A new study by the Keck School of Medicine of USC reveals that a higher number of electric vehicle (EV) registrations is correlated with decreased asthma-related emergency room visits and enhanced air quality, leading to better public health.
In California, where EVs are very popular, researchers examined electric vehicle registrations, air pollution levels, and asthma-related emergency room visits between 2013 and 2019. They discovered that as more people in a particular zip code purchased zero-emissions vehicles, there was a drop in emergency room visits and air pollution levels.
“When we think about the actions related to climate change, often it’s on a global level,” said Erika Garcia, PhD, MPH, an assistant professor of population and public health sciences at the Keck School of Medicine and the study’s lead author. “But the idea that changes being made at the local level can improve the health of your own community could be a powerful message to the public and to policy makers.”
However, low-income regions and areas with lower levels of educational attainment were slower to adopt EVs due to high costs and a lack of charging infrastructure, leading to a disproportionate impact on these areas from emissions and pollution-related illnesses.
“Should continuing research support our findings, we want to make sure that those communities that are overburdened with the traffic-related air pollution are truly benefiting from this climate mitigation effort,” Garcia said.
Source: Keck School
