Protecting Public Health With Clean Transportation in North Carolina
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Background: Traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) is an increasingly predominant source of air pollution in North Carolina (NC). Several executive orders have sought to address TRAP and prevent potential health effects from this source of exposure. In January 2022, NC Governor Roy Cooper signed Executive Order 246 (EO 246), which directed the North Carolina Department of Transportation to develop the North Carolina Clean Transportation Plan with considerations for environmental justice (EJ) and equity, in addition to establishing new goals for reduction of greenhouse gases in North Carolina and prioritizing EJ activities. Method: The purpose of this manuscript is to support implementation of clean transportation policies in North Carolina. It summarizes the current evidence on health and climate impacts of TRAP and documents the potential health benefits of implementing the clean transportation policies, especially if applied equitably to benefit communities with the greatest need. Results: There is a strong body of evidence demonstrating the deleterious impacts of TRAP exposure on many health outcomes. Throughout the United States, including in North Carolina, TRAP exposure disproportionately impacts communities of color and low income communities. Conclusions: Based on the strong public health evidence that TRAP exposure causes diseases and mortality and contributes to health disparities as well as the projected reductions in TRAP burden, particularly in near-road communities, we recommend implementation of clean transportation policies with an emphasis on equity.
Source: Environmental Health Insights
Authors: Elizabeth S. McClure, Seowoo Jung, Virginia T. Guidry
Language: English
Subfield: Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,650
Funders: Sveučilište u Rijeci, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Foundation to Eradicate Duchenne, University of Texas System, Helsingin Yliopisto, Wellcome Trust, Niigata University, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, National Institute for Health and Care Research, Leverhulme Trust, National Research Foundation, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Agence Nationale de la Recherche, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, Eusko Jaurlaritza, Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, National Research Foundation of Korea, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Koning Boudewijnstichting, Russian Science Foundation, Canada First Research Excellence Fund, Kom op tegen Kanker, Ministerium für Kultur und Wissenschaft des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen, Jashore University of Science and Technology, Guilin Science and Technology Bureau, Swiss Cancer Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Federal Aviation Administration, Wu Jieping Medical Foundation, Chicago Center for Diabetes Translation Research, Elanco Animal Health, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, National Health and Medical Research Council, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Beijing Nova Program, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Earmarked Fund for China Agriculture Research System, National Key Research and Development Program of China, Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, Xi'an Social Science Fund, NIH Office of the Director, Fogarty International Center
OpenAlex ID: W4416204499