The Consequences of Racial and Socioeconomic Disparities in the Distribution of Air Pollution around Public Schools in the Great Lakes Region

Abstract

Background and Objectives: This study seeks to understand the distribution of air pollution from industrial and mobile sources around public schools in the Great Lakes Region of the U.S., whether racial and socioeconomic disparities in such distribution exist, and whether these burdens are linked with student performance and health. Methods: We expand on an earlier study examining air pollution burdens around public schools in Michigan to other states in the Great Lakes Region, including Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Geographic information systems (GIS) were used to link school, census, and air pollution estimates from the 2006 TRI and the 2005 National Air Toxics Assessment (NATA). Statistical analyses were used to examine racial and socioeconomic disparities in the distribution of pollution burdens around public schools in these six Great Lakes states and whether such burdens are related to student performance and health. Results: Racial and socioeconomic disparities at the school- and neighborhood-levels exist in the distribution of air toxics generated from industrial and mobile sources. Furthermore, air toxic burdens are associated with poor academic performance. These patterns were found even when controlling for important confounders such as attendance rates, student-teacher ratios, expenditures per pupil, socioeconomic status, and other factors. Conclusion: That our initial findings in Michigan are generalizable to the Great Lakes Region suggests that the problem of racial and socioeconomic disparities in the distribution of environmental burdens around public schools is wide-spread and needs greater attention than previously received. The extent, causes, and consequences of these disparities need to be better understood. School siting policies also need to be analyzed for their effectiveness in avoiding environmental burdens on the school-aged population.