Social Inequalities in Exposure to Ambient Air Pollution: A Systematic Review in the WHO European Region

Jonathan Fairburn, Steffen Andreas Schüle, Stefanie Dreger, Lisa Karla Hilz and Gabriele Bolte
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Jonathan Fairburn: Staffordshire Business School, Staffordshire University, Stoke on Trent ST4 2DF, UK
Steffen Andreas Schüle: Department of Social Epidemiology, Institute of Public Health and Nursing Research, University of Bremen, 28359 Bremen, Germany
Stefanie Dreger: Department of Social Epidemiology, Institute of Public Health and Nursing Research, University of Bremen, 28359 Bremen, Germany
Lisa Karla Hilz: Department of Social Epidemiology, Institute of Public Health and Nursing Research, University of Bremen, 28359 Bremen, Germany
Gabriele Bolte: Department of Social Epidemiology, Institute of Public Health and Nursing Research, University of Bremen, 28359 Bremen, Germany

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 17, 1-19

Abstract: Ambient air pollution is a long-standing and significant public health issue. The aim of this review is to systematically examine the peer-reviewed evidence on social inequalities and ambient air pollution in the World Health Organization European Region. Articles published between 2010 and 2017 were analyzed in the review. In total 31 articles were included in the review. There is good evidence from ecological studies that higher deprivation indices and low economic position are usually linked with higher levels of pollutants such as particulate matter (particulate matter under 2.5 and 10 microns in diameter, PM 2.5 , PM 10 ) and oxides of nitrogen (e.g., NO 2 , and NO x ). There is also evidence that ethnic minorities experience a mixed exposure in comparison to the majority population being sometimes higher and sometimes lower depending on the ethnic minority under consideration. The studies using data at the individual level in this review are mainly focused on pregnant women or new mothers, in these studies deprivation and ethnicity are more likely to be linked to higher exposures of poor air quality. Therefore, there is evidence in this review that the burden of higher pollutants falls disproportionally on different social groups.

Keywords: air quality; inequalities; inequities; equity; distribution; environmental justice; environmental inequalities; Europe; deprivation; economic position; preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (10)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:16:y:2019:i:17:p:3127-:d:261639

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