Socioeconomic Inequalities in Air Pollutant Exposure in Glasgow

This report examines environmental inequalities present in the Glasgow City Council area, specifically looking at two main pollutants, both of which come primarily from vehicle emissions: nitrogen oxides (NOX) and small particulate matter (PM2.5). These two pollutants are significant because they are either known to cause or highly correlated with a variety of health problems. Glasgow City is notable, because it is the most populated city in Scotland. It also – unsurprisingly – has the highest concentrations of these pollutants. It is also an interesting case study because of high rates of socioeconomic inequalities, which can influence health even further.

Health is the primary motivation for evaluating the relationship between air quality and markers of inequality, although this paper does not evaluate intercorrelations between air quality, inequality, and health. Instead, this paper evaluates rates of income inequality and ethnic makeup in Glasgow City data zones, and compares them to annual mean NOX and PM2.5 concentrations. This report also examines air pollution levels at state funded schools based on the proportion of pupils that are from ethnic minorities or living in deprived areas.