Black carbon exposure more strongly associated with census tract poverty compared to household income among US black, white, and Latino working class adults in Boston, MA (2003-2010)

Environ Pollut. 2014 Jul:190:36-42. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2014.03.015. Epub 2014 Apr 4.

Abstract

We investigated the association of individual-level ambient exposure to black carbon (spatiotemporal model-based estimate for latitude and longitude of residential address) with individual, household, and census tract socioeconomic measures among a study sample comprised of 1757 US urban working class white, black and Latino adults (age 25-64) recruited for two studies conducted in Boston, MA (2003-2004; 2008-2010). Controlling for age, study, and exam date, the estimated average annual black carbon exposure for the year prior to study enrollment at the participants' residential address was directly associated with census tract poverty (beta = 0.373; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.322, 0.423) but not with annual household income or education; null associations with race/ethnicity became significant only after controlling for socioeconomic position.

Keywords: Air pollution; Black carbon; Poverty; Race/ethnicity; Socioeconomic.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Air Pollutants / analysis*
  • Air Pollution / statistics & numerical data*
  • Black or African American / ethnology
  • Boston / ethnology
  • Censuses
  • Educational Status
  • Environmental Exposure / statistics & numerical data*
  • Family Characteristics / ethnology
  • Female
  • Hispanic or Latino / ethnology
  • Humans
  • Income / statistics & numerical data
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Poverty*
  • Socioeconomic Factors
  • Soot / analysis*
  • White People / ethnology

Substances

  • Air Pollutants
  • Soot