WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Satellite-based data offers a broad view of particulate air pollution patterns across a major West Coast e-commerce hub.
A recent NASA-funded study has analyzed patterns of particulate pollution in Southern California and found that ZIP codes with more or larger warehouses had higher levels of contaminants over time than those with fewer or smaller warehouses.
Researchers focused on particulate pollution, choosing Southern California, which is a major distribution hub for goods. Its ports handle 40 percent of cargo containers entering the country.
It is the diesel trucks, not the buildings, the major particulate sources. The trucks that pick up and drop off goods emit exhaust containing toxic particles called PM2.5. At 2.5 micrometers or less, these pollutants can be inhaled into the lungs and absorbed into the bloodstream. Although atmospheric concentrations are typically so small they're measured in millionths of a gram per cubic meter, the authors of the study caution that there's no safe exposure level for PM2.5.
Particulate pollution has been linked to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, some cancers, and adverse birth outcomes, including premature birth and low infant birth weight.
The new study is part of a broader effort funded by the NASA Health and Air Quality Applied Sciences Team to use satellite data to understand how air pollution disproportionately affects under-served communities.
As the e-commerce boom of recent decades has spurred warehouse construction, pollution in nearby neighborhoods has become a growing area for research. New structures have often sprouted on relatively inexpensive land, which tends to be home to low-income or minority populations who bear the brunt of the poor air quality,' said co-author Yang Liu, an environmental health researcher at Emory University in Atlanta.
Another recent NASA-funded study analyzed satellite-derived nitrogen dioxide (NO2) measurements around 150,000 United States warehouses. It found that concentrations of the gas, which is a diesel byproduct and respiratory irritant, were about 20% higher near warehouses.
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