New study underscores the ongoing harmful legacy of redlining

Today, a new study funded in part by the Environmental Protection Agency underscores the ongoing negative impacts of redlining. Researchers analyzed air quality data in over 200 cities where communities were redlined, dating back to the 1930s, and found consistently elevated levels of pollution in Black, Asian, and Latino communities.

“These findings - once again - highlight the historical and unrelenting impact of environmental racism. Redlined communities bear a disproportionate burden of poor air quality that will have a profound effect on a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes for generations to come. New policies such as the Infrastructure Framework and Environmental Justice Air Quality Monitoring Act, help move the needle, but ongoing attention and resources are needed.”

• Dr. Margot Brown, Environmental Defense Fund