Evaluating disparities in air pollution as a function of ethnicity, deprivation and sectoral emissions in England

Macro-scale distribution of air pollution concentrations is influenced by factors including geography, weather, industry, transport and regulation. Pollution sources are unevenly distributed, with some communities disproportionately impacted by higher emissions. This study separates the effects of deprivation from ethnicity as factors that influence proximity to pollution sources. We combine recent decadal census data (2021) on socioeconomic deprivation and detailed population ethnicity at fine scales (Lower Super Output layer Area, LSOA n = 1600 people) with a 1×1 km sector-resolved atmospheric emissions inventory for NOx and primary PM2.5 in England. All 24 minoritised ethnic groups studied experienced higher average local NOx and PM2.5 emissions than socio-economically matched populations in the majority ‘White: English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British‘ ethnic group. Chinese, Arab and Bangladeshi communities experienced the largest disparity in NOx, with weighted emissions 100%, 91%, 89% higher than white populations of matched deprivation status. Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Roma groups experienced on average 40%, 40%, 36% higher PM2.5 emissions locally than matched white groups. For NOx the largest contributors leading to disparity, were road transport (48%), domestic combustion (23%) and industry (15%). For PM2.5 the greatest contributors to disparity were domestic combustion (53%), road transport (19%), and industry (11%). Living near to road transport and in city centres are frequently cited as primary drivers of ethnicity and deprivation-based disparities, however the analysis identifies that industrial, domestic and off-road sources create issues of the same magnitude, and disparities remain in suburban settings, smaller towns and some rural areas.