American Lung Association American Lung Association State of the Air 2005--Protect the Air You Breathe
American Lung Association State of the Air 2005

Table 3a: People at Risk In 25 Counties Most Polluted by Long-Term Particle Pollution (Annual PM2.5)

At-Risk Groups High PM2.5 Days in Unhealthy Ranges 2001-2003
2005 Rank1 County ST Total Population2 Under 183 65 and Over3 Pediatric Asthma4,10 Adult Asthma5,10 Chronic Bronchitis6,10 Emphy
sema7,10
CV Disease8 Diabetes9 Weighted Avg.11 Grade12
1 Riverside CA 1,782,650 508,894 211,764 43,307 107,143 50,216 17,942 406,693 80,444 27.8 FAIL
2 San Bernardino CA 1,859,678 572,365 154,222 48,708 108,246 49,429 15,615 378,603 74,076 25.2 FAIL
3 Los Angeles CA 9,871,506 2,695,948 974,944 229,425 600,872 279,077 92,796 2,194,880 430,657 23.6 FAIL
4 Kern CA 713,087 216,213 65,323 18,400 41,841 19,203 6,268 149,137 29,278 21.8 FAIL
5 Tulare CA 390,791 126,408 36,887 10,757 22,353 10,274 3,433 80,469 15,870 21.3 FAIL
6 Allegheny PA 1,261,303 270,004 217,804 22,977 82,896 41,689 17,481 368,535 74,455 21.2 FAIL
7 Fresno CA 850,325 259,249 82,665 22,062 49,895 22,966 7,676 180,181 35,477 19.7 FAIL
8 Wayne MI 2,028,778 564,093 237,742 48,004 133,842 58,934 21,568 486,926 96,802 19.5 FAIL
9 Orange CA 2,957,766 781,268 303,000 66,486 182,347 85,437 29,014 680,424 133,879 19.3 FAIL
10 Kings CA 138,564 38,461 10,142 3,273 8,350 3,709 1,052 27,004 5,182 19.0 FAIL
11 Cuyahoga OH 1,363,888 334,954 208,278 28,505 73,134 42,681 17,220 369,870 74,387 18.3 FAIL
12 Fulton GA 818,322 205,526 63,259 17,490 42,858 23,455 7,139 177,873 34,602 18.0 FAIL
13 Hamilton OH 823,472 206,939 110,200 17,611 43,630 25,080 9,549 210,802 42,155 17.8 FAIL
13 Jefferson OH 71,888 14,795 13,388 1,259 4,065 2,443 1,063 22,026 4,478 17.8 FAIL
15 Lake IN 487,476 129,244 63,287 10,999 28,921 14,652 5,603 123,790 24,768 17.7 FAIL
15 New York NY 1,564,798 276,547 194,576 23,534 98,617 50,526 17,474 406,506 79,642 17.7 FAIL
17 Madison IL 261,689 62,432 36,380 5,313 15,056 8,124 3,120 68,601 13,723 17.5 FAIL
18 Hancock WV 31,742 6,432 5,986 547 2,062 1,088 477 9,891 2,008 17.4 FAIL
19 Cook IL 5,351,552 1,385,127 620,097 117,874 298,248 157,488 55,992 1,280,688 253,277 17.3 FAIL
19 Jefferson AL 658,141 160,713 88,472 13,677 37,115 20,262 7,719 170,550 34,100 17.3 FAIL
19 Stark OH 377,519 90,941 57,396 7,739 20,407 11,954 4,842 103,868 20,946 17.3 FAIL
22 Scioto OH 77,453 18,186 11,666 1,548 4,178 2,436 964 20,867 4,186 17.2 FAIL
23 Kanawha WV 195,413 41,445 32,413 3,527 12,521 6,508 2,713 57,598 11,636 17.1 FAIL
24 Merced CA 231,574 75,202 20,841 6,400 13,191 6,022 1,959 46,518 9,142 17.0 FAIL
24 Lancaster PA 482,775 124,674 68,520 10,610 29,877 14,702 5,768 125,415 25,165 17.0 FAIL
24 York PA 394,919 92,804 53,761 7,898 25,204 12,403 4,775 105,327 21,078 17.0 FAIL

(1) Counties are ranked by design value. See note 11 below.
(2)
Total Population represents the at-risk populations in counties with PM2.5 monitors.
(3) Those
18 & Under and 65 & Over are vulnerable to PM2.5 and are therefore included. They should not be used as population denominators for disease estimates.
(4)
Pediatric Asthma estimates are for those under 18 years of age and represent the estimated number of people who had asthma in 2003 based on national rates (NHIS) applied to county population estimates (US Census).
(5)
Adult Asthma estimates are for those 18 years and older and represent the estimated number of people who had asthma during 2003 based on state rates (BRFSS) applied to county population estimates (US Census).
(6)
Chronic Bronchitis estimates are for adults 18 and over who had been diagnosed within 2003 based on national rates (NHIS) applied to county population estimates (US Census).
(7)
Emphysema estimates are for adults 18 and over who have been diagnosed within their lifetime based on national rates (NHIS) applied to county population estimates (US Census).
(8)
CV Disease estimates are based on American Heart Association estimates of cardiovascular disease applied to county populations.
(9)
Diabetes estimates are for adults 18 and over who have been diagnosed within their lifetime based on national rates (NHIS) applied to county population estimates (US Census).
(10) Adding across rows does not produce valid estimates, i.e. summing pediatric and adult asthma and/or emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
(11) The Design Value is the calculated concentration of a pollutant based on the form of the national ambient air quality standard, and is used by EPA to determine whether or not the air quality in a county meets the standard. The source for the Design Values is EPA, communication from the Office of Air Quality Planning & Standards, Mark Schmidt, February 1, 2005.(12) Grades are based on EPA’s determination of meeting or failure to meet the NAAQS for annual PM 2.5 levels during 2001-2003. Counties meeting the NAAQS received grades of Pass; counties not meeting received grades of Fail.

Tables continued...



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