Driving better lung health with electric cars

Increased adoption of electric cars could help improve respiratory health in local communities. — AFP

Popular for their non-polluting nature, electric cars could also have a positive impact on the respiratory health of city dwellers, according to a recent study conducted in California, United States.

However, this positive impact is more likely to be observed in wealthier populations, the research notes.

Since the advent of electric cars, often hailed as the future of mobility, there has been increasing evidence of reduced air pollution associated with the use of these vehicles.

But few studies have focused on the effects on respiratory health, say researchers from the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine, who conducted the study published in the journal Science of the Total Environment.

They focused on publicly-available data sets to analyse various factors in several cities in the US state of California between 2013 and 2019.

The researchers began by looking at changes in the use of zero- or low-emission vehicles (electric cars, hybrid cars, hydrogen fuel cell cars), before looking at air pollution levels, and finally, at asthma-related emergency room visits.

The study found that, as the adoption of zero-emission vehicles increased within a city or neighbourhood, local air pollution levels and emergency room visits decreased.

At zip code level, for every additional 20 electric cars per 1,000 people, the researchers note a 3.2% decrease in the rate of asthma-related emergency room visits and a small suggestive reduction in nitrogen dioxide levels.

However, the study notes that a “zero-emissions vehicle adoption gap” threatens the equitable distribution of any associated benefits.

Indeed, the researchers found that while the total number of electric vehicles has increased over time, the shift appears to be slower in low-income neighbourhoods.

“That disparity points to an opportunity to restore environmental justice in communities that are disproportionately affected by pollution and related health problems,” the study authors explain in a news release. – AFP Relaxnews