Earlier this year, a Gallup poll found Black Americans are significantly more concerned about environmental pollution compared to other Americans. A new report led by scholars from Stanford University has found good cause for this concern. According to their findings, Black Americans are significantly more likely than all other racial groups in the United States to die from exposure to air pollution and its subsequent health effects.
The study authors sought out to analyze the association of exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5), a common air pollutant associated with poor health outcomes, and mortality rates for people of different backgrounds, including race, education level, location, and financial status. They examined data from 1990 to 2016 in counties across the country and found the largest predictor of mortality from PM2.5 exposure was linked to race and ethnicity. Black Americans had the largest share of air pollution mortality in 96.6 percent of all counties anaylzed.
In 1990, Black Americans died from PM2.5 exposure at a rate of 350 deaths per 100,000 people, over three times the rate of Americans from other races at a rate of 100 deaths per 100,000 people. Since that time, the United States has made significant progress in reducing air pollution, but racial disparities in PM2.5-related mortality still persist. By 2016, Black Americans’ rate of mortality from air pollution dropped to 50 deaths per 100,000 people. Despite this notable improvement, Black Americans remain the most likely racial group to die from causes associated with PM2.5 exposure.
The authors stress the importance of reducing PM2.5 levels across the United States. However, they suggest their findings point towards an urgent need for environmental policymakers to pay particular attention to communities with increased levels of exposure. If action is taken to reduce air pollution in high-risk communities, Black mortality rates could see significant improvement.
