Su Jason G, Vuong Vy, Shahriary Eahsan, Jacobsen John, Balmes John, Barrett Meredith
School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States.
Propeller Health, 505 Montgomery St #2300, San Francisco, CA 94111, United States; ResMed, San Diego, CA 92123, United States.
Environ Int. 2025 Aug;202:109618. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2025.109618. Epub 2025 Jun 18.
The increasing operations of port craft and railway locomotives pose significant environmental and health challenges to vulnerable communities in California, where disadvantaged populations often bear a disproportionate burden of pollution exposure. This study employs digital inhaler sensors to monitor individual respiratory health and quantify the impacts of air pollution from port craft and railway activities on rescue medication use. Combining spatially resolved emissions data with meteorological inputs, we utilized advanced dispersion modeling to estimate pollution levels, focusing on fine particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter equal to or less than 2.5 µm (PM) and nitrogen dioxide (NO). Our analysis revealed that a 10-µg m increase in PM concentrations is associated with a 3.42% rise in daily rescue medication use when accounting for NO and PM jointly. The impacts are particularly pronounced in deprivation-high communities, where the effect of PM on rescue medication use is 3.8 times greater than in less disadvantaged areas. These findings highlight stark disparities in health outcomes, with marginalized populations facing heightened risks due to their proximity to emission sources and lack of adequate environmental safeguards. While substantial research has addressed air pollution impacts from roadway traffic and industrial activities, studies focusing specifically on port craft and railway emissions remain limited. Our study demonstrates the unique health burdens associated with these underexplored sources of pollution. Furthermore, the use of digital health technologies allows for unprecedented spatiotemporal resolution in tracking exposure and respiratory outcomes, providing a more nuanced understanding of the complex interplay between environmental and health dynamics. These results underscore the urgent need for targeted interventions, including cleaner technologies, stricter emission regulations, and policies aimed at mitigating exposure in vulnerable populations. Addressing these disparities is essential to advancing environmental justice and protecting public health.
港口船只和铁路机车运营的增加给加利福尼亚州的弱势群体带来了重大的环境和健康挑战，在该州，弱势人群往往承受着不成比例的污染暴露负担。本研究采用数字吸入器传感器来监测个人呼吸健康状况，并量化港口船只和铁路活动产生的空气污染对急救药物使用的影响。我们将空间分辨排放数据与气象输入相结合，利用先进的扩散模型来估算污染水平，重点关注空气动力学直径等于或小于2.5微米的细颗粒物（PM）和二氧化氮（NO）。我们的分析表明，在综合考虑NO和PM的情况下，PM浓度每增加10微克/立方米，每日急救药物使用量就会增加3.42%。这种影响在贫困率高的社区尤为明显，在这些社区，PM对急救药物使用的影响比弱势程度较低地区大3.8倍。这些发现凸显了健康结果方面的巨大差异，边缘化人群由于靠近排放源且缺乏足够的环境保护措施而面临更高的风险。虽然大量研究探讨了道路交通和工业活动对空气污染的影响，但专门针对港口船只和铁路排放的研究仍然有限。我们的研究证明了这些未充分探索的污染源所带来的独特健康负担。此外，数字健康技术的使用使得在跟踪暴露情况和呼吸结果方面具有前所未有的时空分辨率，从而更细致地理解环境与健康动态之间的复杂相互作用。这些结果强调了采取针对性干预措施的迫切必要性，包括采用更清洁的技术、更严格的排放法规以及旨在减轻弱势群体暴露风险的政策。解决这些差异对于推进环境正义和保护公众健康至关重要。
