The goal of this project is to understand how household level technologies and urban infrastructure affect the distribution of air pollution exposure among the residents of a city, in turn contributing to health inequalities. Health inequalities are particularly important in rapidly growing cities of the developing world, where some people enjoy significant health improvements because of access to environmental technologies and health services. Conversely, health outcomes and health risks for the residents of urban slums may be similar to, or worse than, those for residents of poor rural areas, as they are exposed to environmental risks both at home and due to neighborhood pollution. Air pollution exposure in urban areas may be caused by smoke from household energy use for cooking and heating, and by ambient air pollution from transportation and industrial activities and infrastructure.
We will measure the distribution of exposure to air pollution, and estimate the resulting impacts on health outcomes in Accra, a growing urban center where biomass fuel use is still common. Accra provides a unique setting for understanding of how energy technology and infrastructure influence urban environmental and health inequalities. The population of Accra Metropolitan Area increased from 600,000 in 1970 to 1.7 million in 2000. There is substantial variation in socioeconomic status, housing, and urban infrastructure between the high-income areas, the crowded slums, and the older inner core areas. Nearly 60% of Accra's population relies on charcoal or firewood as the primary source of household energy. Persisting high levels of household exposure to environmental risks associated with poverty are coupled with increases in exposures associated with urban ambient pollution sources, such as old imported vehicles, and industrial activity in micro-enterprises within the city and in up-wind industrial sites outside the city.
This research will be conducted by an interdisciplinary team of investigators from health, physical, and social sciences and engineering. We will use the techniques and methods of multiple disciplines to measure air pollution exposure in subgroups of the city's population, at a level of detail which is rare in previous studies. We will integrate these measurements with methods from epidemiology and econometrics to understand the resulting effects of air pollution exposure on health inequalities. We will apply the specific findings locally to help design programs and policies for better management of air pollution in Accra. In addition, both the methodology and the results can be applied to other cities, to understand the air pollution and health inequality consequences of urban infrastructure and energy policy in a broader context.
Beyond the scientific benefits and applications to more effective management of technologies for reducing air pollution and health inequalities, the project will contribute to the development of educational opportunities for both graduate and undergraduate students, as well as those seeking professional training. The educational component will focus both on methodology and on the scientific and policy applications of the findings of the study. The project will also establish strong links between faculty and students from Harvard University and the University of Ghana, creating learning and research opportunities.
This project is supported by an award made in the FY 2005 competition in the Human and Social Dynamics priority area. All NSF directorates and offices are involved in the coordinated management of the HSD competition and the portfolio of HSD awards.
