review of Long-Term Solutions.

Previous failures of policymakers to minimize the effects of industry-born air pollution created a decrease in conditions for low-income communities in the U.S. and a rise in environmental racism. The dominating explanation for this trend is housing discrimination, attributed to the 1930s residential security maps deconstructing neighborhoods based on class, nationality, and skin color under the guise of mortgage default threats. However, other racist and anti-immigrant policies in America also contributed to the new form of segregation that barred marginalized communities from affluent and middle-class neighborhoods because they were used to benefit private enterprises for the sake of economic growth. Today, racial and ethnic minorities and low-income people are disproportionately impacted by airborne particulate matter. As methods of combating pollution-borne diseases create a more significant financial burden on these communities, individuals affected by environmental racism in industrial areas may reside in inadequate facilities, further increasing the risk of long-term exposure to pollution (PM2.5). Introducing air pollution mitigation strategies such as renewable energy, green infrastructure, and deindustrialization in low-income communities can help alleviate the effects of air pollution, ending environmental racism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]