This research aims to address the inequalities in air pollution exposure, health risk, and cardiovascular disease burden in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods in the U.S. Such communities have a higher burden of exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution, face greater risk of related cardiovascular disease, and are disproportionately burdened by that cardiovascular disease. The pilot project brings together faculty from different fields to understand, and to find strategies to eliminate, these disparities. The first phase will determine the variability of PM2.5 exposure by neighborhood, assess if cardiovascular disease risks are higher in disadvantaged neighborhoods, and finally, identify which neighborhoods face the largest disease burden from PM2.5. The team will use the results to design location-specific strategies to eliminate these inequalities.
