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According to an April 13, 2020 article on NJ.com<\/em>,<\/p>\n “New research from Harvard public health experts has found a link between air pollution and COVID-19 fatalities. That means people in New Jersey \u2014 particularly those in urban areas \u2014 may face a greater risk of dying from the coronavirus.”<\/em><\/p>\n The article features HAL community partner, Maria Lopez-Nu\u00f1ez: <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMaria Lopez-Nu\u00f1ez isn\u2019t surprised by the Harvard study either. As the deputy director of organizing and advocacy for the <\/span>Ironbound Community Corporation (ICC)<\/span><\/a>, which works on environmental justice and other issues in Newark, she’s seen how air pollution hits low-income, urban communities of color like Brick City especially hard.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n \u201cMost people I know have respiratory issues,\u201d Lopez-Nu\u00f1ez said. \u201cA lot of folks in our community just have trouble breathing.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n The lasting impact of air pollution is just one stressor on these communities during this pandemic, Lopez-Nu\u00f1ez said. Higher than normal rates of health problems, like diabetes, add to the vulnerability of these groups.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cFor so many reasons in black and brown communities, we already have these underlying issues,” Lopez-Nu\u00f1ez said. “It\u2019s made baring the impacts of coronavirus that much scarier.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n ——–<\/p>\n Read the full article here: “N.J.’s coronavirus death toll is likely higher thanks to decades of dirty air”<\/a><\/p>\n Learn more about how pollution caused by Covanta, a corporation that provides incineration services in Newark, is contributing to health issues such as cancer and asthma in local residents and how ICC is fighting back: Covanta: Ironbound\u2019s Unwanted Neighbor<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n