How Pollution is Hurting Our Health in Oakland

Environmental injustice isn’t just about the air and water. It’s about asthma attacks, emergency room visits, and children growing up sick.

“Where we live, work, and go to school shouldn’t determine whether we get sick.”

Who Bears the Pollution Burden?

Majority Asian neighborhoods have 1.6x more pollution than majority White neighborhoods.

The two majority Asian census tracts in Oakland had the highest average pollution burden (51.6), far higher than the average for majority White census tracts (31.8). Majority African American and majority Latino census tracts also had higher average pollution scores than majority White census tracts (37.4 and 40.6, respectively), as did non-White/mixed census tracts (37.9). The pollution burden score in majority Asian census tracts was 1.63 times higher than the score in majority White census tracts.

Asthma Doesn’t Hit Everyone Equally

African American children were 10.05X more likely than White children to be admitted to the emergency department for asthma-related conditions.

Census Data shows that African American children had much higher rates of asthma-related emergency department visits (4,093.3 per 100,000), compared to White children (407.4 per 100,000). Asian children also had a very low rate (408.0 per 100,000). The rate for Latino children (1,134.0 per 100,000) was also lower than the citywide rate (1,658.0).

Children’s Vulnerability Case Study

Why Kids at Allendale Elementary Are at Higher Risk?

To demonstrate the relationship between children’s health risk, school ethnicity demographics, and poverty rate, we compared three elementary schools that have above 200 students from three distinguish areas of Oakland.

Traffic, Pollution, and Poverty Rate Comparison, data by CalEnvironScreen:
Near Allendale Elementary (11,445.32 vehicle-km/hr), traffic volume is highest, followed by Hillcrest (7,343) and Peralta (4,467.52).

Allendale, with the greatest traffic and Children’s Lead Risk score (80.93), also boasts the highest poverty (38%), underscoring heightened exposure to several environmental risks in more underdeveloped areas.

“Kids at Allendale are at higher risk compared to other elementary schools because they live in an area with the highest poverty, oldest housing, and heaviest traffic—factors that all contribute to greater exposure to environmental hazards like lead and air pollution.”