MN Health Agencies: Low-Income, Diverse Communities Disproportionately Affected By Air Pollution

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- New reports from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and Minnesota Department of Health find that air pollution disproportionately affects communities who are low-income, people of color, people with disabilities and the uninsured.

The reports, called "Life and Breath: Metro" and "Life and Breath: Greater Minnesota," looked at the health effects of air pollution in 2015, which is the most recent year data has been analyzed in the Twin Cities area and Greater Minnesota areas, such as Duluth, Rochester and St. Cloud.

According to the report, air pollution played a role in 10% of all deaths in the Twin Cities metro that year, along with nearly 500 hospitalizations and emergency room visits for heart and lung problems. Air pollution is estimated to play a role in 8-10% of deaths in Greater Minnesota cities studied.

This is happening despite air quality improvements in Minnesota over the past few decades.

In all of the cities studied, communities that face "discrimination, barriers to access and structural racism" had the highest estimated rates of air pollution-related death and disease. For instance, areas with the largest percentage of residents of color had more than five times the rate of asthma emergency room visits related to air pollution when compared to areas with more white residents.

"The burden of air pollution falls heavier on some communities within our cities than on others, contributing to preventable deaths and worsening heart and lung disease," Dr. Brooke Cunningham, assistant commissioner of MDH's Health Equity Bureau, said. "It seems like we all breathe the same quality air. The differences are not always visible. Those 'invisibilities' are why it's so hard to tackle the structural causes of health inequities. This report provides crucial information to move forward toward a healthier Minnesota for all."

State officials say reducing air pollution is part of the MDH and MPCA's overall strategy to address inequities in health care, housing and other social factors that influence health. The findings of the reports, along with other analyses and community conversations, will help inform where resources are directed to reduce pollution and address health inequities.