Air Pollution Disproportionately Impacts Minorities, According To A Daunting New Study

Air Pollution Disproportionately Impacts Minorities, According To A Daunting New Study, Sarah Friedmann, Bustle, March 12, 2019, available here

A study published on Monday revealed some disconcerting information about the effects of pollution in the United States, the AP reported. Namely, this study found that air pollution disproportionately impacts minorities, even though they generally create less pollution than white people.

The study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences — the official journal for the academy, the AP noted. NPR added that Jason Hill, an engineering professor at the University of Minnesota, was the lead researcher on the project, which took more than six years to finish. The project examined Americans' exposure to fine particle pollution, which, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, is a term for a mixture of small solid and liquid droplets that are found suspended in the air.

Generally, the study found that Hispanic Americans are most profoundly affected by pollution, breathing in 63 percent more pollution than they make through consumption, the AP noted. The outlet also added that African Americans experience 56 percent more pollution than they create. By comparison, the study found that non-Hispanic white individuals breathe in 17 percent less air pollution than they make, the AP reported.

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