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The State of the Air

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Two out of every five people living in the US (42%) live in counties that have unhealthful levels of either ozone or particle pollution. Approximately 2.2 million asthmatic children live in areas with very high levels of ozone. For short term particle pollution(not year round) Pittsburg is the worst in the nation with Harrisburg at number 20. Lancaster is 20th on the list of counties most polluted year round. Philadelphia County is number 11 on the list of counties most polluted by ozone. New Castel County in Delaware is one of the worst counties in the nation for total toxic releases.

State of the Air 2008 is the title of the American Lung association’s annual report, where these facts were sourced. Along with facts from Scorecard the pollution information site that compile data from over 400 government and scientific databases nationwide, the picture is grim.

So what is ozone and particle pollution? According to the American Lung Association fact sheet; Ozone (ground level ozone, not the ozone of the stratosphere) is an invisible gas that is formed by a reaction of sunlight and the vapors emitted when fuel is burned by cars, trucks, factories, power plants and other sources. The ozone then reacts chemically with internal body tissue especially the respiratory tract, and this is where the health problems begin.

Particle pollution is made up of materials such as dust, ash, soot, sulfate, nitriate, and they come from a variety of sources such as diesel trucks and buses, coal fired power plants, construction, agricultural practices and mining.

If you have the courage to see how polluted your county is go to; www.scorecard.org and enter your zip code. Also the EPA has a very good resource such as http://www.epa.gov/enviro/wme/ ‘Window to my environment’ where you can enter your zip code and see hazardous waste sites, superfund sites, and toxic release sites.

How serious is the impact?

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) scientists estimated that over 4,700 premature deaths occur each year in just nine cites analyzed which include Philadelphia and Pittsburg. Breathing this pollution is particularly dangerous for those with asthma. Breathing high levels of ozone over the long term may lead to impaired lung function, and increased breathing problems among other ailments.

“Particle pollution is the most dangerous of the widespread outdoor air pollutants. It is typically made up of ash, soot, diesel exhaust, chemicals, metals and aerosols. Particle levels can spike dangerously for hours to weeks on end (short-term) or reach high levels for most of the year (year-round).”

The impact on health is linked to increased hospitalization for asthma, and aggravated asthma attacks among children. Breathing particle pollution can shorten life by one to three years, and ultimately it can kill especially if breathing high levels year round for years on end. It triggers heart attacks, strokes, irregular heartbeats, and causes lung cancer and premature births.  Particle pollution harms people in many ways, even when the particle levels are very low. Particle pollution worsens serious respiratory disorders, including asthma as mentioned and causes wheezing and coughing.

Environmental Protection Agency still effective?

Many improvements and reductions have been made. The EPA has been for many years the watch dog, but of late has it lost a few teeth? In January 2007 the EPA ‘relaxed’ reporting requirements by companies to the Toxic Release Inventory- the nation’s flagship pollution database. Companies used to be bound by law to report any release over 500 lbs (annually) of any of the 650 or so listed toxic chemicals or pollutants. The EPA now requires the companies only to report if they release toxic pollutants over the 5000 lb threshold! Quite simply a massive relaxation of the rules.

"This is a clear case of the agency disregarding the will of the American people," said Sean Moulton, Director of Federal Information Policy for OMB Watch. "The EPA has no scientific or health data supporting these changes — nothing to ensure public safety. The agency is only interested in saving polluting companies a few dollars, at the expense of public health."

We have to breath…

There are steps you can take to reduce your exposure, if moving to a less polluted area is not an option some of the following tips from the EPA may help;

•    Get to know how sensitive you are to air pollution and how to recognize the signs that you are being adversely affected.

•    Know when air pollution may be bad –ozone is worse on hot summer days especially in afternoons and evenings. Particle pollution can be bad at any time, but is higher near busy roads, factories etc. Check  http://airnow.gov/    for current levels in your area.

•    Avoid exercising out doors when levels are bad

•    Keep quick relief medicine handy when active outdoors.

•    Plan activities when and where pollution levels are lower.

It seems for many of us given where we live, air pollution is unavoidable. We rely on the government agencies to protect the environment from the industrial polluters but there is much we as individuals can do to reduce our impact on the already extremely fragile tightrope we walk.

June 2,2008

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