A new study reveals a link between warehouse density in Los Angeles and elevated levels of fine particulate pollution, which has serious health implications.
Scientists used data from NASA satellites and a commercial real estate database to correlate the growth in warehouses, driven by e-commerce, with increases in PM2.5 and elemental carbon—pollutants known to cause respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, and adverse birth outcomes.
Warehouse Pollution Impact
Recent research reveals that areas in the Los Angeles region with a higher concentration of warehouses are linked to elevated levels of fine particulate pollution (PM2.5) in the air.
Scientists examined patterns in PM2.5 levels across different ZIP codes and found that locations with more or larger warehouses experienced significantly higher concentrations of PM2.5 and elemental carbon, a pollutant released by heavy-duty diesel engines. The study, funded by NASA, was published in GeoHealth in September 2024.
Visualizing Pollution and Warehouse Locations
This visualization (image above) illustrates the average PM2.5 pollution in Los Angeles from 2000 to 2018, along with the locations of nearly 11,000 new or existing warehouses. Areas with higher pollution levels appear in dark orange, while clusters of warehouses are marked by black dots, often grouped closely together.
The PM2.5 data came from models based on satellite observations, including from NASA’s MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) and ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer) instruments. The warehouse locations were derived from a commercial real estate database.
Health Implications of PM2.5
PM2.5 particles measure 2.5 micrometers or less and can be inhaled into the lungs and absorbed into the bloodstream. Particulate pollution has been linked to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, some cancers, and adverse birth outcomes, including premature birth and low infant birth weight. As the e-commerce boom of recent decades has spurred warehouse construction, pollution in nearby neighborhoods has become a growing area for research.
NASA Earth Observatory image by Wanmei Liang, using data from Yang, Binyu, et al. (2024), county boundaries from the California Open Data Portal, state highways from The California Department of Transportation.