Traffic pollution overly impacts marginalized communities across the U.S. — including Durham

Highways and Air Quality in Durham

Highways like the Durham Freeway and I-885 have helped downtown Durham flourish, bringing more people into the city than ever before. But in the summer, these roadways also bring dangerous heat and air pollutants into neighboring communities.

Bonita Green and Air Quality Concerns

Bonita Green is the executive director of the Merrick Moore Community Development Corporation, a nonprofit that advocates for the neighborhood. She is also a member of Clean AIRE NC’s Air Keeper program.

For Green and her neighborhood, air quality concerns persist even when there isn’t smoke in the sky.

“I grew up with asthma,” Green said. “That developed into a lung disease. Having the ability to breathe is very important because I’ve had those moments where I’ve struggled to breathe.”

Green also thinks about the older people in her neighborhood, the same elders who helped raise her. Some now suffer from heart disease, diabetes, emphysema, and other illnesses that leave them vulnerable to air pollution.

Air Quality Disparities in Minority Communities

Green’s neighborhood, and many other historically Black communities, shoulder the burden of low air quality due to traffic-related emissions, according to a recent study from UNC-Chapel Hill.

Sarav Arunachalam is a professor and deputy director at UNC’s Institute for the Environment. He and his team modeled exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) — two common traffic pollutants — at a community level.

“Nitrogen dioxide is a colorless gas,” Arunachalam said. “You can’t see it in the atmosphere.”

Fine particulate matter consists of dust particles that are incredibly small. Arunachalam compared them to human hair; these particles are about 24 times smaller than a single hair.

These particulates are dangerous in part because of their size. Our bodies can’t filter out these microscopic invaders, so they enter our lungs and bloodstream. Arunachalam and his team fed U.S. census data into their model to see how these emissions impact different communities at the census block level.

“We saw that census blocks, which have historically minority populations, tend to have more exposure than the white majorities,” Arunachalam said.

Health Impacts and Environmental Determinants

Poor air quality exacerbates four out of the five leading causes of death in North Carolina. Still, Kirsten Minor, the health program manager for the advocacy group Clean AIRE NC, said doctors don’t always consider these important environmental factors when treating patients.

“A doctor can write a prescription, and a patient can comply and take their medications,” Minor explained. “But if the patient lives in a community that is overburdened by air pollution and other sources of pollution, that’s not a personal risk behavior determinant. That’s an environmental determinant.”

Addressing Environmental Challenges

Moving forward, Green said community leadership will need to take the reins in addressing urban heat, air pollution, and the consequences of the city’s past segregationist policies.

“The community voice has to not only be centered,” said Green. “It has to lead in the process.”

The Merrick Moore Community Development Corporation has already started several initiatives aimed at improving overall environmental health, such as planting a community garden and food forest, and protecting the green spaces the neighborhood has left.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

   • Target 3.9: By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water, and soil pollution and contamination.
   • Indicator: Number of deaths and illnesses attributed to air pollution.

2. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

   • Target 11.6: By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management.
   • Indicator: Proportion of urban population living in areas where air pollution levels exceed the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Air Quality Guidelines.

3. SDG 13: Climate Action

   • Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.
   • Indicator: Number of deaths, missing persons, and directly affected people attributed to climate-related disasters.

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Analysis

1. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

   The article highlights the impact of poor air quality on health, particularly in minority communities. This aligns with SDG 3, which aims to ensure good health and well-being for all. The target identified is Target 3.9, which focuses on reducing deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air pollution. The indicator mentioned is the number of deaths and illnesses attributed to air pollution.

2. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

   The article discusses the burden of low air quality in historically Black communities due to traffic-related emissions. This relates to SDG 11, which aims to create sustainable cities and communities. The target identified is Target 11.6, which focuses on reducing the adverse environmental impact of cities, including air quality. The indicator mentioned is the proportion of the urban population living in areas where air pollution levels exceed WHO’s Air Quality Guidelines.

3. SDG 13: Climate Action

   The article mentions the need to address the consequences of past segregationist policies and emphasizes the importance of resilience to climate-related hazards. This aligns with SDG 13, which focuses on climate action. The target identified is Target 13.1, which aims to strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards. The indicator mentioned is the number of deaths, missing persons, and directly affected people attributed to climate-related disasters.

Behold! This splendid article springs forth from the wellspring of knowledge, shaped by a wondrous proprietary AI technology that delved into a vast ocean of data, illuminating the path towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Remember that all rights are reserved by SDG Investors LLC, empowering us to champion progress together.

Source: wfae.org

Join us, as fellow seekers of change, on a transformative journey at https://sdgtalks.ai/welcome, where you can become a member and actively contribute to shaping a brighter future.