Who Bears the Burden?

The analysis finds that Latino, Asian American, and African American residents in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic are exposed to significantly higher levels of vehicle-related PM2.5 pollution than white residents. The report highlights that white residents comprise 85% of those in the lowest pollution areas, while people of color are overrepresented in the most polluted census tracts, often located near major highways in urban centers. The document argues for targeted investments in clean transportation, such as electric vehicles and buses, to reduce these environmental inequities.

• Racial disparities in exposure to PM2.5 from on-road vehicles are significant: Latino residents have 75% higher exposure, Asian American residents have 73% higher exposure, and African American residents have 61% higher exposure compared to white residents.
• White residents are heavily concentrated in the cleanest areas, making up 85% of the population in census tracts where PM2.5 pollution from vehicles is less than half the statewide average.
• Approximately 16.3 million people of color—including 6.5 million African American, 6.1 million Latino, and 3.7 million residents of other races—live in areas where PM2.5 pollution exceeds their state's average.
• Pollution levels vary drastically by location; in the most polluted areas of New York State, PM2.5 concentrations are 3.7 times the regional average, while in Pennsylvania, they are three times the regional average.
• The health and climate costs associated with the passenger vehicle fleet across eight states in the region were estimated at $21 billion in 2015, with health costs accounting for roughly two-thirds of that total.
• In New York City, vehicle-related fine PM air pollution is estimated to cause 320 premature deaths annually, with more than half of these deaths attributed to trucks and buses.
• The analysis indicates that exposure inequities are more strongly linked to race and ethnicity than to income levels, as income brackets are distributed more evenly across different pollution levels.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2019). Who Bears the Burden? https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2019/06/Inequitable-Exposure-to-Vehicle-Pollution-Northeast-Mid-Atlantic-Region.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Who Bears the Burden? 2019. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2019/06/Inequitable-Exposure-to-Vehicle-Pollution-Northeast-Mid-Atlantic-Region.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Who Bears the Burden? |date=June 2019 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2019/06/Inequitable-Exposure-to-Vehicle-Pollution-Northeast-Mid-Atlantic-Region.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2019who, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Who Bears the Burden?}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2019}, month = jun, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2019/06/Inequitable-Exposure-to-Vehicle-Pollution-Northeast-Mid-Atlantic-Region.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }