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Dressel IM, Zhang S, Demetillo MAG, Yu S, Fields K, Judd LM, Nowlan CR, Sun K, Kotsakis A, Turner AJ, Pusede SE. Neighborhood-Level Nitrogen Dioxide Inequalities Contribute to Surface Ozone Variability in Houston, Texas. ACS ES&T AIR 2024; 1:973-988. [PMID: 39295746 PMCID: PMC11406531 DOI: 10.1021/acsestair.4c00009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2024] [Revised: 07/19/2024] [Accepted: 07/19/2024] [Indexed: 09/21/2024]
Abstract
In Houston, Texas, nitrogen dioxide (NO2) air pollution disproportionately affects Black, Latinx, and Asian communities, and high ozone (O3) days are frequent. There is limited knowledge of how NO2 inequalities vary in urban air quality contexts, in part from the lack of time-varying neighborhood-level NO2 measurements. First, we demonstrate that daily TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) NO2 tropospheric vertical column densities (TVCDs) resolve a major portion of census tract-scale NO2 inequalities in Houston, comparing NO2 inequalities based on TROPOMI TVCDs and spatiotemporally coincident airborne remote sensing (250 m × 560 m) from the NASA TRacking Aerosol Convection ExpeRiment-Air Quality (TRACER-AQ). We further evaluate the application of daily TROPOMI TVCDs to census tract-scale NO2 inequalities (May 2018-November 2022). This includes explaining differences between mean daily NO2 inequalities and those based on TVCDs oversampled to 0.01° × 0.01° and showing daily NO2 column-surface relationships weaken as a function of observation separation distance. Second, census tract-scale NO2 inequalities, city-wide high O3, and mesoscale airflows are found to covary using principal component and cluster analysis. A generalized additive model of O3 mixing ratios versus NO2 inequalities reproduces established nonlinear relationships between O3 production and NO2 concentrations, providing observational evidence that neighborhood-level NO2 inequalities and O3 are coupled. Consequently, emissions controls specifically in Black, Latinx, and Asian communities will have co-benefits, reducing both NO2 disparities and high O3 days city wide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabella M Dressel
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904, United States
| | - Sixuan Zhang
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904, United States
| | - Mary Angelique G Demetillo
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904, United States
- NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia 23681, United States
| | - Shan Yu
- Department of Statistics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904, United States
| | - Kimberly Fields
- Carter G. Woodson Institute for African American and African Studies, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904, United States
| | - Laura M Judd
- NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia 23681, United States
| | - Caroline R Nowlan
- Atomic and Molecular Physics Division, Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States
| | - Kang Sun
- Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York 14260, United States
- Research and Education in eNergy, Environment and Water (RENEW) Institute, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York 14260, United States
| | - Alexander Kotsakis
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, United States
| | - Alexander J Turner
- Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
| | - Sally E Pusede
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904, United States
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2
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Kerr GH, Meyer M, Goldberg DL, Miller J, Anenberg SC. Air pollution impacts from warehousing in the United States uncovered with satellite data. Nat Commun 2024; 15:6006. [PMID: 39048550 PMCID: PMC11269699 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-50000-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/25/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Regulators, environmental advocates, and community groups in the United States (U.S.) are concerned about air pollution associated with the proliferating e-commerce and warehousing industries. Nationwide datasets of warehouse locations, traffic, and satellite observations of the traffic-related pollutant nitrogen dioxide (NO2) provide a unique capability to evaluate the air quality and environmental equity impacts of these geographically-dispersed emission sources. Here, we show that the nearly 150,000 warehouses in the U.S. worsen local traffic-related air pollution with an average near-warehouse NO2 enhancement of nearly 20% and are disproportionately located in marginalized and minoritized communities. Near-warehouse truck traffic and NO2 significantly increase as warehouse density and the number of warehouse loading docks and parking spaces increase. Increased satellite-observed NO2 near warehouses underscores the need for indirect source rules, incentives for replacing old trucks, and corporate commitments towards electrification. Future ground-based monitoring campaigns may help track impacts of individual or small clusters of facilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaige Hunter Kerr
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA.
| | - Michelle Meyer
- International Council on Clean Transportation, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Daniel L Goldberg
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Joshua Miller
- International Council on Clean Transportation, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Susan C Anenberg
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
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3
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Madrigal JM, Flory A, Fisher JA, Sharp E, Graubard BI, Ward MH, Jones RR. Sociodemographic inequities in the burden of carcinogenic industrial air emissions in the United States. J Natl Cancer Inst 2024; 116:737-744. [PMID: 38180898 PMCID: PMC11077313 DOI: 10.1093/jnci/djae001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/07/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Industrial facilities are not located uniformly across communities in the United States, but how the burden of exposure to carcinogenic air emissions may vary across population characteristics is unclear. We evaluated differences in carcinogenic industrial pollution among major sociodemographic groups in the United States and Puerto Rico. METHODS We evaluated cross-sectional associations of population characteristics including race and ethnicity, educational attainment, and poverty at the census tract level with point-source industrial emissions of 21 known human carcinogens using regulatory data from the US Environmental Protection Agency. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals comparing the highest emissions (tertile or quintile) to the referent group (zero emissions [ie, nonexposed]) for all sociodemographic characteristics were estimated using multinomial, population density-adjusted logistic regression models. RESULTS In 2018, approximately 7.4 million people lived in census tracts with nearly 12 million pounds of carcinogenic air releases. The odds of tracts having the greatest burden of benzene, 1,3-butadiene, ethylene oxide, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, and nickel emissions compared with nonexposed were 10%-20% higher for African American populations, whereas White populations were up to 18% less likely to live in tracts with the highest emissions. Among Hispanic and Latino populations, odds were 16%-21% higher for benzene, 1,3-butadiene, and ethylene oxide. Populations experiencing poverty or with less than high school education were associated with up to 51% higher burden, irrespective of race and ethnicity. CONCLUSIONS Carcinogenic industrial emissions disproportionately impact African American and Hispanic and Latino populations and people with limited education or experiencing poverty thus representing a source of pollution that may contribute to observed cancer disparities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica M Madrigal
- Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Rockville, MD, USA
| | | | - Jared A Fisher
- Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Elizabeth Sharp
- Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Barry I Graubard
- Biostatistics Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Mary H Ward
- Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Rena R Jones
- Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Rockville, MD, USA
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4
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Kerr GH, van Donkelaar A, Martin RV, Brauer M, Bukart K, Wozniak S, Goldberg DL, Anenberg SC. Increasing Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Ambient Air Pollution-Attributable Morbidity and Mortality in the United States. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2024; 132:37002. [PMID: 38445892 PMCID: PMC10916678 DOI: 10.1289/ehp11900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Revised: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ambient nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) and fine particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5 μ m (PM 2.5 ) threaten public health in the US, and systemic racism has led to modern-day disparities in the distribution and associated health impacts of these pollutants. OBJECTIVES Many studies on environmental injustices related to ambient air pollution focus only on disparities in pollutant concentrations or provide only an assessment of pollution or health disparities at a snapshot in time. In this study, we compare injustices in NO 2 - and PM 2.5 -attributable health burdens, considering NO 2 -attributable health impacts across the entire US; document changing disparities in these health burdens over time (2010-2019); and evaluate how more stringent air quality standards would reduce disparities in health impacts associated with these pollutants. METHODS Through a health impact assessment, we quantified census tract-level variations in health outcomes attributable to NO 2 and PM 2.5 using health impact functions that combine demographic data from the US Census Bureau; two spatially resolved pollutant datasets, which fuse satellite data with physical and statistical models; and epidemiologically derived relative risk estimates and incidence rates from the Global Burden of Disease study. RESULTS Despite overall decreases in the public health damages associated with NO 2 and PM 2.5 , racial and ethnic relative disparities in NO 2 -attributable pediatric asthma and PM 2.5 -attributable premature mortality have widened in the US during the last decade. Racial relative disparities in PM 2.5 -attributable premature mortality and NO 2 -attributable pediatric asthma have increased by 16% and 19%, respectively, between 2010 and 2019. Similarly, ethnic relative disparities in PM 2.5 -attributable premature mortality have increased by 40% and NO 2 -attributable pediatric asthma by 10%. DISCUSSION Enacting and attaining more stringent air quality standards for both pollutants could preferentially benefit the most marginalized and minoritized communities by greatly reducing racial and ethnic relative disparities in pollution-attributable health burdens in the US. Our methods provide a semi-observational approach to track changes in disparities in air pollution and associated health burdens across the US. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP11900.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaige Hunter Kerr
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, The George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Aaron van Donkelaar
- Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Randall V. Martin
- Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Michael Brauer
- Department of Health Metrics Sciences, Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
- School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Katrin Bukart
- Department of Health Metrics Sciences, Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Sarah Wozniak
- Department of Health Metrics Sciences, Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Daniel L. Goldberg
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, The George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Susan C. Anenberg
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, The George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
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5
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Wen Y, Zhang S, Wang Y, Yang J, He L, Wu Y, Hao J. Dynamic Traffic Data in Machine-Learning Air Quality Mapping Improves Environmental Justice Assessment. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2024. [PMID: 38261755 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c07545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2024]
Abstract
Air pollution poses a critical public health threat around many megacities but in an uneven manner. Conventional models are limited to depict the highly spatial- and time-varying patterns of ambient pollutant exposures at the community scale for megacities. Here, we developed a machine-learning approach that leverages the dynamic traffic profiles to continuously estimate community-level year-long air pollutant concentrations in Los Angeles, U.S. We found the introduction of real-world dynamic traffic data significantly improved the spatial fidelity of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), maximum daily 8-h average ozone (MDA8 O3), and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) simulations by 47%, 4%, and 15%, respectively. We successfully captured PM2.5 levels exceeding limits due to heavy traffic activities and providing an "out-of-limit map" tool to identify exposure disparities within highly polluted communities. In contrast, the model without real-world dynamic traffic data lacks the ability to capture the traffic-induced exposure disparities and significantly underestimate residents' exposure to PM2.5. The underestimations are more severe for disadvantaged communities such as black and low-income groups, showing the significance of incorporating real-time traffic data in exposure disparity assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yifan Wen
- School of Environment, State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, P. R. China
| | - Shaojun Zhang
- School of Environment, State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, P. R. China
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Sources and Control of Air Pollution Complex, Beijing 100084, P. R. China
- Beijing Laboratory of Environmental Frontier Technologies, Beijing 100084, P. R. China
- Laboratory of Transport Pollution Control and Monitoring Technology, Transport Planning and Research Institute, Ministry of Transport, Beijing 100028, P. R. China
| | - Yuan Wang
- Department of Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Jiani Yang
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, United States
| | - Liyin He
- Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Ye Wu
- School of Environment, State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, P. R. China
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Sources and Control of Air Pollution Complex, Beijing 100084, P. R. China
- Beijing Laboratory of Environmental Frontier Technologies, Beijing 100084, P. R. China
- Laboratory of Transport Pollution Control and Monitoring Technology, Transport Planning and Research Institute, Ministry of Transport, Beijing 100028, P. R. China
| | - Jiming Hao
- School of Environment, State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, P. R. China
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Sources and Control of Air Pollution Complex, Beijing 100084, P. R. China
- Beijing Laboratory of Environmental Frontier Technologies, Beijing 100084, P. R. China
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6
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Camilleri SF, Kerr GH, Anenberg SC, Horton DE. All-Cause NO 2-Attributable Mortality Burden and Associated Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the United States. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LETTERS 2023; 10:1159-1164. [PMID: 38106529 PMCID: PMC10720462 DOI: 10.1021/acs.estlett.3c00500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Revised: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is a regulated pollutant that is associated with numerous health impacts. Recent advances in epidemiology indicate high confidence linking NO2 exposure with increased mortality, an association that recent studies suggest persists even at concentrations below regulatory thresholds. While large disparities in NO2 exposure among population subgroups have been reported, U.S. NO2-attributable mortality rates and their disparities remain unquantified. Here we provide the first estimate of NO2-attributable all-cause mortality across the contiguous U.S. (CONUS) at the census tract-level. We leverage fine-scale, satellite-informed, land use regression model NO2 concentrations and census tract-level baseline mortality data to characterize the associated disparities among different racial/ethnic subgroups. Across CONUS, we estimate that the NO2-attributable all-cause mortality is ∼170,850 (95% confidence interval: 43,970, 251,330) premature deaths yr-1 with large variability across census tracts and within individual cities. Additionally, we find that higher NO2 concentrations and underlying susceptibilities for predominately Black communities lead to NO2-attributable mortality rates that are ∼47% higher compared to CONUS-wide average rates. Our results highlight the substantial U.S. NO2 mortality burden, particularly in marginalized communities, and motivate adoption of more stringent standards to protect public health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara F Camilleri
