Traffic-related air pollution risk is greater for minority and low-income populations

Low-income and minority populations disproportionately reside near roadways with high traffic volumes and consequently face increased exposure to traffic-related air pollutants (TRAP) and their associated health effects. New case studies demonstrate the feasibility of incorporating strategies to reduce TRAP exposure into the building design and site development for near-highway housing and school developments in the planning stages, as described in an article in Environmental Justice.

National data has shown that non-Hispanic blacks, Hispanics, and people living just above or below the poverty line are more likely to have higher TRAP exposure. While much interest has focused on preventing and minimizing indoor sources of air pollution to achieve "greener," healthier buildings, more research and implementation of TRAP-reducing tactics, such a HEPA filtration, land-use buffers, vegetation or wall barriers, and better urban design are needed to protect people who live near high traffic roadways.

In "Developing Community-Level Policy and Practice to Reduce Traffic-Related Air Pollution Exposure," Doug Brugge, PhD and coauthors from Tufts University School of Medicine and Tufts University (Boston, MA), Rutgers University (New Brunswick, NJ), City of Somerville and Somerville Transportation Equity Partnership (MA), and Linnean Solutions (Cambridge, MA) present case studies carried out in Somerville, MA and Boston Chinatown.

"Preventing exposure to traffic pollution is critical to achieving optimal environmental health for Environmental Justice communities," says Sylvia Hood Washington, PhD, MSE, ND, Editor-in-Chief of Environmental Justice, and Research Associate Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health.