Assessing the Influence of Socioeconomic Status and Air Pollution Levels on the Public Perception of Local Air Quality in a Mexico-US Border City

Dalia M. Muñoz-Pizza, Mariana Villada-Canela, M. A. Reyna, José Luis Texcalac-Sangrador, Jesús Serrano-Lomelin and Álvaro Osornio-Vargas
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Dalia M. Muñoz-Pizza: Doctorado en Medio Ambiente y Desarrollo, Instituto de Investigaciones Oceanológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Ensenada 22860, Mexico
Mariana Villada-Canela: Doctorado en Medio Ambiente y Desarrollo, Instituto de Investigaciones Oceanológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Ensenada 22860, Mexico
M. A. Reyna: Cuerpo académico de Bioingeniería y Salud Ambiental, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Mexicali 21100, Mexico
José Luis Texcalac-Sangrador: Environmental Health Department, Center for Population Health Research, National Institute of Public Health, Ciudad de Mexico 14080, Mexico
Jesús Serrano-Lomelin: Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Heritage Medical Research Centre, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R7, Canada
Álvaro Osornio-Vargas: Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 1C9, Canada

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 13, 1-22

Abstract: Air pollution in developing countries is a growing concern. It is associated with urbanization and social and economic structures. The understanding of how social factors can influence the perception and the potential impact of air pollution have not been addressed sufficiently. This paper addresses the social vulnerability and exposure to PM 10 association and its influence on the air quality perception of residents in Mexicali, a Mexico–US border city. This study used individual variables and population census data, as well as statistical and spatial analyses. A cluster of socially vulnerable populations with high exposure to coarse particulate matter (PM 10 ) was found in the city’s peripheral areas. The spatial distribution of the local perception of air quality varied by the exposure zones of the estimated PM 10 concentrations. Respondents living in very high exposure areas perceive air quality as “poor,” contrarily to a worse perception in areas of intermediate and lower exposure to PM 10 . Proximity to stationary sources of pollution was associated with a poor perception of air quality. Results also indicate that low household income and poor air quality perceived at the place of residence negatively influences the perceived changes in the air quality over time. The knowledge of chronic health effects related to air pollution was scarce in the sampled population, especially in the areas with very high exposure and high social vulnerability. These findings can serve as a support in local air quality management.

Keywords: air pollution; social vulnerability; PM 10; perception; Mexicali; sustainable development (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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