Communities of color at increased risk of diseases linked to air pollution: GW study NBC4 Washington [Video]

A new study by George Washington University researchers found that communities of color are at an increased risk of developing diseases linked to air pollution.

Researchers behind the study, published in 2024, say communities of color were almost eight times more likely to develop higher pediatric asthma due to the pollutants.

Scientists also found that air pollutant-related diseases have increased significantly through the last decade in areas of color. They started their research in 2021, and continued gathering data until the study was published this year.

“Unfortunately, many of the communities that were chosen to accommodate heavy industry or busy highways and interstates were often communities of color,” said Dr. Gaige Kerr, senior research scientist at GWU’s Department of Environmental and Occupational Health.

One of those pollutants is called nitrogen dioxide. It’s a man-made chemical compound that irritates lungs and triggers asthma attacks. The pollutant is found in cars and trucks known to heavily pollute the …