Who Bears the Burden?

The Union of Concerned Scientists finds that Asian American, Latino, and African American residents in New York State are exposed to significantly higher levels of vehicle-derived PM2.5 pollution than white residents. The highest concentrations are found in New York City, particularly in the West Bronx, where pollution is linked to severe health risks including cardiovascular disease and asthma. The document argues that these inequities result from historical land-use and transportation decisions and recommends prioritizing electric vehicle infrastructure, cleaner fuels, and expanded public transit in the most burdened communities.

• Asian American, Latino, and African American residents in New York State experience significantly higher exposure to vehicle-derived PM2.5 pollution compared to white residents. Specifically, Asian American residents are exposed to twice as much pollution, Latino residents to 81 percent more, and African American residents to 72 percent more than white residents.
• A large proportion of New York's minority populations live in areas where on-road transportation PM2.5 concentrations exceed the state average: nearly 80 percent of Asian American residents, 74 percent of African American residents, and 74 percent of Latino residents.
• The most severe pollution concentrations are concentrated in New York City, with the 50 most polluted census tracts located in the Bronx, Manhattan, and Queens. In these areas, vehicular air pollution is between 2.2 and 2.5 times the state average.
• The highest exposure to vehicle pollution in the state occurs in Morris Heights, West Bronx, where PM2.5 levels are 270 percent higher than the state average. This community is predominantly composed of people of color, with 70 percent Latino and 29 percent African American residents.
• Vehicle-related PM2.5 pollution has severe health and economic costs in New York. In New York City, it is estimated to cause 320 premature deaths annually from cardiovascular disease and other illnesses, with trucks and buses causing over half of these. In 2015, the combined health and climate costs for passenger vehicles in New York State were approximately $7.9 billion.
• The document attributes these disparities to historical decisions regarding the placement of highways, public transportation investment, and housing, which have concentrated emissions in communities of color.

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-NY.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-NY.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-NY.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-NY.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }