A Public Health Crisis—With Economic Solutions?

A week after Pittsburgh declared racism a public health crisis, a blanket of particulate matter clouded the skies over Steel City.

Relentless pollution saw the city’s air “deemed unsafe to breathe” for 3 months last year, and is one of many public health woes that disproportionately impact its communities of color.
 
But Pittsburgh’s new ordinances focus on economic rather than environmental solutions for black residents. However powerful the social determinants of health are, critics say that’s a mistake.
 
“A better strategy would have been to include public health officials, scholars, and advocates in the process,” said local activist Jamil Bey.
 
CityLab