Wildfires exacerbate inequalities in indoor pollution exposure
Name
Krebs_2024_Environ._Res._Lett._19_024043.pdf
Size
462.38 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
5840505d32c448049a22a287b2388784
Author(s)
Krebs, Benjamin
Neidell, Matthew
Date Issued
February 1, 2024
Publisher
IOP Publishing
Citation
Benjamin Krebs and Matthew Neidell 2024 Environ. Res. Lett. 19 024043.
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Wildfires lead to dramatic increases in fine particulate matter pollution concentrations. Based on the premise that higher-income households purchase more defensive investments to reduce the degree to which outdoor pollution infiltrates indoors, in this study, we investigate how income contributes to outdoor–indoor pollution infiltration rates during wildfire events. Using crowd-sourced data from the PurpleAir Real-Time Air Quality Monitoring Network and econometric models that explore variations in monitor readings over time, we find increases in outdoor pollution lead to significant increases in indoor pollution, but disproportionately so in lower-income areas. The results highlight a new inequality in pollution exposure: not only are outdoor pollution levels higher for lower-income individuals, but indoor pollution levels are higher even for similar outdoor pollution levels.
Subjects
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
General Environmental Science
Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
MIT Department
MIT Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research
Terms of Use
Creative Commons Attribution
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ad22b8
