Block-by-block data shows pollution’s stark toll on people of color

Fears, D. (2022, May 25). Block-by-block data shows pollution’s stark toll on people of color. Washington Post. Retrieved July 18, 2022, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/05/25/aclima-bay-area-pollution-racism/

A study collected data on air pollution in every block in parts of the San Francisco Bay Area. Their analysis revealed large disparities even within neighborhoods or just across a couple blocks—they found, for instance, that nitrogen dioxide concentration can vary 800% between neighboring blocks. Racial disparities were prominent: in Alameda County, for example, 70% of Black residents faced more nitrogen dioxide pollution than what World Health Organization guidelines deem safe, compared to 40% of white residents facing that level of pollution. Overall, the study found, communities of color faced 55% more nitrogen dioxide pollution than predominantly white communities.

While I’m certainly not surprised by the racial disparities in exposure to pollution, I did not expect there to be so much variability within areas as small as the stretch of a couple blocks. This article really shows the ubiquity of environmental racism and its impacts, so much so that two neighborhood blocks—and likely one with predominantly residents of color and one with predominantly white residents—can have very different experiences with pollution, despite being so close together. This is also important to understanding environmental science as it helps show the behavior of air pollution and how it can significantly vary even in relatively small spaces. This article also makes me wonder about the disparities that might be present in our own communities: the area that makes up our school district or where M-A students live may be relatively small in the grand scheme of geography, but it also has significant racial segregation. I wonder what air pollution disparities between neighborhoods could be present in our own M-A community, and how that would correspond to race.

2 thoughts on “Block-by-block data shows pollution’s stark toll on people of color

  1. This is a very interesting article! I have never thought about how racism could have an effect on things like the environment. I agree that it is very shocking that there can be 800% difference in adjacent blocks. I’m curious what other separations or divides on society effect environment Aswell as anything else that would be unexpected.

    • Thanks for reading! While I wasn’t surprised by the presence of disparities, it really is shocking to see just how bad they are. Besides race, I think other factors that correlate with living in polluted areas would include income (pollution is disproportionately concentrated in low-income places) and local economic trends (such as the main industries in a particular area).

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