Alleghany CO (Pittsburgh) Among US Top 10% For Density Of Air Pollution Sources, 25% COVID Deaths

PITTSBURGH—Allegheny County is among the 10 percent of U.S. counties that have both high relative density of major air pollution sources and high relative rates of COVID-19 deaths, according to a new report.

The report, which used data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and the U.S. Census, and the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, was published by the National Resource Defense Council (NRDC) in response to a recent Harvard study that determined that Americans with COVID-19 who live in places with high levels of air pollution are more likely to die from the disease than people who live in less polluted places.

Nationally, NRDC's report found that the 10 percent of counties with the highest COVID-19 deaths and the highest density of major pollution sources account for at least 114 million people. Counties in Michigan, Louisiana, Colorado, and other parts of the Northeast top the list along with Allegheny County.

EDIT

Of the nation's 3,141 total counties (or county equivalents), the report places Allegheny County among 310 counties that meet two criteria: they're included in the top 25 percent of all U.S. counties for COVID-19 deaths per 100,000 people, and they're in the highest percentile for density of major air pollution sources relative to population size.

EDIT

https://www.dailyclimate.org/pittsburgh-covid-air-pollution-2645888150.html