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KPBS Midday Edition

Concerns build over Amazon's growth, pollution in Black, Brown neighborhoods

In this Dec. 17, 2019, file photo, Amazon workers move containers to delivery trucks at an Amazon warehouse facility in Goodyear, Ariz.
Ross D. Franklin / AP
In this Dec. 17, 2019, file photo, Amazon workers move containers to delivery trucks at an Amazon warehouse facility in Goodyear, Ariz.

Amazon has seen dramatic growth during the pandemic. A recent investigation from Consumer Reports shows the company went from building an average of about 75 new facilities a year to 300 in 2020 alone.

The investigation shows that rapid growth is increasing air pollution from Amazon's semi-trucks and delivery vans and raising concerns over negative health outcomes in the communities they build in, most of which are Black and Brown.

Breathing in tiny particles from diesel and gas exhaust causes " a higher chance of getting asthma, developing certain types of cancer, having a heart attack," said Kaveh Waddell, deputy editor with Consumer Reports Digital Lab.

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Waddell joined Midday Edition on Tuesday to talk about the potential impact of Amazon expanding its facilities in San Diego and how communities across the country are working to clean up industrial pollution.