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. 2016 Fall;13(2):237-259.
doi: 10.1017/S1742058X16000205. Epub 2016 Oct 26.

THE LONG-TERM DYNAMICS OF RACIAL/ETHNIC INEQUALITY IN NEIGHBORHOOD AIR POLLUTION EXPOSURE, 1990-2009

Nicole Kravitz-Wirtz  1 , Kyle Crowder  2 , Anjum Hajat  3 , Victoria Sass  2
Affiliations

THE LONG-TERM DYNAMICS OF RACIAL/ETHNIC INEQUALITY IN NEIGHBORHOOD AIR POLLUTION EXPOSURE, 1990-2009

Nicole Kravitz-Wirtz et al. Du Bois Rev. 2016 Fall.

Abstract

Research examining racial/ethnic disparities in pollution exposure often relies on cross-sectional data. These analyses are largely insensitive to exposure trends and rarely account for broader contextual dynamics. To provide a more comprehensive assessment of racial-environmental inequality over time, we combine the 1990 to 2009 waves of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) with spatially- and temporally-resolved measures of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) in respondents' neighborhoods, as well as census data on the characteristics of respondents' metropolitan areas. Results based on multilevel repeated measures models indicate that Blacks and Latinos are, on average, more likely to be exposed to higher levels of NO2, PM2.5, and PM10 than Whites. Despite nationwide declines in levels of pollution over time, racial and ethnic disparities persist and cannot be fully explained by individual-, household-, or metropolitan-level factors.

Keywords: Air Pollution; Environmental Inequality; Longitudinal Study; Multilevel Model; Nitrogen Oxides; Particulate Matter; Race and Ethnicity; Repeated Measures.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Block-level exposure to NO2, PM2.5, and PM10, respectively, by race/ethnicity and time.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Mean predicted value of and differences in NO2 by race/ethnicity and time.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Mean predicted value of and differences in PM2.5 by race/ethnicity and time.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Mean predicted value of and differences in PM10 by race/ethnicity and time.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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