Research Insights: How Is Air Pollution Monitoring and Exposure Distributed Across Socioeconomic Groups in Major Latin American Cities?

In Bogotá, Mexico City, and São Paulo, air pollution monitors are more likely to be located in higher-income, better-educated neighborhoods. Across all four cities studied, individuals in lower education and income quintiles experience significantly more hours of extreme particulate matter pollution, despite small disparities in mean annual pollution levels. The unequal distribution of pollution peaks likely exacerbates existing social inequalities due to the non-linear negative impacts of air pollution on health and well-being.