Technology more commonly found in homes and apartments show promise in improving health in vulnerable minority neighborhoods, which disproportionately share space with large-scale manufacturers.
A new American Lung Association study finds that if industries and manufacturers adopted the same technology used in air conditioning heat pumps, it could clear the air in Black and brown neighborhoods that sit adjacent to industrial zones — the legacy of redlining. The ALA report estimates that the switch from industrial boilers to heat pumps could prevent hundreds of thousands of asthma-related illnesses each year and stave off billions of dollars’ worth of storm-related damage by easing extreme weather fueled by climate change. Credit: Getty Images
Overview:
Heat pumps, which efficiently warm or cool air, have become staples in new home construction. But manufacturers, who tend to use centuries-old heating technology, have been slow to adopt heat pumps, which are not only cost-effective but could pay dividends in public health and environmental quality improvements.
In recent years, heat pumps — an air conditioning technology that efficiently produces warm or cool air and distributes it evenly through a home — have become a common element in everyday life, appearing in a growing number of houses and apartments.
The technology, however, can be applied in other settings too — namely, manufacturing that doesn’t require high levels of heat, like food processing, paper milling, and the production of chemicals. And a new report finds that if heat pumps became as common in manufacturing as in home construction it would pay dividends in public health improvements.
According to the American Lung Association, use of industrial heat-pump boilers could significantly reduce both emissions and pollution as well as create a host of positive effects that would significantly benefit Black and brown communities.
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