Associations between air pollution and socioeeonomic characteristics, ethnicity and age profile of neighbourhoods in England and the Netherlands

摘要

Background. Air pollution levels are generally higher in socially deprived areas but the demographics to explain this environmental inequality at a local level are, still not fully understood. This is essential, however, to understand the public health implications. Aim. We analysed associations between population characteristics and long-term exposure to ambient particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤ 10 μm (PM10) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in two European countries. We further investigated whether these associations differed between national, regional and city level. Methods. We compared publicly available population characteristics (socio-economic characteristics, ethnicity, age) with detailed maps of PM10 and NO2 concentrations modelled using land use regression at the neighbourhood level in England and the Netherlands. Results. For England the most deprived neighbourhoods experienced 4.4 μg/m3 higher levels of NO2 pollution compared to the least deprived, but there was less difference with PM10. In the Netherlands, air pollution levels were not associated with deprivation. In England, marked differences also existed with ethnically diverse neighbourhoods (increase in NO2 of 10.1 μg/m3 compared to white neighbourhoods) and higher inequalities in air pollution levels were found in urban areas with both deprivation and ethnic composition of neighbourhoods. For both countries, associations for some areas were different from from the national results. Conclusion. Environmental inequity may differ between different cities, regions and countries. Environmental inequity related to NO2, a marker for traffic related pollution, is strongest in urban areas, which suggests that policies to reduce inequality in air pollution exposures should consequently focus on transport related measures.