Researchers tackle asthma hotspot: Seattle’s Duwamish Valley

Where air pollution goes, asthma is likely to follow.

Seattle’s Duwamish Valley has some of the worst air pollution in Western Washington. The valley also has twice the poverty rate of Seattle and is mostly people of color.

People living in the 98108, the ZIP code that includes the Duwamish Valley and Beacon Hill, are nearly four times more likely to end up in the hospital with asthma than King County residents overall, according to University of Washington epidemiologist Anjum Hajat.

“There are tremendous inequities in terms of asthma and many other health outcomes,” Hajat said.

Researchers from the University of Washington and the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition hope to lower the valley’s exceptional rates of childhood asthma.

They’re giving 80 Duwamish Valley families low-cost box fans with air filters attached to clean up their indoor air.

They’ll study how the children’s health in those families changes, even as trucks, trains, and planes still pollute the air outside.

They want to see how well this low-cost approach to pollution can help kids breathe easier.

“What really impacts our air quality here more than anything else is transportation emissions, specifically diesel emissions from port activities,” said Christian Poulsen with the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition.

The valley’s Georgetown and South Park communities sit between the cargo-handling docks of the Port of Seattle and King County International Airport.

The project will monitor indoor and outdoor air quality and support an advocacy team to identify the most effective ways to achieve cleaner air and healthier children along the Duwamish.