TY - JOUR
T1 - Socio-economic correlates of municipal-level pollution emissions on Montreal Island
AU - Premji, Stéphanie
AU - Bertrand, Frédéric
AU - Smargiassi, Audrey
AU - Daniel, Mark
PY - 2007/3
Y1 - 2007/3
N2 - Background: Differential exposure to environmental hazards is one component of the social gradient in health. Few studies have investigated the association between socio-economic characteristics and environmental hazards in a Canadian context. We assessed the relationships between pollution emissions and socio-economic characteristics for 27 municipalities on Montreal Island. Methods: Pollution emissions were determined using Environment Canada's National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI) for the periods 1995-1996 and 2000-2001. Variables included the number of reporting industries, the average annual releases, and the average annual releases density. These data were cross-referenced with socio-economic data from the 1996 and 2001 Canadian Censuses, respectively. Results: For both periods, pollution measures were inversely related to the average monthly amount of owners' major payments, the average income of households, the proportion of workers in the tertiary sector, and the proportion of individuals with a university education. Pollution measures were positively associated with the unemployment rate, the proportion of workers in the secondary sector, and the proportion of individuals with less than high school education. Conclusion: Socio-economic characteristics are associated with municipal-level pollution emissions on Montreal Island. Whether higher emissions are indicative of higher pollution exposure requires further investigation.
AB - Background: Differential exposure to environmental hazards is one component of the social gradient in health. Few studies have investigated the association between socio-economic characteristics and environmental hazards in a Canadian context. We assessed the relationships between pollution emissions and socio-economic characteristics for 27 municipalities on Montreal Island. Methods: Pollution emissions were determined using Environment Canada's National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI) for the periods 1995-1996 and 2000-2001. Variables included the number of reporting industries, the average annual releases, and the average annual releases density. These data were cross-referenced with socio-economic data from the 1996 and 2001 Canadian Censuses, respectively. Results: For both periods, pollution measures were inversely related to the average monthly amount of owners' major payments, the average income of households, the proportion of workers in the tertiary sector, and the proportion of individuals with a university education. Pollution measures were positively associated with the unemployment rate, the proportion of workers in the secondary sector, and the proportion of individuals with less than high school education. Conclusion: Socio-economic characteristics are associated with municipal-level pollution emissions on Montreal Island. Whether higher emissions are indicative of higher pollution exposure requires further investigation.
KW - Canada
KW - Environmental pollutants
KW - Immigrants
KW - Socioeconomic status (SES)
KW - Urban population
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=34249677908&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Article
C2 - 17441539
AN - SCOPUS:34249677908
SN - 0008-4263
VL - 98
SP - 138
EP - 142
JO - Canadian Journal of Public Health
JF - Canadian Journal of Public Health
IS - 2
ER -