Let's Talk Air Quality
Residents who live in polluted areas deserve to know how poor air quality affects their health. The Air Justice project aims to make engaging with the issue of air pollution easier. We also aim to amplify what communities in Louisville want from environmental health equity work.
The amount of air pollution in West and Southwest Louisville is a marker of structural racism. A history of neglect and discriminatory practices from local, state, and federal government kept communities of color concentrated in the area around "Rubbertown". This industrial hub has increased production tenfold since WWII. With industry comes air pollution that places residents at risk for health problems.
25%
Of reported deaths are caused by unhealthy air globally
1 in 12
Kids live with asthma due to air pollution
2,488,014
Pounds of chemicals released into the air in Jefferson County in 2021
61%
Residents in Southwest Louisville who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color
![Stop sign in front of fence in factory](/_next/image?url=%2Fimages%2Fscience.webp&w=3840&q=75)
Why It Matters
Air Justice aims to make legal, scientific, and technical data about communities in West and Southwest Louisville more available and transparent to residents. When data is held back or written only in difficult language, research no longer serves local communities.
Residents should have the tools needed to learn what health risks come from being exposed to toxic pollutants in their environment.
UNCOVERING LOCAL HISTORY
When environmental concerns burden mostly Black communities, communities of color, and communities that experience poverty, then the issue is one of environmental racism. Stories and local history from these communities–more than numbers and figures–are the most important data we have in the fight for clean air.
Stories & History