Study: Blacks and Hispanics Exposed to More Pollution Than Whites

A study conducted by University of Minnesota researchers has concluded that blacks and Hispanics breathe in more polluted air than non-Hispanic whites, who are said to produce more pollution than the two minority groups. According to the study, blacks are exposed to 56 percent more pollution than they produce, and Hispanics are exposed to 63 percent more. Non-Hispanic whites, which include Asians and Native Americans, reportedly are exposed to 17 percent less pollution than they cause. Scientists reportedly determined how much pollution each group was producing through their consumption habits on “pollution-intensive goods and services.” Due to their “wealth,” whites consumed “more than minorities” and thus contributed to greater pollution, the researchers said. “Even though minorities are contributing less to the overall problem of air pollution, they are affected by it more,” said co-author Jason Hill, an engineering professor at the University of Minnesota. “Is it fair (that) I create more pollution and somebody else is disproportionately affected by it?”