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Socio-economic inequalities in exposure to industrial air pollution emissions in Quebec public schools

  • Quantitative Research
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Abstract

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to assess the relationships between deprivation at Quebec public schools, their proximity to polluting industries, and their exposure to industrial air emission sources including ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5), sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2).

METHODS: We obtained four indicators of school deprivation using data from the 2006 Canadian census called the low-income threshold indicator, the neighbourhood SES indicator, and the social and material deprivation indicators of Pampalon. Using proximity spatial tools, we constructed three buffers of 2.5, 5 and 7.5 km around each school and summed up total emissions of PM2.5, SO2 and NO2 for each school. Industrial air emissions were estimated using data from the 2006 Canadian National Pollutant Release Inventory. The Pearson correlations and LOESS regressions and natural log-transformed industrial air emissions were evaluated for Quebec public schools within the three buffers.

RESULTS: Of the 2189 public schools in Quebec, 608 (27.8%), 1108 (50.6%) and 1384 (63.2%) schools were located near at least one industry emitting one or more pollutants of interest in buffers of 2.5 km, 5 km and 7.5 km of schools respectively. Weak positive Pearson correlations (r) were found between log-transformed tons of industrial emissions of PM2.5, SO2 and NO2 and both the social deprivation (r = {0.23; 0.33}) and low-income threshold (r = {0.17; 0.29}) indicators in a buffer of 2.5 km. However, we found negative associations between emissions and the neighbourhood SES (r = {0.06; 0.16}) and material deprivation (r = {−0.04; 0.08}) indicators.

CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that schools in Quebec with higher rates of socio-economic deprivation among their students may be more likely to be exposed to higher emissions of industrial air pollutants.

Résumé

OBJECTIFS: L’objectif de cette étude était d’explorer la relation entre le niveau de défavorisation des écoles publiques québécoises, leur proximité aux sources industrielles et leur exposition aux émissions industrielles de particules fines (PM2.5), de dioxyde de soufre (S02) et d’oxydes d’azote (NOx).

MÉTHODES: L’indice de faible revenu (SFR), l’indice de milieu socio-économique (IMSE) et les indices de défavorisation sociale et matérielle de Pampalon, basés sur le recensement de 2006, ont été utilisés. Des cercles de rayons de 2,5 km, 5 km et 7,5 km ont été construits autour des écoles. En utilisant l’Inventaire national de rejets de polluants, les émissions industrielles de PM2.5, SO2 et NO2 de l’année 2006 ont été sommées dans chaque rayon. Les relations entre les émissions industrielles log-transformées et la défavorisation ont été évaluées pour les écoles en utilisant des corrélations de Pearson et des régressions LOESS.

RÉSULTATS: Des 2189 écoles incluses dans cette étude, 608 (27,8 %), 1108 (50,6 %) et 1 384 (63,2 %) étaient localisées à proximité d’au moins une industrie émettrice d’un ou plusieurs polluants d’intérêt dans un rayon de 2,5 km, 5 km et 7,5 km autour des écoles, respectivement. Des corrélations de Pearson (r) positives ont été notées entre les tonnes d’émissions industrielles log-transformées de PM2.5, SO2 et NO2 et l’indice de défavorisation sociale de Pampalon (r = {0,23; 0,33}) et le SFR (r = {0,17; 0,29}) dans un rayon de 2.5 km. Cependant des corrélations contre-intuitives ont été observées avec l’IMSE (r = {0,06; 0,16}) et l’indice de défavorisation matérielle de Pampalon (r = {−0,04; 0,08}).

CONCLUSION: Cette étude suggère que les écoles québécoises plus défavorisées pourraient être davantage exposées aux émissions industrielles de polluants de l’air que les autres.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, University of Montreal, 2375 Ch de la Côte-Sainte-Catherine, Montreal, QC, H3T 1A8, Canada

    Emmanuelle Batisse MSc & Audrey Smargiassi PhD

  2. Environnement urbain et saines habitudes de vie, Direction régionale de santé publique du CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada

    Sophie Goudreau MSc

  3. Institute for Health and Social Policy, McCill University, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Jill Baumgartner PhD

  4. Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, McCill University, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Jill Baumgartner PhD

  5. Université de Montréal Public Health Research Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Audrey Smargiassi PhD

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  1. Emmanuelle Batisse MSc
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  2. Sophie Goudreau MSc
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Correspondence to Emmanuelle Batisse MSc.

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Batisse, E., Goudreau, S., Baumgartner, J. et al. Socio-economic inequalities in exposure to industrial air pollution emissions in Quebec public schools. Can J Public Health 108, e503–e509 (2017). https://doi.org/10.17269/CJPH.108.6166

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