Scientists make unsettling discovery while reviewing air pollution data around warehouses: 'A significant difference'

A NASA-funded study shows that warehouse locations are also hubs of air pollution in the United States' second-largest metropolitan area.

What's happening?

Ports in the Los Angeles area and Southern California process two of every five cargo containers that enter the country, and the diesel trucks that transport those goods spew dangerous exhaust, according to the research , which the Jet Propulsion Laboratory summarized.

The study covered all or parts of Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside, and Orange counties from 2000 to 2019. It found that ZIP codes with more or larger warehouses were more polluted than those with fewer or smaller warehouses.

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PM2.5 — particulate matter up to 2.5 micrometers — and other pollutants fill the air in these areas, especially around the holidays, per the summary . The difference in pollution concentrations in "ZIP codes with warehouses" and "other areas" was as much as 4 micrograms per cubic meter, per the summary — "a significant difference," as co-author Yang Liu said.

Why is this important?

The researchers wrote that disadvantaged communities, including racial and ethnic minority populations and those with less education or lower incomes, are particularly affected. This backs up similar studies in the field.

The report noted no amount of PM2.5 is safe and that it is linked to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and adverse birth outcomes. "At 2.5 micrometers or less, these pollutants can be inhaled into the lungs and absorbed into the bloodstream," JPL stated.

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Andrea Vidaurre, a local activist who won an award for her work to improve the polluting practices of the state's trucking and railway industries, said that while it's easy to blame consumerism for the problems, the corporations that are profiting are behind the wheel.

What's being done about air pollution?

Globally, truck makers are looking to manufacture greener vehicles. Logistics giant Pitt Ohio is one example of a business that's transitioning to cleaner trucks, and PepsiCo drivers are singing the praises of electric big rigs.

"It highlights the urgent need for careful planning in warehouse construction and better protection for vulnerable communities, particularly those most at risk from increased pollution," the authors wrote of their research.