- Department
of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Northwestern
University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Gaige Hunter Kerr
- Department
of Environmental and Occupational Health, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, United States
| | - Susan C Anenberg
- Department
of Environmental and Occupational Health, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, United States
| | - Daniel E Horton
- Department
of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Northwestern
University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Trienens
Institute for Sustainability and Energy, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
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7
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Watkins SH, Testa C, Simpkin AJ, Smith GD, Coull B, De Vivo I, Tilling K, Waterman PD, Chen JT, Diez-Roux AV, Krieger N, Suderman M, Relton C. An epigenome-wide analysis of DNA methylation, racialized and economic inequities, and air pollution. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.12.07.570610. [PMID: 38105971 PMCID: PMC10723401 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.07.570610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Importance DNA methylation (DNAm) provides a plausible mechanism by which adverse exposures become embodied and contribute to health inequities, due to its role in genome regulation and responsiveness to social and biophysical exposures tied to societal context. However, scant epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) have included structural and lifecourse measures of exposure, especially in relation to structural discrimination. Objective Our study tests the hypothesis that DNAm is a mechanism by which racial discrimination, economic adversity, and air pollution become biologically embodied. Design A series of cross-sectional EWAS, conducted in My Body My Story (MBMS, biological specimens collected 2008-2010, DNAm assayed in 2021); and the Multi Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA; biological specimens collected 2010-2012, DNAm assayed in 2012-2013); using new georeferenced social exposure data for both studies (generated in 2022). Setting MBMS was recruited from four community health centers in Boston; MESA was recruited from four field sites in: Baltimore, MD; Forsyth County, NC; New York City, NY; and St. Paul, MN. Participants Two population-based samples of US-born Black non-Hispanic (Black NH), white non-Hispanic (white NH), and Hispanic individuals (MBMS; n=224 Black NH and 69 white NH) and (MESA; n=229 Black NH, n=555 white NH and n=191 Hispanic). Exposures Eight social exposures encompassing racial discrimination, economic adversity, and air pollution. Main outcome Genome-wide changes in DNAm, as measured using the Illumina EPIC BeadChip (MBMS; using frozen blood spots) and Illumina 450k BeadChip (MESA; using purified monocytes). Our hypothesis was formulated after data collection. Results We observed the strongest associations with traffic-related air pollution (measured via black carbon and nitrogen oxides exposure), with evidence from both studies suggesting that air pollution exposure may induce epigenetic changes related to inflammatory processes. We also found suggestive associations of DNAm variation with measures of structural racial discrimination (e.g., for Black NH participants, born in a Jim Crow state; adult exposure to racialized economic residential segregation) situated in genes with plausible links to effects on health. Conclusions and Relevance Overall, this work suggests that DNAm is a biological mechanism through which structural racism and air pollution become embodied and may lead to health inequities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Holmes Watkins
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- Integrative Epidemiology Unit, Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Christian Testa
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Andrew J. Simpkin
- School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - George Davey Smith
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- Integrative Epidemiology Unit, Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Brent Coull
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Immaculata De Vivo
- Program in Genetic Epidemiology and Statistical Genetics, Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kate Tilling
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- Integrative Epidemiology Unit, Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Pamela D. Waterman
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Jarvis T. Chen
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Ana V. Diez-Roux
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and Urban Health Collaborative, Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University, Philadelphia, USA
| | - Nancy Krieger
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Matthew Suderman
