Research shows link between income and air pollution
Income deprived areas disproportionally had the worst air pollution, while people of colour are 2.5 times more likely to live in an area with high particulate pollution, and 5 times more likely to live in a NO2 polluted neighbourhood (June 2022).
Friends of the Earth identified all the Welsh neighbourhoods that are breaching the WHO 2021 recommended limits for nitrogen oxide (NO2) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5).
The Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation (WIMD), plus further data on car ownership, ethnicity, child population and schools, were compared to the level of air pollution in Welsh neighbourhoods.
Income deprived areas, as defined by the WIMD, disproportionally had the worst air pollution, while people of colour are 2.5 times more likely to live in an area with high particulate pollution, and 5 times more likely to live in a NO2 polluted neighbourhood.
Households in neighbourhoods with the worst air pollution are also less likely to own a car than those in the least polluted areas who are disproportionately causing air pollution by using their cars.