Black and Hispanic Americans are exposed to a lot of air pollution from white consumption: Study
Credit: Unsplash

Black and Hispanic Americans are exposed to a lot of air pollution from white consumption: Study

Black and Hispanic Americans are exposed to 56 percent and 63 percent, respectively, more air pollution than what their consumption causes.

Black and Hispanic Americans are disproportionately exposed to fine particle air pollution from goods and services consumed mostly by white people, according to a new study.


While much research exists on minorities' disproportionate exposure to pollution, often referred to as environmental injustice or environmental racism, the study is the first to examine the racial differences in who causes pollution and who is most harmed by it.

The researchers looked at the goods and services consumed by different racial groups, estimated the resulting fine particulate matter pollution or PM2.5 (which refers to harmful air particles that are 2.5 to 10 micrometers in diameter), and then modeled how much PM2.5 each racial group is exposed to.

They found white Americans are exposed to 17 percent less air pollution than what is caused by what they consume.

Black Americans, however, are exposed to about 56 percent more pollution than what's caused by their consumption, and Hispanics are exposed to 63 percent more air pollution than what they cause.

"We find that, in the United States, PM2.5 air pollution is disproportionately induced by the racial–ethnic majority and disproportionately inhaled by racial–ethnic minorities," the authors wrote in the study published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Great strides have been made in reducing PM2.5 — average exposure for all races in the U.S. declined an estimated 50 percent from 2003 to 2015.

"It's a mixed story, obviously we want all groups less affected, and we're observing less pollution," senior author Jason Hill, a researcher and associate professor at the University of Minnesota's Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering, told EHN. "But pollution inequity has maintained over the same time period."

And this disproportionate exposure is concerning because PM2.5 remains one of the major environmental health risks, responsible for an estimated 63 percent of all deaths due to environmental causes, according to the new study. The tiny particles can get deep into people's lungs and affect both lung function and the heart. The pollution is linked to irregular heartbeats, heart attacks, reduced lung function, lung disease and aggravated asthma.

Hill said the ability to trace who's causing pollution and who's affected by it a "holy grail" of sorts for environmental research.

He said they first looked at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's National Emissions Inventory and calculated the PM2.5 concentrations from different sources, such as road dust, construction, diesel vehicles, industry and agriculture.

Next, he said, they looked at the different end uses of the emissions—transportation, housing, food, electricity, goods— and, finally, who the end users were, broken down by race.

"We traced the chain of custody of pollution from emissions to final demand," Hill said. "The whole supply chain."

This type of study could be applied to other kinds of pollution, places or groups of people, said co-author Julian Marshall, a civil and environmental engineering professor at the University of Washington, in a statement.

"When it comes to determining who causes air pollution -- and who breathes that pollution -- this research is just the beginning."

Hill said not only could they apply this science to other types of air pollution, but to other environmental insults such as water pollution or climate change.

hands baby tree
Photo by Noah Buscher on Unsplash

They planted a forest at the edge of the desert. From there it got complicated

Trying to judge the success or failure of Yatir, Israel's largest human-made forest, depends on the way you define success. And the person you’re asking.

Senator Whitehouse & climate change

Senator Whitehouse puts climate change on budget committee’s agenda

For more than a decade, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse gave daily warnings about the mounting threat of climate change. Now he has a powerful new perch.
jellyfish ocean
Photo by Pat Whelen on Unsplash

Study: Marine heat waves can happen deep underwater

New research from the NOAA shows that marine heat waves, fueled by global warming, don't just happen at the surface.

House Republicans fail to override Biden’s ESG veto

The GOP-led chamber on Thursday failed to override President Biden’s first veto in a new vote, falling short of the necessary two-thirds majority.

bad climate decision bailouts
Chris/Flickr

LISTEN: Should the government pay for your bad climate decisions?

As climate change becomes a health risk, the U.S. government has warned it will reassess spending priorities.
unabated fossil fuel expansion
Photo by Michael Myers on Unsplash

Climate freeloaders are destroying the planet

Governments are ignoring calls to stop fossil fuel expansion—despite there being little time left to avoid the worst effects of global warming.

Report: Texas isn’t holding polluters accountable for unexpected emissions

A new report found that companies in Texas have had 21,000 unexpected pollution releases that emitted 400,000 tons of air pollution over six years, but only 1% of them prompted action by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

As extreme weather outpaces response, could crowdsourced data help?

Tijuana’s Citizens’ Flood Monitor offers a model for data collection in the flood-affected West.
From our Newsroom
oil and gas wells pollution

What happens if the largest owner of oil and gas wells in the US goes bankrupt?

Diversified Energy’s liabilities exceed its assets, according to a new report, sparking concerns about whether taxpayers will wind up paying to plug its 70,000 wells.

Paul Ehrlich

Paul Ehrlich: A journey through science and politics

In his new book, the famous scientist reflects on an unparalleled career on our fascinating, ever-changing planet.

oil and gas california environmental justice

Will California’s new oil and gas laws protect people from toxic pollution?

California will soon have the largest oil drilling setbacks in the U.S. Experts say other states can learn from this move.

popular stories 2022

Our 5 most popular reads from 2022

A corpse, woodworking dangers, plastic titans ... revisit the stories that stuck with our readers this past year.

Stay informed: sign up for The Daily Climate newsletter
Top news on climate impacts, solutions, politics, drivers. Delivered to your inbox week days.