Study Links Structural Racism to Increased Exposure to Cancer-Causing Air Pollution
By Rob Spahr
People living in neighborhoods with higher levels of structural racism are at a significantly greater risk of exposure to traffic-related air pollutants than those in neighborhoods with low structural racism, researchers at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health found in a new study published in Cancer.
The study explores how multidimensional structural racism contributes to racial disparities in exposure to cancer-causing air pollution. Researchers examined various factors often associated with structural racism—including segregation, education, employment, incarceration, poverty, homeownership, and political participation—to assess their relationship with estimated cancer risk from traffic-related air pollution across 134 counties in Georgia.
The Data
The researchers used ccarcinogenic air toxics data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and sociodemographic data from the American Community Survey in the study. In urban areas, they found that neighborhoods in the highest quartile of structural racism have a six times higher risk of exposure to traffic-related pollutants compared to neighborhoods with lower levels of structural racism.
Why It Matters
Previous studies have linked neighborhood racial inequalities to both exposure to air pollutants and health outcomes. This study shows, for the first time, how multiple factors may influence exposure to traffic-related air pollutants differently.
The findings suggests that disparities in exposure to traffic-related air pollution across Georgia may be partially explained by variations in county-level structural racism. For example, discriminatory residential segregation practices and limited educational and employment opportunities may concentrate minoritized communities to neighborhoods with higher traffic volumes and closer proximity to major roads and highways.
What the Experts Say
“Similar to the ways environmental scientists study chemical exposures, we know that we are not just exposed to one societal factor at a time. There are many ways in which racial inequalities are present in society, so it is important for scientists and policymakers to consider all of the different ways these inequalities can impact the health of communities,” says the study’s lead author Christine Ekenga, PhD, Rollins assistant professor of environmental health.
