Estimating the causal effect of redlining on present-day air pollution.

ABSTRACT: Recent studies have shown associations between redlining policies (1935-1974) and present-day fine particulate matter (PM$_{2.5}$) and nitrogen dioxide (NO$_2$) air pollution concentrations. In this paper, we move beyond associations and investigate the causal effects of redlining using spatial causal inference. Redlining policies were enacted in the 1930s, so there is very limited documentation of pre-treatment covariates. Consequently, traditional methods failed to sufficiently account for unmeasured confounders, potentially biasing causal interpretations. By integrating historical redlining data with 2010 PM$_{2.5}$ and NO$_2$ concentrations, our study seeks to estimate the long-term causal impact. Our study addresses challenges with a novel spatial and non-spatial latent factor framewo

SUBMITTER: Zhou X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12805554 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature