biostudies-literatureUnknownGeldsetzer PNICHD NIH HHSNIDA NIH HHSNIAID NIH HHSNCI NIH HHSThere are large differences in premature mortality in the USA by racial/ethnic, education, rurality, and social vulnerability index groups. Using existing concentration-response functions, particulate matter (PM_2.5) air pollution, population estimates at the tract level, and county-level mortality data, we estimated the degree to which these mortality discrepancies can be attributed to differences in exposure and susceptibility to PM_2.5. We show that differences in mortality attributable to PM_2.5 were consistently more pronounced between racial/ethnic groups than by education, rurality, or social vulnerability index, with the Black American population having by far the highest proportion of deaths attributable to PM_2.5 in all years from 1990 to 2016. Over half of the difference in age-adjusted all-cause mortality between the Black American and non-Hispanic White population was attributable to PM_2.5 in the years 2000 to 2011.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences2024.04.17.24305943https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC11065005biostudies-literatureSociodemographic and geographic variation in mortality attributable to air pollution in the United States.PMC11065005R01 CA228147R01 HD104835R01 AI127250R00 DA051534Geldsetzer PHeft-Neal SKiang MVFridljand DBendavid EThieme AHBurke MBenmarhnia TfalseSociodemographic and geographic variation in mortality attributable to air pollution in the United States.There are large differences in premature mortality in the USA by racial/ethnic, education, rurality, and social vulnerability index groups. Using existing concentration-response functions, particulate matter (PM_2.5) air pollution, population estimates at the tract level, and county-level mortality data, we estimated the degree to which these mortality discrepancies can be attributed to differences in exposure and susceptibility to PM_2.5. We show that differences in mortality attributable to PM_2.5 were consistently more pronounced between racial/ethnic groups than by education, rurality, or social vulnerability index, with the Black American population having by far the highest proportion of deaths attributable to PM_2.5 in all years from 1990 to 2016. Over half of the difference in age-adjusted all-cause mortality between the Black American and non-Hispanic White population was attributable to PM_2.5 in the years 2000 to 2011.2024-01-01T00:00:00Z2024 Apr2026-04-08T18:50:14.212Z2026-04-08T10:46:51.904ZS-EPMC110650053869934910.1101/2024.04.17.24305943