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Executive Summary
A ir pollution levels improved in many parts of the nation during the years 2001-2003, but millions of Americans still faced dangerous levels of air pollution. The American Lung Association State of the Air 2005 presents information on air pollution on a state-by-state, county-by-county basis, using the most up-to-date quality assured data available for nationwide comparisons.
American Lung Association State of the Air 2005 provides a county-level report card on the two most pervasive air pollutants: ozone (smog) and particle pollution (soot). In addition, this year’s report shows that ozone remains a persistent threat across large parts of the United States.
Some of the facts from this report card on air pollution are below, taking a look at the nation as a whole:
Over 52 percent of the U.S. population lives in counties that have unhealthful levels of either ozone or particle pollution.
Over 152 million Americans live in 390 counties where they are exposed to unhealthful levels of air pollution in the form of either ozone or short-term or year-round levels of particles.
Nearly half the U.S. population--49 percent--lives in areas with unhealthful levels of ozone.
Counties that were graded F for ozone levels have a combined population of 142.7 million. Almost half of all Americans are living in counties where the air quality places them at risk for decreased lung function, respiratory infection, lung inflammation and aggravation of respiratory illness.
Over 26 percent of the U.S. population lives in areas with unhealthful short-term levels of particle pollution.
Over 76.5 million Americans live in areas where they are exposed to unhealthful short-term levels of particle pollution. Short-term, or acute, exposure to particle pollution has been shown to increase heart attacks, strokes and emergency-room visits for asthma and cardiovascular disease, and most importantly, increase the risk of death.
One in five people in the United States lives in an area with unhealthful year-round levels of particle pollution.
Some 58.3 million Americans suffer from chronic exposure to particle pollution. Even when levels are fairly low, over time exposure to particles can increase risk of hospitalization for asthma, damage to the lungs and significantly increase the risk of premature death.
About 50.2 million Americans--nearly 17 percent--live in 47 counties with unhealthful levels of all three: ozone and short-term and yearround particle pollution.
With the risks from airborne pollution so great, the American Lung Association seeks to inform people who may be in danger. Many groups are a greater risk because of their age or the presence of asthma or other chronic lung disease, a cardiovascular disease or diabetes. Those groups include:
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Adult and Pediatric Asthma--Over 3.1 million children and over 8.4 million adults with asthma live in parts of the United States with very high levels of ozone. Over 4.6 million adults and nearly 1.7 million children with asthma live in areas with high levels of short-term particle pollution. Three and a half million adults and nearly 1.3 million children with asthma live in counties with unhealthful levels of year-round particle pollution.
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Older and Younger--Over 16.3 million adults age 65 and over and nearly 36.7 million children age 18 and under live in counties with unhealthful ozone levels. Over 8.8 million seniors and over 19.7 million children live in counties with unhealthful short-term levels of particle pollution. Over 6.7 million seniors and nearly 15.1 million children live in counties with unhealthful levels of year-round particle pollution.
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Chronic Bronchitis and Emphysema--Over 4.2 million people with chronic bronchitis and 1.5 million with emphysema live in counties with unhealthful ozone levels. Nearly 2.3 million people with chronic bronchitis and 802,000 with emphysema live in counties with unhealthful levels of shortterm particle pollution. Over 1.7 million people with chronic bronchitis and over 610,000 with emphysema live in counties with unhealthful year-round levels of particle pollution.
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Cardiovascular Disease--Over 18.3 million Americans with cardiovascular diseases live in areas with unhealthful levels of short-term particle pollution; 13.9 million live in counties with unhealthful levels of year-round particle pollution. Cardiovascular diseases include heart disease, heart attacks and strokes.
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Diabetes--Over 3.6 million Americans with diabetes live in areas with unhealthful levels of short-term particle pollution; 2.8 million live in counties with unhealthful levels of year-round particle pollution. Research indicates that diabetics face risks from particle pollution’s threat to their cardiovascular systems.
In addition to providing specific grades for each county with ozone and particle pollution monitors, the American Lung Association State of the Air 2005 also discusses key steps needed to improve the air we all breathe. Those steps include:
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Protect the Clean Air Act. The American Lung Association is greatly concerned about threats to one of the most effective public health laws ever passed, the Clean Air Act. Threats come from legislative proposals to roll back key provisions of the law and continued delays in putting into place what the science tells us is needed to clean up air pollution. The American Lung Association has taken legal action to protect this valuable clean air tool, and encourages everyone to tell his or her members of Congress to protect the Clean Air Act.
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Clean Up Dirty Power Plants. Old, coal-fired power plants are among the biggest industrial contributors to unhealthful air, especially particle pollution in the eastern United States. The toll of death, disease and environmental destruction caused by coal-fired power plant pollution continues to mount. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued proposed rules in 2003 that would give states the tools to clean up these plants. The rules need to be stronger and, most of all, made final so work can begin.
Individuals can do a great deal to help reduce air pollution outdoors as well. Here are some simple, but effective ways:
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Reduce driving. Combine trips, walk, bike, carpool or vanpool and use buses, subways or other alternatives to driving. Vehicle emissions are a major source of air pollution. Support community plans that provide ways to get around that don’t require a car, such as more sidewalks, bike trails and transit systems.
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Refuel cars after dark. Gasoline emissions evaporating while you fill up your gas tank contribute to ozone formation. Filling up after dark helps prevents the sunlight from turning those gases into ozone.
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Don’t burn wood or trash. Burning firewood and trash are among the largest sources of particles in many parts of the country. If you must use a fireplace or stove for heat, convert your woodstoves to natural gas, which has far fewer emissions. Compost and recycle as much as possible and dispose of other waste properly; don’t burn it. Support efforts in your community to ban outdoor burning of construction and yard wastes.
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Get involved. Participate in your community’s review of the air pollution plans and support state and local efforts to clean up air pollution.
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Send a message to decisionmakers. Send an email or fax to urge your member of Congress to protect the Clean Air Act. Log on at www.lungusa.org to see how easy that can be.
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