Across America, people of color are exposed to more air pollution than whites from industry, vehicles, construction, and many other sources, a new study has found.
Using government air pollution and census data, researchers found that disproportionate numbers of non-white people were exposed to potentially hazardous fine particle pollution from nearly all major U.S. emission sources, regardless of where they live or how much money they make.
The study, published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances, also found that Blacks were the only group disproportionately exposed to each of the pollution sources examined.
According to the Associated Press, white people were exposed to lower than average levels of fine particle pollution.
In contrast, Black, Hispanic, and Asian people were subjected to higher than average levels.
Fine particle matter typically comes from coal-fired power plants, diesel trucks, and farms.
Researchers stated Asians are less exposed to particulate matter than average in California, such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Jose.