From [HERE] Black and Latino communities in the United States are exposed to airborne toxic metals at a rate that’s nearly 10 times higher than more well-integrated areas, according to a new study published Tuesday.

The study, published in Nature Communications, also found that highly segregated locations were exposed to two times the degree of total air pollution of well-integrated communities.

It has long been known that communities of color bear a disproportionate burden of pollution. But the study puts a finer point on it — documenting that people in segregated communities breathe much higher levels of certain toxic heavy metals.

In the study, researchers analyzed data showing that not all air pollution is “created equal,” said Jack Kodros, lead researcher on the study and previously an environmental scientist at Colorado State University. [MORE]