AEA Papers and Proceedings
ISSN 2574-0768 (Print) | ISSN 2574-0776 (Online)
Do Health Disparities Narrow with Pollution Disparities? Trends from California
AEA Papers and Proceedings
vol. 113,
May 2023
(pp. 372–76)
Abstract
Pollution concentrations (PM2.5) in the United States have fallen in recent decades. Despite these improvements, disparities in concentrations between racial/ethnic groups persist. We combine administrative data on the universe of emergency room (ER) admissions across California with satellite information on PM2.5 concentrations and compare recent trends in racial/ethnic disparities for PM2.5 and asthma rates. We find that PM2.5 concentrations fell for the average Black, Hispanic, and White individual. Similarly, disparities in PM2.5Citation
Hernandez-Cortes, Danae, and Kyle C. Meng. 2023. "Do Health Disparities Narrow with Pollution Disparities? Trends from California." AEA Papers and Proceedings, 113: 372–76. DOI: 10.1257/pandp.20231128Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- D31 Personal Income, Wealth, and Their Distributions
- I12 Health Behavior
- I14 Health and Inequality
- Q51 Valuation of Environmental Effects
- Q53 Air Pollution; Water Pollution; Noise; Hazardous Waste; Solid Waste; Recycling
- R11 Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes