E-commerce hubs worsen air pollution: Study

Air pollution is worsening near massive e-commerce warehouses as a result of constant traffic around these hubs, a new study found.

The new study was led by researchers at The George Washington University and published in the Nature Communications journal on Wednesday. The researchers used satellite observations to measure traffic-related pollutant nitrogen dioxide across nearly 150,000 warehouses in the U.S. 

Overall, the researchers discovered that nitrogen dioxide increased 20 percent in the areas near the warehouses. The study noted that these warehouses are “disproportionately located in marginalized and minoritized communities.”

The researchers used a satellite instrument from the European Space Agency to look at the thousands of warehouses across the U.S. They noted that trucks and other vehicles release nitrogen dioxide, which can lead to asthma and other health problems, as they drive in and out of these e-commerce hubs.

The research, funded by NASA, also found that warehouses with more vehicle activity had higher increases of nitrogen dioxide that were above the 20 percent average. Those warehouses that have more parking spaces and loading docks were correlated with higher nitrogen dioxide levels.

Gaige Kerr, lead author of the study and an assistant research professor of environmental and occupational health, said in a press release that people living near these warehouses are inhaling more pollution from nitrogen dioxide.

“Increased truck traffic to and from these recently built large warehouses means people living downwind are inhaling an increased amount of harmful nitrogen dioxide pollution,” Kerr said. “Communities of color are disproportionately affected because they often live in close proximity to warehouses, especially dense clusters of warehouses.”