Collaboration with UC Berkeley
LA’s communities of color bear a disproportionate burden of air pollution. Jennifer Ofodile, PhD ’25 ESPM, and Eva Pfannerstill are co-first authors of the paper, with the research study led by Allen Goldstein, a UC Berkeley professor in the Departments of ESPM and Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Disadvantaged communities in Los Angeles experience significantly higher concentrations and emissions of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), a class of substances that have been linked to adverse health effects like increased cancer risk, reproductive complications, and developmental issues, according to a recent study led by researchers in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management (ESPM).
The findings, which were published last month in Environmental Science & Technology, are based on an analysis of the first-ever direct aircraft-based observations of HAP emissions and concentration collected in Los Angeles. The data suggests that low-income residents and communities of color in Los Angeles, which routinely ranks as one of the most polluted regions in the United States, are still disproportionately burdened by the legacy of discriminatory practices like redlining and racial segregation.
Contact
Jun.-Prof. Dr. Eva Pfannerstill
Young Investigator Group Leader
- Institute of Climate and Energy Systems (ICE)
- Troposphere (ICE-3)
Room 2030