Impact of Warehouse Expansion on Ambient PM2.5 and Elemental Carbon Levels in Southern California's Disadvantaged Communities: A Two‐Decade Analysis

• Published in: Geohealth 2024-09, Vol.8 (9), p.e2024GH001091-n/a
• Main Authors: Yang, Binyu, Zhu, Qingyang, Wang, Wenhao, Zhu, Qiao, Zhang, Danlu, Jin, Zhihao, Prasad, Prachi, Sowlat, Mohammad, Pakbin, Payam, Ahangar, Faraz, Hasheminassab, Sina, Liu, Yang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Air pollution; Air quality; Asthma; Community; Docks; Electronic commerce; Emissions; Environmental impact; environmental justice; Geohealth; Geospatial Data Applications for Environmental Justice; Jurisdiction; Minority & ethnic groups; Older people; Outdoor air quality; Particulate matter; Pollution levels; Postal codes; Public Health; Quality management; satellite data; Socioeconomic factors; Urban areas; Variables; warehouse impact; Warehouses
• ISSN: 2471-1403; 2471-1403
• DOI: 10.1029/2024GH001091

Over the past two decades, the surge in warehouse construction near seaports and in economically lower‐cost land areas has intensified product transportation and e‐commerce activities, particularly affecting air quality and health in nearby socially disadvantaged communities. This study, spanning from 2000 to 2019 in Southern California, investigated the relationship between ambient concentrations of PM2.5 and elemental carbon (EC) and the proliferation of warehouses. Utilizing satellite‐driven estimates of annual mean ambient pollution levels at the ZIP code level and linear mixed effect models, positive associations were found between warehouse characteristics such as rentable building area (RBA), number of loading docks (LD), and parking spaces (PS), and increases in PM2.5 and EC concentrations. After adjusting for demographic covariates, an Interquartile Range increase of the RBA, LD, and PS were associated with a 0.16 μg/m³ (95% CI = [0.13, 0.19], p