Racial Disparities in Fine Particulate Matter Exposure and COVID-19 Spread in the United States

PAYTON BEELER, Rajan K. Chakrabarty, Washington University in St. Louis

     Abstract Number: 564
     Working Group: Identifying and Addressing Disparate Health and Social Impacts of Exposure to Aerosols and Other Contaminants across Continents, Communities, and Microenvironments

Abstract
Minority populations across the United States (US) have been disproportionately affected by 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. However, the underlying reasons for the rapidity of disease spread in minority communities are not clear. Here, we investigate the relative impact of county-level disparities in 28 factors on the basic reproduction ratio (R₀) of COVID-19 in twelve major metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) in the US. On average, we find that a 10% increase in long-term, ambient PM_2.5 exposure (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter 2.5 μm or less) is associated with a 7.6% increase in R₀, an outsized effect in comparison to other factors. In addition, we find that the largest disparities in PM_2.5 exposure and R₀ are concentrated among Hispanic-American communities, followed by Asian-American and African-American communities, highlighting the effects of longstanding geographic segregation of minority communities. We conclude by providing each MSA with a roadmap for identifying which communities should be targeted for PM_2.5 mitigation policy implementation.