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Racial Disparities in the Health Effects from Air Pollution: Evidence from Ports

Author

Listed:
  • Kenneth Gillingham
  • Pei Huang

Abstract

This study examines the uneven effects of air pollution from maritime ports on physical and mental health across racial groups. We exploit quasi-random variation in vessels in port from weather events far out in the ocean to estimate how port traffic influences air pollution and human health. We find that one additional vessel in a port over a year leads to 3.0 hospital visits per thousand Black residents within 25 miles of the port and only 1.0 per thousand for whites. We assess a port-related environmental regulation and show that the policy can help alleviate racial inequalities in health outcomes.

Suggested Citation

  • Kenneth Gillingham & Pei Huang, 2021. "Racial Disparities in the Health Effects from Air Pollution: Evidence from Ports," NBER Working Papers 29108, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:29108
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    Cited by:

    1. Chlond, Bettina & Goeschl, Timo & Kesternich, Martin, 2022. "More money or better procedures? Evidence from an energy efficiency assistance program," ZEW Discussion Papers 22-020, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    2. Alessandra Drigo, 2024. "Environmental justice gap in Italy: the role of industrial agglomerations and regional pollution dispersion capacity," Working Papers 2024.12, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei.
    3. Sun, Ling & Zhang, Jingyi & Ducruet, César & Itoh, Hidekazu & Liu, Xiangqi, 2025. "The impact of shipping activities on air quality and residents' health in China's port cities," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 123(C).
    4. César Ducruet & Hidekazu Itoh & Bárbara Polo Martin & Mame Astou Séné & Mariantonia Lo Prete & Ling Sun & Hidekazu Itoh & Yoann Pigné, 2023. "Ports and their influence on local air pollution and public health: a global analysis," EconomiX Working Papers 2023-32, University of Paris Nanterre, EconomiX.
    5. Drigo, Alessandra, 2024. "Environmental justice gap in Italy: the role of industrial agglomerations and regional pollution dispersion capacity," FEEM Working Papers 343509, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM).
    6. Camille Salesse, 2022. "Inequality in exposure to air pollution in France: bringing pollutant cocktails into the picture," CEE-M Working Papers hal-03882438, CEE-M, Universtiy of Montpellier, CNRS, INRA, Montpellier SupAgro.
    7. Lucas Cain & Danae Hernandez-Cortes & Christopher Timmins & Paige Weber, 2023. "Recent Findings and Methodologies in Economics Research in Environmental Justice," CESifo Working Paper Series 10283, CESifo.
    8. Ruchi Avtar & Kristian S. Blickle & Rajashri Chakrabarti & Janavi Janakiraman & Maxim L. Pinkovskiy, 2023. "Understanding the Linkages between Climate Change and Inequality in the United States," Economic Policy Review, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, vol. 29(1), pages 1-39, June.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement
    • I14 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Inequality
    • Q51 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Valuation of Environmental Effects
    • Q53 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Air Pollution; Water Pollution; Noise; Hazardous Waste; Solid Waste; Recycling
    • Q58 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environmental Economics: Government Policy
    • R41 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Transportation Economics - - - Transportation: Demand, Supply, and Congestion; Travel Time; Safety and Accidents; Transportation Noise

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