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National Patterns in Environmental Injustice and Inequality: Outdoor NO2 Air Pollution in the United States.
- Source :
- PLoS ONE; Apr2014, Vol. 9 Issue 4, p1-8, 8p
- Publication Year :
- 2014
-
Abstract
- We describe spatial patterns in environmental injustice and inequality for residential outdoor nitrogen dioxide (NO<subscript>2</subscript>) concentrations in the contiguous United States. Our approach employs Census demographic data and a recently published high-resolution dataset of outdoor NO<subscript>2</subscript> concentrations. Nationally, population-weighted mean NO<subscript>2</subscript> concentrations are 4.6 ppb (38%, p<0.01) higher for nonwhites than for whites. The environmental health implications of that concentration disparity are compelling. For example, we estimate that reducing nonwhites’ NO<subscript>2</subscript> concentrations to levels experienced by whites would reduce Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD) mortality by ∼7,000 deaths per year, which is equivalent to 16 million people increasing their physical activity level from inactive (0 hours/week of physical activity) to sufficiently active (>2.5 hours/week of physical activity). Inequality for NO<subscript>2</subscript> concentration is greater than inequality for income (Atkinson Index: 0.11 versus 0.08). Low-income nonwhite young children and elderly people are disproportionately exposed to residential outdoor NO<subscript>2</subscript>. Our findings establish a national context for previous work that has documented air pollution environmental injustice and inequality within individual US metropolitan areas and regions. Results given here can aid policy-makers in identifying locations with high environmental injustice and inequality. For example, states with both high injustice and high inequality (top quintile) for outdoor residential NO<subscript>2</subscript> include New York, Michigan, and Wisconsin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 19326203
- Volume :
- 9
- Issue :
- 4
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- PLoS ONE
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 95819010
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0094431