Changes in Exposure to Industrial Air Pollution Across the United States from 1995 to 2004: The Role of Race, Income and Segregation.

Abstract

At the basis of a large part of the environmental justice literature is an interest in understanding how exposure to industrial toxins varies by race and class. However, since the beginning of this field there have been dramatic declines in air pollution, the toxicity levels of these pollutants, and shifts in the spatial patterns of racial and economic groups. Current work in this field has rarely taking these trends over time into account. Because environmental justice theories in this area are based on industry and how it puts some populations at risk more than others, to understand how these industries are changing over time is important for evaluating the continued usefulness of current theory. This dissertation addresses these limitations by examining the annual exposure to 572 industrial chemicals weighted by their toxicity to human health across the United States for the years 1995 to 2004. Results provide insights into the greater exposure rates of African-Americans compared to non-Hispanic whites and Hispanics, regardless of income. As well as showing that metropolitan areas with greater rates of racial and economic inequality are more likely to have higher pollution exposure rates overall. This work also provides evidence that the ability for metropolitan level racial and economic segregation to explain pollution exposure of the block groups within them is decreasing over time.