Estimating intra-urban inequities in PM2.5-attributable health impacts:
A case study for Washington, DC
Abstract
Air pollution levels are uneven within cities, contributing to
persistent health disparities between neighborhoods and population
sub-groups. Highly spatially resolved information on pollution levels
and disease rates is necessary to characterize inequities in air
pollution exposure and related health We leverage recent advances in
deriving surface pollution levels from satellite remote sensing and
granular data in disease rates for one city, Washington, DC, to assess
intra-urban heterogeneity in fine particulate matter (PM5)- attributable
mortality and We estimate PM2.5-attributable cases of all-cause
mortality, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, ischaemic heart
disease, lung cancer, stroke, and asthma emergency department (ED)
visits using epidemiologically-derived health impact Data inputs include
satellite-derived annual mean surface PM5 concentrations; age-resolved
population estimates; and statistical neighborhood-, zip code- and
ward-scale disease counts. We find that PM5 concentrations and
associated health burdens have decreased in DC between 2000 and 2018,
from approximately 240 to 120 cause-specific deaths and from 40 to 30
asthma ED visits per year (between 2014 and 2018). However, remaining
PM5-attributable health risks are unevenly and inequitably distributed
across the Higher PM2.5-attributable disease burdens were found in
neighborhoods with larger proportions of people of color, lower
household income, and lower educational Our study adds to the growing
body of literature documenting the inequity in air pollution exposure
levels and pollution health risks between population sub-groups, and
highlights the need for both high-resolution disease rates and
concentration estimates for understanding intra-urban disparities in air
pollution-related health risks.