Fine-particle air pollution has decreased across the US, but poor and minority communities are still the most polluted

The Conversation – Air pollution contributes to as many as 9 million premature deaths worldwide each year. In a newly published study, researchers leverage newly available data that captures PM2.5 concentrations at more than 8.6 million distinct U.S. locations from 1981 through 2016. The results show that the neighborhoods and population groups that were most exposed to fine particle pollution 40 years ago – disproportionately low-income and minority communities – are still exposed to higher pollution levels.

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