Injustice Air Injustice

The report details how African Americans are disproportionately exposed to power plant emissions due to residential concentration in urban centers and proximity to facilities. It links these emissions to higher rates of asthma, infant mortality, and mercury exposure, while highlighting the compounding effects of poverty and lack of healthcare. The authors advocate for new legislation to reduce sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, mercury, and carbon dioxide, and specifically call for the elimination of the 'grandfather' exemption in the Clean Air Act's New Source Review program.

• African Americans face higher exposure to power plant pollution than white populations, with 68% living within 30 miles of a coal-fired power plant compared to 56% of whites. Additionally, 71% of African Americans live in counties that violate federal air pollution standards, while 58% of the white population does.
• There is a significant racial disparity in asthma-related health outcomes: African Americans are hospitalized for asthma at more than three times the rate of whites and have a death rate from asthma that is twice as high.
• Coal-fired power plants are the primary industrial source of mercury in the U.S., contributing over one-third of all emissions. This poses a specific risk to African Americans because they are more likely to be active anglers who eat larger portions of fish, leading to higher mercury exposure that can impair fetal neurobehavioral development.
• Air pollution is linked to higher infant mortality rates among African Americans. Research indicates that high particulate matter levels are associated with a 26% increased risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and a 40% increased risk of respiratory mortality.
• Climate change is expected to disproportionately affect African Americans through increased heat-related deaths in inner cities, which are often 10 degrees warmer than surrounding areas, and a higher prevalence of infectious diseases due to lack of health insurance.
• The report argues that the 'grandfather' exemption in the Clean Air Act's New Source Review program allows old power plants to avoid modern pollution controls, and calls for this loophole to be closed to protect vulnerable communities.

APA

Keating, M. H., & Davis, F. (2002). Injustice Air Injustice. Clean Air Task Force. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21093526/Air_of_Injustice.pdf

Chicago

Keating, Martha H., and Felicia Davis. Injustice Air Injustice. Clean Air Task Force, 2002. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21093526/Air_of_Injustice.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Keating |first1=Martha H. |last2=Davis |first2=Felicia |title=Injustice Air Injustice |publisher=Clean Air Task Force |date=October 2002 |url=https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21093526/Air_of_Injustice.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{keating2002injustice, author = {Keating, Martha H. and Davis, Felicia}, title = {{Injustice Air Injustice}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2002}, month = oct, url = {https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21093526/Air_of_Injustice.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }