California Air Resources Board

Principal Investigator/Author: Michael Jerrett

Contractor: University of California, Los Angeles

Sub-contractors: Paul English (Public Health Institute), John Molitor (Oregon State University), Comite Civico del Valle

Contract Number: 21RD005

Project Status: Active

Relevant CARB programs: Community Air Protection Program, Community Health, People at Risk, Research Planning

Topic areas: Air Pollution, Environmental Justice, Health, Research

Research Summary:

Assembly Bill (AB) 617 directs the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to take measures to protect communities disproportionately impacted by air pollution. An important aspect of this directive, and of the state’s broader air quality efforts, is understanding and tracking community health outcomes resulting from air pollution. At present, no systematic tracking system is in place. In consultation with communities most burdened by air pollution, the Contractor will develop a comprehensive health tracking system that is scientifically valid and responsive to community concerns, and that will be made available as an easily-accessible web-based dashboard. The system will be created in collaboration with the Public Health Institute’s (PHI) Tracking California program, making use of both its routinely-collected health data at small geographic scales and easy-to-use website. The system will enable community members to see and assess the latest status of health indicators in their local area, as well as changes in their neighborhood’s health over time. The Contractor will consult with community members and other stakeholders to determine the specific health indicators to be tracked and the best ways to represent and communicate these data. Additionally, the Contractor will develop a framework of methods that can be used to causally link emission reduction programs to beneficial changes in health over time.

 Specifically, the objectives of this project are to: 

• Develop a comprehensive and sustainable set of health indicator data for tracking health and disease related to air pollution, throughout California communities, with a focus on those most burdened by pollution (including AB617 communities).
• Engage AB617 community members, stakeholders, and partners to obtain feedback that will inform the project’s methods (e.g., data gaps and community health indicators to include) and final deliverables (e.g., health tracking dashboard, metrics, and plain language explanatory materials).
• Develop a causal modeling framework to assess health improvements from air quality measures affecting communities most burdened by pollution.

Keywords: AB617, air quality, asthma, birth outcomes, cardiovascular health, causal evidence, community partners, environmental justice, disadvantaged communities, health, health assessment, health burdens, health effects of air pollution, health equity, health inequities, health outcome, priority communities, racial equity, reducing disparities, respiratory health, science communication, science education, social equity