More damning evidence against the fossil fuel burners on wheels and otherwise. Sorry. --------------------------------------------------- "STATE OF THE AIR 2001" New York, NY -- Many more Americans are breathing dirty air, as the outdoor air quality in nearly 400 U.S. counties has received an "F" for ozone air pollution (smog) - a fifteen percent increase from statistics released in May 2000. According to the American Lung Association's annual State of the Air report, the number of Americans living in areas that received an "F" increased by more than 9 million compared with last year's report-from 132 million to more than 141 million. The report marks the beginning of the American Lung Association's annual Clean Air Month campaign. "Without a doubt, Americans' health remains threatened by air pollution, " said John R. Garrison, Chief Executive Officer of the American Lung Association. "State of the Air confirms that ozone air pollution isn't a hit-or-miss problem depending on where you live. Smog affects people's ability to breathe throughout America-in small, medium and large metropolitan areas-every summer. And we see this at a time when clean air laws are being threatened in Washington." Five new cities appear on the 2001 list of American's 25 most ozone-polluted cities: Richmond-Petersburg, VA; Baton Rouge, LA; Louisville, KY; Greensboro-Winston-Salem-High Point, NC; and Chattanooga, TN. Three states-North Carolina, Georgia and Maryland-have more counties on this year's list of America's 25 most ozone-polluted counties compared with last year. The 10 most ozone-polluted metropolitan areas are: Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County, CA; Bakersfield, CA; Fresno, CA; Visalia-Tulare-Porterville, CA; Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, TX; Atlanta, GA; Washington-Baltimore, DC-MD-VA-WV; Charlotte,Gastonia,Rock Hill, NC-SC; Knoxville, TN; and Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City, PA-NJ-DE-MD. Areas with the cleanest air include Bellingham, WA; Colorado Springs, CO; Des Moines, IA; Duluth, MN; Fargo, ND; Flagstaff, AZ; Honolulu, HI; Laredo, TX; Lincoln, NE; McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX; Salinas, CA; and Spokane, WA. State of the Air 2001 examines ozone air quality data for 1997-1999, which are the most recent quality-assured data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); the 2000 report focused on data for 1996-1998. The report grades and ranks counties on how often their air quality exceeds "unhealthful" categories of the EPA's Air Quality Index for ozone air pollution. State of the Air 2001 analyzes ozone data in all areas in which ozone monitors exist, representing a population base of more than 187 million Americans. Ozone is a highly reactive form of oxygen that results primarily from the action of sunlight on hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides emitted in fuel combustion. Ozone levels typically rise during the period between May and October when higher temperatures and increased amount of sunlight combine with the stagnant atmospheric conditions that are associated with ozone air pollution episodes. Even relatively low ozone levels can affect even healthy people's ability to breathe. Ozone exposure may lead to shortness of breath, chest pain when inhaling deeply, wheezing and coughing. Long-term exposure can result in reduced breathing ability and increases the risk of respiratory disease later in life. According to the report, the number of U.S. counties that received an "F" in air quality jumped from 333 in 2000 to 382 in 2001, reflecting that more than half of the counties (58%) where there are ozone monitors received a failing grade. The total number of high ozone days in the "F" range jumped 25.3 percent in monitored counties from the 2000 report. This trend in the number of high ozone days directly affects individuals' health. The report details that many more people are breathing unhealthy air, including more than 30 million children under age 14, 17 million Americans over age 65, an estimated 3.6 million adults with asthma, and 1.9 million children with asthma, all of whom are at increased risk to suffer adverse health effects from ozone air pollution. While the hot 1999 summer in much of the country was a factor in the increased high ozone days in the 2001 report, hot weather is a variable to be expected, while emission levels can be controlled, according to the association. "Clearly, we must do more to cut emissions significantly if we are to bring ozone levels down so that it's safe for children, the elderly and even healthy adults to spend time outdoors on warm, sunny days," Garrison said. [Story from American Lung Association Web Site, http://www.lungusa.org] ----------------------------------------------------------- Wednesday, 23 May 2001 20:35 (ET) Air pollution may cause infant deaths By KOREN CAPOZZA, UPI Science News SAN FRANCISCO, May 23 (UPI) -- Elevated air pollution may be the killer behind 9 percent of infant deaths in the United States, concludes a study by an international team of researchers. Investigators evaluated air-quality data for eight U.S. cities from 1995 to 1997 and compared it to total infant mortality statistics for the same period. Their analysis included eliminating several confounding variables including maternal race, education and marital status. In the end, the team from the University of Basel in Switzerland and the Harvard School of Public Health said the figures showed outdoor air pollution significantly contributed to infant mortality. They reported their findings Wednesday at the annual meeting of the American Thoracic Society in San Francisco. All of the cities -- Baltimore, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia and Seattle -- had air pollution levels that were below Environmental Protection Agency guidelines. The air-quality data itself also came from the EPA. "We should be aware that not only the elderly or frail people with chronic diseases are susceptible to complications caused by air pollution. Babies are also at risk" said Dr. Reinhard Kaiser of the University of Basel and lead author of the study. Although the researchers did not investigate the source of the air pollution in any of the cities, they know that much of the particulate matter found in U.S. metropolitan centers comes from cars, power plants and diesel trucks, they said. The study should be the beginning, not the end, of research on how outdoor pollution affects infant mortality, said the researchers. "There is strong evidence that this is a cause and effect relationship but further evidence is still needed", said Kaiser. In the future, the researchers want to repeat the cohort study using EPA data for small particle pollution. "We know that small particles are more dangerous", said Kaiser. According to Dr. Alfesio Braga, a Brazilian researcher from the University of Santo Amaro who studies the impact of climate on mortality, the picture is very complicated. Temperature also interacts with air pollution to impact mortality in U.S. urban centers, he said. Future studies should look at all of these factors, he said. Copyright 2001 by United Press International. All rights reserved. ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.
