Nationwide study uncovers major gaps in data about growing threat to public health: 'It's a consistent pattern'

A new study from the University of Utah uncovered the racial and ethnic inequities of air pollution monitoring in the U.S. 

What's happening?

According to the investigation, the Environmental Protection Agency's air quality monitors are disproportionately more common in predominantly white neighborhoods than in communities of color.

The researchers included data from monitors that tracked particulate matter, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and carbon monoxide and were active between March 2019 and March 2024. They also used census block groups from all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Results showed monitoring disparities for all six pollutants, especially sulfur dioxide and lead, then ozone and carbon monoxide. All racial and ethnic groups generally had fewer monitors for nitrogen dioxide, ozone, lead, and particulate matter than the White non-Latino group.

Furthermore, regions with Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander populations generally displayed the largest disparity, followed by American Indian and Alaska Native populations and individuals of two or more races.

"If there was a disparity for just one type of monitor, it could conceivably be accidental or just poor design," co-author Simon Brewer told Deseret News. "The fact that it's a consistent pattern across all pollutants suggests that the decision-making process needs to be looked at carefully — these monitors are not being distributed equitably."

Why are air monitoring inequities important?

Bryce Bird, director of Utah's Division of Air Quality, told Deseret News that his department is required by the EPA to distribute monitors based on locations expected to have the highest concentrations of air pollution.

"They aren't located targeting specific ethnicity, but they're targeting those areas where, because of the industry or the proximity to roadways, they would be expected to have the highest levels of air pollution," he said.

Nonetheless, gaps in air quality coverage could further expose marginalized communities — which are already susceptible to environmental injustices — to medical complications tied to these pollutants. 

Contaminated air has been linked to adverse health effects, such as respiratory illnesses, decreased cognitive function, and child mortality, and it also contributes to Earth's overheating.

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What's being done to address air quality inequities?

Recent studies have shined light on the extent of environmental injustices suffered by people of color. 

For example, Stanford University found that particulate matter has killed more Black Americans than any other group in the country. Meanwhile, NASA reported that Black and Hispanic residents living in the U.S. have been disproportionately affected by nitrogen dioxide produced by warehouses. 

This coverage can help spur legislative action to hold responsible parties accountable. GreenLatinos Colorado is leading a lawsuit against the state's air quality commission for failing to protect vulnerable populations from major air polluters, while a group of young Hawaiians sued the state's transportation system for producing "untenable levels" of planet-warming gases.

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