Inequitable Exposure to Air Pollution from Vehicles in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic

Asian American, Black, and Latino residents in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region are exposed to substantially more air pollution from cars, trucks, and buses than other demographic groups. For many years, this has been a known fact among affected communities, who have experienced firsthand the dangerous health impacts of air pollution, such as lung and heart ailments, asthma, diabetes, developmental problems in children, and premature death.

We quantified and compared the exposure of various racial groups to particulate matter (PM2.5) from on-road sources. Beyond the scope of this analysis, emissions from ports, agricultural practices, dust, and other sources are well known to contribute to poor air quality and negative health outcomes for affected areas.