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- Integrative Epidemiology Unit, Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Caroline Relton
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- Integrative Epidemiology Unit, Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
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8
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Sabedotti MES, O'Regan AC, Nyhan MM. Data Insights for Sustainable Cities: Associations between Google Street View-Derived Urban Greenspace and Google Air View-Derived Pollution Levels. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:19637-19648. [PMID: 37972280 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c05000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
Unprecedented levels of urbanization have escalated urban environmental health issues, including increased air pollution in cities globally. Strategies for mitigating air pollution, including green urban planning, are essential for sustainable and healthy cities. State-of-the-art research investigating urban greenspace and pollution metrics has accelerated through the use of vast digital data sets and new analytical tools. In this study, we examined associations between Google Street View-derived urban greenspace levels and Google Air View-derived air quality, where both have been resolved in extremely high resolution, accuracy, and scale along the entire road network of Dublin City. Particulate matter of size fraction less than 2.5 μm (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide, nitric oxide, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide were quantified using 5,030,143 Google Air View measurements, and greenspace was quantified using 403,409 Google Street View images. Significant (p < 0.001) negative associations between urban greenspace and pollution were observed. For example, an interquartile range increase in the Green View Index was associated with a 7.4% [95% confidence interval: -13.1%, -1.3%] decrease in NO2 at the point location spatial resolution. We provide insights into how large-scale digital data can be harnessed to elucidate urban environmental interactions that will have important planning and policy implications for sustainable future cities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria E S Sabedotti
- Discipline of Civil, Structural & Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering & Architecture, University College Cork, Cork T12 K8AF, Ireland
- MaREI, the SFI Research Centre for Energy, Climate & Marine, University College Cork, Ringaskiddy, CorkP43 C573, Ireland
- Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork, Lee Rd, Sundays, Well, Cork T23 XE10, Ireland
| | - Anna C O'Regan
- Discipline of Civil, Structural & Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering & Architecture, University College Cork, Cork T12 K8AF, Ireland
- MaREI, the SFI Research Centre for Energy, Climate & Marine, University College Cork, Ringaskiddy, CorkP43 C573, Ireland
- Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork, Lee Rd, Sundays, Well, Cork T23 XE10, Ireland
| | - Marguerite M Nyhan
- Discipline of Civil, Structural & Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering & Architecture, University College Cork, Cork T12 K8AF, Ireland
- MaREI, the SFI Research Centre for Energy, Climate & Marine, University College Cork, Ringaskiddy, CorkP43 C573, Ireland
- Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork, Lee Rd, Sundays, Well, Cork T23 XE10, Ireland
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9
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Wang Y, Liu P, Schwartz J, Castro E, Wang W, Chang H, Scovronick N, Shi L. Disparities in ambient nitrogen dioxide pollution in the United States. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2208450120. [PMID: 37036985 PMCID: PMC10120073 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2208450120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 04/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Average ambient concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), an important air pollutant, have declined in the United States since the enactment of the Clean Air Act. Despite evidence that NO2 disproportionately affects racial/ethnic minority groups, it remains unclear what drives the exposure disparities and how they have changed over time. Here, we provide evidence by integrating high-resolution (1 km × 1 km) ground-level NO2 estimates, sociodemographic information, and source-specific emission intensity and location for 217,740 block groups across the contiguous United States from 2000 to 2016. We show that racial/ethnic minorities are disproportionately exposed to higher levels of NO2 pollution compared with Whites across the United States and within major metropolitan areas. These inequities persisted over time and have worsened in many cases, despite a significant decrease in the national average NO2 concentration over the 17-y study period. Overall, traffic contributes the largest fraction of NO2 disparity. Contributions of other emission sources to exposure disparities vary by location. Our analyses offer insights into policies aimed at reducing air pollution exposure disparities among races/ethnicities and locations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yifan Wang
- Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA30322
| | - Pengfei Liu
- School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA30322
| | - Joel Schwartz
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA02115
| | - Edgar Castro
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA02115
| | - Wenhao Wang
- Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA30322
| | - Howard Chang
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA30322
| | - Noah Scovronick
- Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA30322
| | - Liuhua Shi
- Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA30322
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