Air pollution is one of the major environmental concerns of scientists and individuals worldwide. New York City is a large city with subways and buses that are available at all hours of the day and night to serve its 8 million residents. All of these vehicles, as well as factories and residential buildings, emit toxic chemicals into the air. Washington Heights, a neighborhood located in Northern Manhattan is home to 270,700 people, 71% of Latino origin. The local residents breathe highly polluted air on a daily basis. This results in childhood illnesses, cancer risks, and other serious ailments.

            Of all the children under the age of 18 living in Washington Heights, 43% are living below the poverty line. The number in the city as a whole is 28% (Community Health Profile for Inwood & Washington Heights 2006). These numbers do not only tell us a fact, they have deeper implications. Money does not only provide the resources for people to purchase bigger homes and more goods. It also has great impact on the neighborhood where one is able to live. Even though air is supposedly free, some regions pay a higher price for air in terms of health risks from pollution than others.

             All of the major highways in the city pass through Washington Heights. Gail Garbowski at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences based in Columbia University, said,   “The levels of diesel here are much higher because of the huge amount of traffic passing through the neighborhood. It is also known that the asthma rates are quite high. There is a direct correlation between asthma and air pollution.”

            Not everyone is ready to acknowledge that Washington Heights has a bigger problem with air pollution than elsewhere in the city. According to Dan Kass, the Assistant Commissioner for Environmental Surveillance Policy at the New York City Department of Health, “People are affected by air pollution throughout the city. We do not have information yet about the air quality in particular neighborhoods. This information is regional rather than local.”

            However, there is research currently being conducted by hospitals, universities, community groups and environmental organizations in the area that pinpoints air pollution as a major issue in Washington Heights.

            The Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health, of the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, is carrying out a study on young Dominican and African American mothers in Washington Heights and the South Bronx between the ages of 18 to 35. These women wear personal air monitors during pregnancy to measure exposure to PAHs, which are Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons. PAHs are chemical compounds that are produced from the burning of fossil fuels, oil, tar, and coal.

            Dr. Frederica Perera, the lead researcher in the study, spoke at the Community Board 12 meeting on the Environment and Health on September 10th. Community Board 12 encompasses the neighborhoods of Washington Heights and Inwood. Dr. Perera said, “All the pregnant women in our study were exposed to PAHs that can harm their developing child in the womb. These PAHs can result in asthma, delays in cognitive development and changes at the molecular level that can increase children’s cancer risk.”

            In her article in the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, she further explains that pollutants can cross the placenta and expose a developing fetus to these toxins. It was found that prenatal exposure to PAHs can cause health and learning problems in children, including Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). This can greatly affect a child’s performance in school as well as in later life. Dr. Perera also found that lower IQ scores were commonly found in children that were exposed to these air pollutants.

            Scientific researchers and city employees do not always have the same knowledge of the issues. Kass said, “The main causes of pollution are fine particles, ozone, nitrogen oxide, and sulfur dioxide.” He does not blame the city for the presence of all of these chemicals in its air. When asked about causes of pollution, he answered, “A lot of the pollution in New York City comes from the areas around us, including Westchester, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. Some of the air even blows here from the smokestacks in the Midwest.” He does however acknowledge that the city creates some pollution from traffic, trucks, and buildings.

            Kass said, “The leading illnesses that result from air pollution are asthma and heart attacks. However, anyone’s individual risk is low. We do have a city of 8 million people and it is almost impossible to say that pollution causes a particular illness for an individual. In groups, however, there may be trends.”

            Kass, an employee of a New York City governmental agency, is quick to praise the city’s efforts and progress in dealing with pollution. He stated that, “Over the last 20 years the pollution levels have greatly decreased because of stricter regulations.” The government passed laws such as the anti-idling law that prohibits buses from idling for more than three minutes, and the Clean Air Act that regulates pollution levels. However, Kass remarks that there is a limited amount of power in the hands of the city. He said, “The city can control traffic, but they can’t keep certain vehicles off the road. Like they can’t say that all taxis must be hybrids. This is the federal government’s job.”

            Air pollution is a grave problem in many regions across the globe. Poorer neighborhoods such as Washington Heights often bear a great burden of environmental costs. Race and ethnicity contribute to the problem of environmental injustice.