Study finds widespread racial disparities in air quality

A new national study has found racial and ethnic disparities in the quality of air that Americans breathe (Source: “People of Color Breathe More Hazardous Air. The Sources Are Everywhere.,” New York Times, April 28).

According to the study, Black Americans are exposed to more pollution from every type of source, including industry, agriculture, all manner of vehicles, construction, residential sources and even emissions from restaurants. People of color more broadly, including Black and Hispanic people and Asian Americans, are exposed to more pollution from nearly every source.

The findings, which were published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances, came as a surprise to the study’s researchers, who had not anticipated that the inequalities spanned so many types of pollution.

The study builds on a wealth of research that has shown that people of color in America live with more pollution than their white neighbors. Fine particulate matter air pollution, known as PM 2.5, is harmful to human health and is responsible for 85,000 to 200,000 excess deaths a year in the United States.