People live in big cities, that much we know, and big cities have some great things about them and some very poor ones, as well. For example, as Terry Pratchett used to say, big cities all had one thing in common, they all stank. That is true for most big cities, because they are all polluted to an extent. With big cities come lots of cars, exhaust gases, some are even surrounded by factories. Air pollution is a big deal and people living in such conditions can be exposed to it, meaning a lot of potential diseases and health issues, respiratory and otherwise. It is also known, but less known, that people of a different class and ethnicity could be more directly exposed to air pollution. Here is how that works.
Class and Money – Money Means Better Accommodation
When you have lots of money, you can purchase plenty of things, meaning a functional ventilation system, not to mention windows which actually hold back some of the outside air, albeit not all of it. People with more money, people of an upper class or a high-middle class, have access to locations which are less polluted (due to better conditions in those locations, whether geographical or otherwise). Living on a hill is likely to keep you away from smog, for instance, because you are literally above it. Or, you could simply purchase a house which is not even in the city and have a chauffeur drive you whenever you need to go to the city. Class differences are often exhibited in the location of the accommodation and thus, almost directly, the quality of life.
Ethnic Differences – They Might be a Cause
When you are of a different ethnicity, that might prove troublesome in some countries. For example, immigrants are often treated very poorly and put in camps where they live like cattle for the most part. They are forbidden to leave the camps, lest they want to be punished in a way. That is not true for all immigrants, not to mention in all places of the world. Those with doctorates, scientists and teachers, people who can contribute to a country have a higher priority and get immediate access (a class difference, in a way).
In some places, people with a different ethnicity are confined to a region (the Uighur people in China), which might mean them being exposed to air pollution. Ethnicity by itself does not need to be a factor. There are countries and places in this world where ethnicity doesn’t play a huge factor, even though it still has a role in some processes.
Whether you are of a different class or ethnic group may or may not directly influence your contact with air pollution.